After you send your X-rays and photos, the clinic replies with a treatment plan. In Colombia this is commonly called a presupuesto (a quote or budget) or a plan de tratamiento. Some clinics send a polished English document. Many send a Spanish PDF or a spreadsheet with tooth numbers, abbreviations and a total at the bottom.
Understanding that document properly matters more than comparing the final number. Two quotes with similar totals can describe very different work, and a cheap quote can become expensive once you discover what it leaves out. This guide explains how a typical Medellín treatment plan is structured, the Spanish terms you are most likely to see, and the questions that fill the gaps.
The Anatomy of a Typical Plan
Formats vary, but most plans contain some version of these sections:
- Patient details and date. Check your name is right and note the date; many quotes are valid only for a stated period (vigencia).
- Diagnosis (diagnóstico). A summary of what the dentist saw on your images.
- Procedures by tooth (procedimientos). Each line names a treatment, the tooth or teeth involved, and a price.
- Phases (fases or etapas). Larger plans are often split into stages, such as preparatory work, surgery and final restorations.
- Totals and payment terms. The sum, the currency and how payment is scheduled.
- Notes and conditions (observaciones or condiciones). Often the most important part, and the part most people skip.
Tooth Numbers: The Code Behind Every Line
Your Medellín plan may well use the two-digit FDI numbering system that is common outside the United States. US patients are used to a different system that numbers teeth 1 to 32, so the same tooth can have a completely different number on your US chart and your Medellín plan. If your plan uses numbers you don't recognize, ask which system it follows.
In the two-digit system, the first digit tells you the quarter of the mouth and the second digit the tooth, counting back from the centre:
| First digit | Quarter of the mouth (permanent teeth) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper right | 11 = upper right central incisor |
| 2 | Upper left | 21 = upper left central incisor |
| 3 | Lower left | 36 = lower left first molar |
| 4 | Lower right | 46 = lower right first molar |
"Right" and "left" are the patient's right and left. The second digit runs from 1 (central incisor) to 8 (wisdom tooth). So a plan for "carillas 13 a 23" means veneers on the six upper front teeth, from the right canine to the left canine.
Spanish Terms You Are Likely to See
The glossary below covers terms common on Colombian dental plans. Spelling and abbreviations vary from clinic to clinic.
Diagnosis and assessment
- Valoración / consulta de valoración: the initial examination
- Radiografía panorámica: panoramic X-ray
- Periapical: a small X-ray of one or two teeth
- Tomografía / CBCT: 3D cone-beam scan
- Caries: tooth decay
- Enfermedad periodontal: gum disease
Common procedures
- Profilaxis / limpieza: cleaning
- Detartraje: scaling to remove tartar
- Resina: tooth-coloured composite filling
- Endodoncia: root canal treatment
- Exodoncia: extraction
- Corona: crown
- Carilla: veneer (you may see carilla en resina for composite or carilla en porcelana / cerámica for porcelain)
- Incrustación: inlay or onlay
- Puente: bridge
- Implante: implant
- Pilar / aditamento: abutment, the connector between implant and crown
- Injerto óseo: bone graft
- Elevación de seno: sinus lift
- Provisional: temporary crown, veneer or tooth
- Blanqueamiento: whitening
- Placa miorrelajante / guarda oclusal: night guard or bite splint
Specialties
- Rehabilitación oral: restorative and prosthetic dentistry
- Periodoncia: gum specialty
- Endodoncia: root canal specialty
- Cirugía oral / maxilofacial: oral surgery
- Ortodoncia: orthodontics
If you want to check the specialists named on a plan, our guide to verifying a dentist in ReTHUS explains how.
Reading the Line Items
For each procedure line, check four things.
1. Is the material named?
"Corona" alone tells you little. A good plan names the material, such as zirconia, lithium disilicate or metal-ceramic, and ideally the brand. The same applies to implants: a plan should state the implant system, not just "implante." Our materials guide explains the common options.
2. Is the price per tooth or per unit?
Bridges, in particular, can be priced per unit (each tooth in the bridge) or as a whole. Implants can be priced for the implant alone, or implant plus abutment plus crown. Make sure you know what each price covers.
3. Is the tooth number clear?
Every restorative line should name a specific tooth or range. Vague lines like "resinas varias" (various fillings) should be broken down before you agree.
4. Does it match the diagnosis?
Each procedure should connect to something in the diagnosis. If the plan includes treatment that isn't explained, ask why it is recommended.
What Is Often Missing
Many disagreements on the last day of a trip trace back to something the original plan never mentioned. Look for these, and ask if they are absent:
| Possibly missing item | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Imaging on arrival | Is the CBCT or panoramic X-ray included, or charged separately? |
| Temporaries | Are provisional crowns or veneers included? |
| Abutments and implant parts | Does the implant price include the abutment and final crown? |
| Grafting | If grafting turns out to be needed, what would it cost? |
| Sedation | Is sedation included, optional, or extra? |
| Medications | Are prescriptions included or bought separately at a pharmacy? |
| Follow-up visits | Are adjustments and the pre-flight check included? |
| Night guard | Is one recommended, and is it in the price? |
| Warranty | What is guaranteed, for how long, and on what conditions? |
Currency, Validity and Payment Terms
Check which currency the plan uses. Some clinics quote international patients in US dollars; others quote in Colombian pesos (COP), and peso figures can look alarming at first because the numbers are large. If the plan is in pesos, ask whether you will pay in pesos or in dollars and at what exchange rate. Our currency and payment guide has more on this.
Look for the quote's validity period and the payment schedule. A plan that requires full payment before any in-person examination deserves careful thought; staged payment tied to completed phases keeps your exposure in step with the work done.
Reading the Diagnosis Section
The diagnosis is easy to skim past on the way to the prices, but it is where you learn how the dentist sees your mouth. A useful diagnosis section describes problems tooth by tooth or area by area: decay on specific teeth, failing older restorations, missing teeth, bone loss, gum inflammation, bite issues. A thin diagnosis, such as a single line saying "rehabilitación estética," gives you little to judge the plan against.
Compare the diagnosis with what your home dentist has told you. If the Medellín clinic sees problems your home dentist never mentioned, or misses ones they did, ask about it. Differences are not automatically a red flag, since imaging quality and clinical judgment vary, but they are worth understanding before you commit. Our second opinion guide covers how to weigh conflicting views.
Put each plan into the same simple table, tooth by tooth, with the material, price and any notes. Doing this usually reveals one of three things: the plans recommend the same work at different prices; they recommend different amounts of work; or one plan leaves out items the others include. Each of those leads to a different question for the clinics, and asking it is how you learn which clinic explains its reasoning clearly.
Asking for Clarification Without Awkwardness
Clinics that work with international patients are used to questions. A short, specific message works best. For example: "Thank you for the plan. Could you confirm which teeth are included in line 3, the crown material, and whether the price includes the temporary and the final adjustment visit?"
Ask for any revised plan in writing, and keep every version. If the plan changes after your in-person exam, which is common and not necessarily a problem, ask for an updated written version before treatment begins so you can see exactly what changed and why.
A Final Read-Through Checklist
- Name, date and validity period correct
- Every restorative line linked to a specific tooth number
- Tooth numbers cross-checked against your own records
- Materials and implant system named
- Clear what each price includes
- Imaging, temporaries, sedation and follow-ups accounted for
- Currency and payment schedule understood
- Warranty terms in writing
- Treating dentists named
A treatment plan is not a guarantee of outcome, and this is not dental advice. It is the written foundation of your agreement with the clinic. The more clearly you understand it before you fly, the fewer surprises you will meet in the chair.