Smile Mission Valley Dental Center — Local services in San Diego

Prepare to forsake all other reviews.

After reading some of the reviews on this place, I figured I would share my own experience.

In the Marine Corps; dentists are not only not gentle, they’re downright brutal. I’ve had my wisdom teeth pulled without ANY anesthesia and the few times they did use anesthesia for various procedures, they didn’t even wait until I was numb before they began to assault my face.

So in context of pain, I have to say that this place is awesome. Since I’m not numbed easily due to some freaky mutation with my nerves apparently, most places either don’t believe you and force you to CONTINUOUSLY prove that you can still feel pain or they flat-out continue their work despite your pain.

Doc Young (despite her looking at me like I was some kind of medical mystery that warrants dissection for the advancement of science) was the first...FIRST to not only acknowledge that I still felt pain despite her attempts to numb me but also to have the patience to continue to try to numb me so that I wasn’t forced to sit through the grinding and whirring while feeling every little bit of it wondering how hard I would have to bite down in order to sever the dentist’s finger in revenge.

While the place isn’t some sparkling bastion of dentistry with glittery floors and a fountain in the lobby, they do their damn job. So many people get caught up with appearances that they would rather go to a dentist that costs double or triple because of stupid things like the size or the TV in the waiting room or having access to a magazine that they read instead of the TV guide and some generic women’s magazine. Seriously?

On the topic of mistakes; while it wouldn’t be fair for me to criticize new employees for making mistakes, everyone makes mistakes and everyone knows that. The difference here is that they apologize. If they hurt you or if a piece of whatever they’re drilling falls to the back of your throat then they try to fix it. Other places either ignore you or their efforts are not enough. Seeing some of the reviews on rudeness or mistakes makes me realize that people really don’t personalize other people, especially those that are in some way providing a service to them. These are people with families, feelings, bad days, sicknesses and more yet so many people write reviews on a single experience without context to the whole experience of several visits.

Not only do I love the people here because they’re kind and compassionate while also professional individuals who don’t brush people aside, they’re also pretty cool people. “Meesha” is awesome and is responsible for the awesome music they play, Doc Young is a gangster dentist (and I mean that in the best way possible) and so many others like Jasmine who reminds me of my own grandmother so much that I want to hug her every time I see her or Reyna (Reina?), Naomi, Adriana, Olga, Vanessa (my tattooed buddy) are all awesome people who are awesome at what they do. They’re not the condescending dentists that feel like since they’ve been dentists for 60 years that they know your pain more that you do...(I’ve experienced those types.) that just along with the drilling.

So if you’re looking for a dentist that is decent, kind, honest, does their job and will try to actually help you then go here. If you’re looking for a place with a 60” HD Plasma TV with a PS4, kids play-place and vending machines in a grand gallery lobby furnished with rustic Italian furniture and an obsidian fountain then just take your bougie self somewhere else. The people here do their job and go far beyond anyone has ever gone for...

I'm a medical doctor and I've had the worst experience with this practice. First, I scheduled a cleaning appointment and never got any cleaning. All they did was take a bunch of X-rays and give me an estimate. But I wasn't there for an estimate, even if I appreciate having one. I was there for cleaning. Upon complaining about the nothing burger care I received, this very rude estimate lady told me it would be malpractice to clean my teeth without a thorough exam first, which is not true (you can easily do your exam and the cleaning in the same session). And she based her statement on her many years of experience in healthcare, clueless to the fact that I've been an MD for over 20 years. Then, when I decided to give the place a second chance and called to schedule the actual cleaning session, they refused to schedule an appointment, based on the fact that I wasn't happy with the (lack of) care I had received. I never had that happen to me before. I went to this clinic, because it was covered by a recently acquired insurance, but I'm going back to my old provider, even if I have to pay the whole thing out of pocket. This is how bad this practice is and how much I do not recommend you going there.

I'm surprised to have had this experience, considering how well rated the clinic is. My feeling after what happened to me is that this practice selects patients. They'd rather have patients who are clueless and will trust them blindly. If you are a minimally knowledgeable about your own oral health or just health in general, they'd prefer to avoid you. It makes it easier to perform unnecessary treatments that way (which was the case of certain things I was...

This dental practice is concerning to say the least. Outside of their office mismanagement (1hr+ delays, last minute appt changes, and front desk poor behavior) the care provided by the dentists and their support staff calls into question their training and knowledge. For a routine filling the dentist was unable to achieve sufficient pain management. The procedure continues. The surface cavities were removed without adequate pain control. The dentist proceeds to drop her instruments onto the mouth of the patient. On one occasion wounding the patient and cutting their lip. After which the patient declined any further care. The dentist recommended the patient pre-medicate with Xanax and attributed poor pain management to pt nerves. The patient was discharged with no wound care and various exposed dental surfaces – all of which pose a significant infection risk. Despite the risk of infection and profound discomfort of having the surfaces of their teeth exposed, the best follow-up they could provide was returning to clinic the following week. This borders medical abandonment and malpractice as the pt was not provide adequate follow-up for their care after treatment was initiated. Lastly, the office attempted to collect payment for services that were not completed. These are very serious concerns for a professional medical practice and any new patient should utilized their services with an abundance of caution. I would encourage anyone who is recommended by them to receive invasive treatment to seek a...