Great Smiles Of La Mesa

There have been few times in my life where a service has been so good or so bad that I felt obligated to share my experience with future customers (or in this case patients)… So let me tell you my story.
I chose Great Smile of La Mesa because of the positive reviews on Unilocal and because it was centrally located. I had recently became insured by a dental plan offered by the City. It had been nearly 10 years since I was last insured and visited a dentist. My teeth have always been in GREAT condition but I was still worried about cavities. When I checked in for my consultation I completed their patient information sheet. And I think thats where I messed up. I was too open and honest. I believe she used the fact that I had not visited the dentist in over ten years as an opportunity to really go after me with everything but the kitchen sink. She tried to sell me everything. Everything that was not covered under my insurance was listed on my chart and not to mention problems that I never had before were documented. She was requiring that I pay for special gum procedures. I was so overwhelmed. In my head I thought «shouldnt my insurance cover a cleaning? Shouldnt my insurance cover a cavity filling?» It was quite comical. She became almost offended when she sensed hesitation on my end. She began getting an attitude. My reaction was normal because I went into the office thinking I had a small copay, thats all… so when she told me I was going to be paying a few hundred dollars I was taken back.
I know people need to put food on their tables. I get that. As a private practice dentist, Dr. Johnson has the freedom to select what ever insurance companies she wants to work with. She has no obligation to work with City employees or you for that matter. Im guessing the only profit she would have made from my visits is what ever she could have gotten out of pocket from me — which is exactly what I did not want to pay.
Long story short, the experience I had at Great Smiles of La Mesa was very similar to visiting a sleezy auto mechanic where the mechanic talks you into buying services you dont need. She was also very arrogant and had an attitude even BEFORE I decided I didnt want the bells and whistles or expensive treatment.
With any service (construction, auto mechanic, plumber, etc) always get a second opinion. Save yourself some money.
Putting all the insurance drama aside. The employees at Great Smiles of La Mesa were nice and professional. Dr. Johnson did average work during my single visit.
I hope this review helps you decide. If you like what you’ve read then this is the spot for you.
Thanks for reading.

Dr. Johnson and her staff are amazing! They took me in on short notice and did a great job on my fillings! The whole staff is very caring. I’m actually looking forward to going in for my next cleaning.

Greatest experience at great smiles of La Mesa staff very friendly and my dentists miss Johnson she’s the greatest!!!

This is my first visit to the office everyone is so nice and they explained everything would definitely recommend this office to my friends

Wonderful staff and customer service! Everyone is very friendly and professional! Truly recommend to get any dentistry service done here!

Great Dentist, Everyone that works their are professional and friendly. I will be coming back for my regularly check up. You guys are awesome!!!

Horrible dentist! I have been here about four times in the past and this will be my last. The dentist does all of the cleaning. Every time i go i am in and out pf there in 20 mins. Today i times it and they spent 7 mins actually cleaning my teeth. Then she jumps from patient to patient. They do not do a good job cleaning as i still feel like they missed a lot. They do not communicate with you and do not even talk to you. They did not even tell me if my teeth were good or needed any attention. I had to ask as i was checking out if i actually had any cavities. Stay away from this dentist. I gave them a few chances and they have always disappointed me.

Don’t listen to these other reviews. I dont know what they’re talking about. Just went here for my first initial exam and to have a tooth extraction and my experience here was awesome to say the least. Receptionist was very welcoming and friendly, dental technician was very nice and intelligent and the actual dentist was great. Did a thorough exam and was very informative about what types of treatments I should pursue. I will not be looking for another dentist as long as this location is open. Paid way less than what was expected as well. Don’t bother reading these other reviews. I was very skeptical because I looked Great Smiles up on Unilocal and saw the negative posts. I figured I’ll try it out and if it was unsatisfactory I would change what practice I go to. That’s not happening. Go on in and feel comfortable with knowing your in great hands.

Went here a few times last year, when our dental insurance changed. I Unilocaled the nearby dentists on the list given to us by insurance, and thought we would try this place. Perhaps it was because I was unhappy to leave our former dentist but I was never comfortable there. The dentist cleaned my teeth and recommended filling some cavities. I specifically asked her to show me on the xrays, and asked if these were just discolored areas or actually cavities. She said for sure teeth were decayed in two places. I did not go ahead with the procedures that were recommended.
After researching more dental plan options, I found another plan which is not cheap but it allows us to return to our former dentist. I was extremely relieved, and was a bit angered that our original dentist said the two «decayed» areas were not cavities. I felt that GSmiles just wanted to «sell» me on two procedures which were not necessary. Also, I felt that the office was using second-​hand equipment, and the décor was shabby in the treatment areas. Since I am not comfortable at the dentist office, I was more nervous sitting in the chair gazing at serious need for upgrades in the room.
I am very happy to be back with my former dentist.

HORRIBLE! I CHANGED dental offices, from Great Smiles of La Mesa, to Smile Haven. Why? Because Great Smiles wanted my daughter to come back 3 times to have 8 custom fillings done at a copay of $ 2,O00 that DIDN’T NEED TO BE DONE! I couldn’t believe it, so I went to 3 different dentists for a second opinion and ALL 3 (Dr. Dinka, Bright Now! Dental, and Smile Haven Dental) DISAGREED DRASTICALLY with Great Smiles. Each dentist told me that my daughter only needed surface 1 or surface 2 composites for 3 teeth with a «watch» on the 4^th. That’s a HUGE difference, so I filed a grievance about Great Smiles of La Mesa with our delta dental costco plan.
Dr. Dinka, Bright Now! Dental, and Smile Haven Dental treated us well and are each very ethical and professional. Of these 3 dental offices, we chose Dr. Chan at Smile Haven in La Mesa because 1) his concern for our health and pocket book; 2) his expertise in cosmetic dentistry, as filling cavities correctly makes a BIG difference in appearance too! 3) he’s on our dental plan; and 4) instead of paying over $ 2,200 out of pocket that Great Smiles wanted, I paid $ 169 with only 1 visit needed, not 3! We saved $ 2000, time and agony! THANK YOU DR. CHAN! We’re blessed to have you as our dentist.
I HIGHLY recommend SMILE HAVEN DENTAL CENTER and DR. CHAN. He and his staff were professional and CARING for me and my 2 teenage daughters. Because Dr. Chan cares so much about our health, he won’t use silver/​mercury amalgams. Instead he uses composites but doesn’t charge double like this dentist does! He charges the amalgam rate (about ½ the price), so I had 2 of the amalgams removed for my older daughter and one replaced for me. DR. CHAN is VERY ETHICAL.

After being dropped by the last two dentists I had under my Insurance plan, I was looking forward to finding a new and good dentist. I went off the Unilocal reviews for Great Smiles of La Mesa. There were only 3 reviews but they were excellent. 1^st of all… they are a small office and slots fill up fast so appts were at least a month out. I made my appt hoping they were worth the wait. At the appt I went through all the motions: paperwork, X-​rays, exam, etc. I don’t have any out-​of-​the-​ordinary issues with my teeth other than the normal wear and tear. So, I usually get my cleaning and I’m on my way.
Well, the dentist (Dr Johnson) tried to tell me I need something called «full-​mouth debridement», some kind of laser FMD, and irrigation (which I think was just a rinse with strong mouthwash). This was going to cost me around $ 660. Now, I have a basic DHMO plan and I’ve never paid for a cleaning. And, seeing as how the last dentist told me that my teeth looked great and said I was the «perfect patient». I told the dentist that I didn’t want that «deep cleaning» and wanted just a basic cleaning. She refused saying her license was on the line and she felt I needed the expensive deep cleaning.
Talk about a shake-​down. Now, my daughter had an appt later that day as well. So, I was curious what they would tell her. BTW. I left the appt pretty unhappy and without any cleaning. When my daughter went, they basically told her that her teeth were great but that they couldn’t clean them with her braces on. What BS .my daughter has had her teeth cleaned by other dentists with her braces on. I believe that they already had guessed I was going to change dentists as soon as I left and so decided why bother giving her a cleaning as well.
I called my Insurance to complain and they told me that the dentist is allowed to use discretion when providing services, but I asked to file a formal complaint and the form is in the mail. If my teeth were in bad shape this would be a different story, but I know this was some kind of shakedown. If you want to take your chance with this office, I’m warning you, it might end up being a big waste of your time and money. They got my time. but not my money !!!

I chose this dentist because they are part of my Dental HMO plan (which is almost impossible to find a good dentist for). I have been to a couple of dentists that are contracted with this plan and they were terrible. So far I have brought two of my kids here and have had excellent experiences. The receptionist was respectful, friendly and helpful. After the exam, the dentist came out to go over the visit. No trying to upsell just the facts and she was very respectful and knowledgable.
Great experience overall. I definitely recommend this office.

First off, this place is NOT in Kensington.
I’ve been getting my chompers serviced at GS of LM for about a year now, after a not-​so-​great experience with another local dentist.
So far, so good. They’ve gone through 1 or 2 dentists in that time; all have been pretty cool and super knowledgeable.
One con, that you may consider a pro: This office operates under a funky schedule. They’re not open every day of the week, and when they are open, it’s sometimes only until noon. What?!
It’s not like I’m an anti-​dentite, or anything, I guess I’m just a bit chew-​sy.
Makes scheduling a bear for me, like so…
Me: I’d like to schedule a check-​up and cleaning. Early morning or late afternoon would be best.
Them: OK… how about Tuesday… May 13^th…2050?
Me: Whaaaaat? Talk about a brush-​off!
OK, maybe not that drastic, but the waits can be more than a month if you don’t accept the first available appointment. And that kind of bites.
All in all, it’s quite a painless affair, and the gals are all pretty laid back. It’s clear everyone there cares about what they’re doing.
Now, if they can just get me in before the world ends in 2012.
Sorry, all puns intended.

This is the best dentist I’ve ever been to. Dr Rearrick does a great job of making people that don’t like the dentist (me) comfortable.(I had some bad experiences at my last dentist.
She set up a treatment plan that worked for me and I’m very happy with the results. Her assistant, Angela is great as are all the staff that I’ve dealt with. I highly recommend this dentist.(My wife, my kids and my parents all go here too)

I have been to a lot of dentists in my life and this place was the best.
I went 4 times over one and a half years. The specific dentist I saw is no longer there, but the office administration and dental assistants were all superb as well.
They worked with me to give me exactly what I needed and didn’t attempt to add on any procedures that I didn’t. The assistants were beyond compare with the amount of attention, time and communication they provided.
The dentist gave me the best cleaning I have ever received, tips that I hadn’t considered before and free samples.
Going to this dentist provoked me to take better care of my teeth and when I came in on subsequent visits, the dentist would always let me know which parts of my mouth weren’t getting as much attention.
Even though the dentist I saw is no longer there, the core group is extremely solid and I would suggest them to anyone.