Mission Valley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

This place is awesome. Dr Smith and his staff have been nothing but amazing. I was in a crazy accident and my cheek bones, one eye socket and upper jaw were shattered. I also lost two teeth and with them a chunk of the bone right above. I had several surgeries with Dr Smith to get that piece of my jaw replaced, gum tissue built up, and an implant. Jennifer worked closely with my insurance to get as much covered as they could, and worked with me financially for the stuff that wasn’t. Dr Smith clearly loves what he does and is obviously well, well versed in the latest methodologies of his field. Every time I was in there I was greeted with happy faces and always enjoyed visiting them.
My face was smashed in the accident and Dr Smith is one of the reasons I have a normal smile today. He and his office will always have a special place in my heart. For sure. In fact now that it is all over I stopped in just to give him a hug and say thank you.
I’ll just add one more thing… If there’s one thing I learned in dealing with ssoooo many doctors over the last 4 years: Be nice to your doctors and they’ll be nice to you.

Had my wisdom teeth pulled here 2 days before thanksgiving. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to eat because of the swelling and pain, but I ended up being able eat some solid foods without too much discomfort. Dr. Spint did an awesome job getting all 4 of my wisdom teeth out, he cares about each of his patients and is super friendly. The stories that I read online before my surgery scared me, but it truly wasn’t that bad, Dr. Spint is one of the best. 5 stars for Dr. Spint and the ladies that helped during/​after the surgery!

had all my wisdom teeth removed. I went in to get prices. not too bad but still expensive. KATRINA doctors helper WAS THE BEST!!! She was so caring she treated me with so much care ! She made me feel comfortable she always made sure I was ok. my experience there was great (care wise) .because of KATRINA!!! KATRINA is the best!, THEY SHOULD HAVE more loving and caring people like HER at MISSION VALLEY ORAL & MAXILOFACIAL SURGERY.

I had an emergency wisdom tooth extraction and Dr. Riding and his staff did an incredible job. From returning my phone calls to making me feel comfortable during the procedure… I couldn’t be happier. They went above and beyond. Getting me in the next day and checking in on my recovery. One assistant, Chris, is so sweet and if you have him, you have nothing to worry about! If I ever need anything else done, this will be the first place I go!

Dr. Smith performed major oral surgery on my 22 year old son who has cerebral palsy and who developed complications immediately after the procedure. Dr. Smith required releases from my son’s physicians, however, he neglected to inform me that two of my son’s doctors stated my son was at risk for aspiration due to his cerebral palsy. We wanted the procedure done in the hospital, however, Dr. Smith assured us that the procedure could be performed on an outpatient basis in his office. My son ultimately died as a result of aspiration pneumonia which should have never happened. Had Dr. Smith informed us that our son was at risk for aspiration, we would have taken him to a hospital immediately after the surgery and he most likely would be alive today. This office never followed up with me after the procedure. We called the office numerous times in the days following the surgery, but Dr. Smith was not available for us to speak to and the only people who were available were technicians who were absolutely no help. It took us days to stop the bleeding, my son developed a fever within 24 hours after the procedure and the staff never looked at the records and told me that my son was at risk for aspiration and that I should immediately go to the hospital. My son is deceased as a result of the negligence of Dr. Smith and the incompetent staff at this office.

I was referred here by my normal dentist about an implant. At first they gave me a price for the initial x-​ray, but explained a 3D x-​ray offered a better view and more information, but that it would be much more as insurance won’t cover it. I didn’t agree with the price but the dentist offered a better price and I accepted.
They said when I came back the next visit fee would be xx. When I got there, the discount the dentist had offered was added on to the latest fee. I went ahead and paid because I want my tooth fixed. Then I got a bill in the mail for an additional $ 280. I called, they said oops and waived it. Fast forward 6 months and it’s time for an appt. They called and confirmed the time and cost with me. When I got there they said– the fee is for xx, but you really need the 3D for 3 times more !! up front! Are you kidding? What business can do that today? So I left because it just felt wrong. But now my tooth is no closer to being fixed. :(

I had a great experience here! They were quick and clean. All the ladies were so nice and friendly!

I am the World’s Biggest Baby when it comes to dentists. I kept putting off having my wisdom teeth pulled; however, I was referred to this office and immediately felt like I was in good hands upon the consultation. My experience couldn’t have been any easier/​better. I showed up bright & early (6:45am) on a Friday… was seen right away. Within 15 minutes I had laughing gas & a nurse holding my hand to ease my nerves. Dr. Hammond came in the room to administer the IV and off to sleep I went. I had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled in about 45 minutes and upon waking was in recovery for another 15. They walked me to my dad’s car and home I went. When I got home I had a milkshake (prob 45 min after surgery) so that I could take pain meds. That night I removed all the gauze as the bleeding had stopped. The following day (Saturday) I stopped taking the pain killers and was able to return home to my own bed (no longer had to be watched at my parent’s house). Two days following surgery (Sunday) I was back to normal. I never had any swelling or bruising. This was honestly the EASIEST procedure all because Dr. Hammond gave me the best care & really went over the pre & post OP routines so thoroughly. I am HIGHLY impressed with Dr. Hammond and his staff. I would go back for any surgery in a heartbeat. He’s FANTASTIC! So patient, gentle and thorough.

Had a great experience today. Had 3 wisdom teeth pulled. They make you feel very comfortable and relaxed. They did a great job easing my nervousness. Love the friendly and serene atmosphere there.

i had a great experience with all of the staff at mission valley oral & maxillofacial surgery!
as background, I somehow broke one of my molars over a year ago. after being told my insurance wouldn’t cover a root canal, i put off doing anything about it. dumb idea. long story short, the tooth started causing me incredible pain just this weekend. after telling me that a root canal was no longer possible and that the tooth extraction was a complicated one, my dentist referred me to an oral surgeon who couldn’t fit me in until the beginning of december, even though i mentioned i was in a lot of pain.
my coworker’s dentist referred to me to mvoms because they could do an emergency tooth extraction, possibly the next day. had to deal with emergency referrals through my dentist for insurance purposes but thankfully everything worked out. i contacted mvoms and they said i could come in the next day on the emergency wait list.
i was told to be at mvoms at 8:45am yesterday morning and not to eat or drink anything eight hours prior just in case they could perform the surgery that day. i had a morning consultation with dr. robert miner who was just great and answered all of my questions. afterwards, i had to talk to the receptionist about costs and what my insurance (deltacare usa) would and would not cover. i always ask about the bottom line and the gal was very upfront with me about costs.
they scheduled me for surgery at 3:30pm with dr. timothy smith. i opted for anesthesia for the operation which was about $ 495 out of pocket, but i did NOT want to be awake for the op. they gave me three prescriptions to pick up beforehand, one of which i needed to take two hours prior to the operation along with two others pills they gave me.
i showed up for my surgery appointment and was immediately taken into the back. my nurse’s name was kathy and she was very knowledgeable and made me very comfortable. (thanks for the blanket!) i don’t remember much of dr. smith since i went under shortly after he came into the room. he didn’t say much, but it seems that he did a great job, because i have very minimal swelling and not much pain, just a little stiffness of the jaw.
overall, i was very happy with the entire experience, and am so relieved not to be in pain anymore! toothaches are the worst!

I had been putting off getting my wisdom teeth removed for about… oh 6 years or so because I had heard so many horror stories. A friend told me about this place and how great her experience was and how she really recommended going to this office to get them removed. When I went in to see my dentist, he also recommended this place to have my wisdom teeth removed. I scheduled an appointment on a Thursday for my consultation. They took their time and answered ALL of my questions. At the end of my consultation they told me that they had openings the very next day! I went ahead and scheduled my surgery for the next day.
On the day of my surgery, I was in and out of the office within an hour. I went home and relaxed. Over the course of the weekend I had some minor pain for which I took the medications that I was prescribed. I was fine and back to work on Monday.
I would highly recommended this place for anyone wanting to get their wisdom teeth removed! They explained everything to me and were so kind for both of my visits!

I was referred here by my regular dentist to have a consultation about my wisdom teeth. My regular dentist had already done x-​rays at their office and I even took a copy of them with me, but they «needed» to be done again at the specialist. I was told explicitly that everything would be covered by my insurance and that nothing would be at cost to me. I spoke to the actual doctor maybe five minutes and I decided to wait on getting my wisdom tooth taken out. They literally did nothing for me and I would’ve been better off not going at all.
A week later I get a statement in the mail saying I owe almost $ 100. I called my insurance company and they said it’s an error on their part for not informing me of the cost. I tried calling their office 3 times now and have left 2 messages with no reply. I am not paying this and I will never go back.
Update: After calling a forth or fifth time I finally got a call back and spoke to a woman named Geri about my issue. She was nice. She told me to scan and email her the invoice I got in the mail and that she’ll be able to adjust it in their system so I won’t owe anything. That should happen by tomorrow so we’ll see!
Update 2: I had to email her again to make sure my issue was resolved and she still wants me to pay $ 14 despite the fact that I was told several times by their staff I would have absolutely no out of pocket cost. Again, I refuse to pay because I am not responsible for the mistakes their employees make. I definitely wouldn’t recommend ever going to this dental office and I never will again.

I was referred here by my dentist to have my wisdom teeth extracted. I went in for the consultation and everything looked great till I found out how much the x-​ray that they needed cost, $ 110! I was a little upset that I needed to spend that much for a stupid x-​ray but at that point I really couldn’t do anything about it. After I watched the video detailing what all can go wrong with wisdom teeth extraction, I spoke with either the doctor or assistant (can’t remember) and they gave me the options of local numbing, nitrous oxide or general anesthesia. They basically said you don’t want to be awake for this so you should definitely use general anesthesia. Since I didn’t know any better I agreed. They typed up my treatment plan and showed my insurance covering the extraction and IV anesthesia at the 90% max. I was happy and scheduled the appointment
What they didn’t tell me is that my insurance only covers IV anesthesia if wisdom teeth are impacted, which mine weren’t. The bottom 2 did have a curved root so I guess he thought my insurance would cover it. No one ever let me know that my insurance may deny the full coverage because my teeth weren’t impacted, which they knew. They pushed my into general anesthesia and told me it would be covered. I have never had this procedure done and so I relied on their «expertise» to tell me how much it would cost including my insurance coverage. Since this is an extremely standard procedure and they deal with insurance every single day, I assumed they would be almost certain as to how much it would cost. I was wrong. Either the lady who called my insurance to find out my coverage didn’t realize my teeth situation, or they knew full well general anesthesia most likely would be denied coverage but didn’t say anything. They also didn’t tell me that they can send in my info to my insurance BEFORE the procedure to find out exactly what my insurance will cover.
After I learned I now owe MVOMS another $ 320, I called in and spoke with the insurance lady. She was extremely rude, not helpful at all and hung up on me the second time I called. I couldn’t believe it. They were also suppose to have mailed in documentation for an appeal, but every time I called my insurance they said they haven’t received anything. Had to call MVOMS again and ask if they could please send in the documentation once again (I think they forgot the 1^st time) and also send me a copy. I received my copy and then called my insurance to see if they finally received the letter. Again, they hadn’t so I had to scan my copy and email it in. My insurance appeals department denied the coverage once again.
My experience with MVOMS has not been good. I feel like they have been extremely incompetent or worse, they push people into general anesthesia without telling them insurance will most likely deny coverage unless teeth are impacted. It’s too bad because the assistants were nice and the actual procedure went fine.

First time coming to this office. The office is beautiful but I don’t understand why you have to wait more then an hour to see the dentist when I had an appointment. I’m very annoyed. I’m ready to walk out of this place and never come back again. Waste of my time.

DO NOT GO HERE!
If I could give zero stars I would. First things first, I didn’t get work done here, but my sister did, and the African American receptionist with a foreign accent was extremely rude to me, almost taunting me, because I wanted to run errands while my sister got her wisdom teeth extracted. She said it would only take 45 minutes and if I was not back they would send her home in a taxi. WELL EXCUSE ME LADY. I got back within an hour and waited another hour. And then when she went back for a follow up she made sure to mention me to my sister multiple times.
Also, when telling a coworker about her, he knew exactly who I was talking about because she was just as rude to him when he got his teeth worked on there.
SECONDLY;
They made my sister pay up front for anesthesia without running her insurance because «that’s just the way they do it», and now she is in a battle with them trying to get her money back because her insurance doesn’t reimburse clients directly. I SMELL A SCAM.
To cut things short, avoid at all cost. Go ANYWHERE else.

Had a great experience here. Had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. Maybe it’s the drugs or my pain tolerance but feel fine today, 24 hours! Highly recommended! Dr ridings was my dr.

Just because I’m writing a review for a dentist, I’m having anxiety. Dentists give me anxiety. I went to this office as a referral from my dentist’s office because I had a broken molar that needed to be removed.
The good thing about this office…
~ The front office staff is very professional and every single person I spoke to was very nice. (This is the ONLY reason I’m giving them an extra star)
~ It’s a beautiful, technologically advanced office.
The bad things about this office…
~ The dentist I spoke to (why can I not remember his name???) wanted me to take 5 day’s worth of antibiotics before the surgery. I don’t take antibiotics. At all. He chose to argue with me. That’s like taking antibiotics because you have the sniffles. NOT necessary. He told me they would bill me later if they had to inject the antibiotics into my IV. What?
~ I was told I had to be put under. Yes, general anesthesia. I had a broken wisdom tooth pulled years ago with some novacaine and nitrous oxide. No problem. He wouldn’t bend and agree to do without general anesthesia. I don’t understand why I had to argue my own treatment plan. I felt like I was at a car dealership to buy a economy car and the salesman was trying to sell me an 18-​wheeler.
Needless to say, I switched oral surgeons. Funny that my new oral surgeon didn’t once mention antibiotics or general anesthesia. I understand having options but I won’t be bullied into treatments I don’t agree with. Kind of makes you wonder what he’s trying to pay off. With my money.

I want to thank the office of Mission Valley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery they are quite amazing, and an exception to the normal Doctors office visit. My appointment was for a consultation to determine course of treatment. The staff Jackie and Patsy were very helpful and kind, both in the checking in process as well as the checking out. Dr. Miner was very easy to talk to and was very thorough, he makes you feel like he has the time and concern for you as an individual not just the next patient, he asks questions and allows you to ask him questions. I felt like my concerns were being seriously addressed. His Nurse Bernadette was warm and friendly. I would recommend giving this office a try… I can honestly say that I have never met an office with all of the staff so warm and friendly.

Disclaimer: This is a review only for a consultation. But they were trying to rip me off so I believe this review can still be useful.
I was referred here by my previous, crappy dentist, A+ Dentistry (I found out shortly after that they had been swindling me as well). I needed to remove one of my wisdom teeth. I went in for a consultation, not knowing until I checked in that the consultation itself cost $ 60. Since I’d already taken time off from work, I just paid the fee.
When I actually talked to the doctor and got an estimate, it was real funny: my insurance covered the procedure itself. But the drugs and anesthesia that put me under were not covered and they ran upwards of $ 500. And they wouldn’t do the procedure without putting me under so I would’ve had to pay for the drugs. Feeling wary about paying $ 500 to remove a single tooth, I passed.
It’s not until I went to a different office that I could confirm what a rip-​off it was. I went to a different office (sorry, can’t remember the name) that unfortunately did not take my insurance. But it turns out, they charged me $ 100+ less than what this Mission Valley office had quoted me. That’s because they didn’t put me under. They only gave me local anesthesia. Hell, I’d thought I was only coming in for a consultation and they told me they can just do it on the spot, saving me extra money by not charging a consultation fee. I saved a ton of money there compared to what would’ve happened at this Mission Valley office.

Oh my gosh. I never thought I’d be caught giving 5 stars to any buisness that has to do w/​dental work, but the crew here left me no choice!
I was referred here by my new dentist b.c. I needed to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I had only heard nightmare stories about this procedure from friends + I wanted to be put to sleep … but had never been put to sleep before so was scared.
When I went for my consult — everyone was so great and kind and helpful … I wish I could remember everyone’s names, but the gals at the front desk and then the gal who took my exrays and then the dentist I met with … Dr. Riding … EVERYONE was so fantastic.
I made my appt for a Monday so the original Dr. I met w/​wasn’t available, but the Dr. I did see made me feel so comfortable. (Dr. Hammond) So did the gal in the room w/​us; Bernadette. The last thing I remember before going under is I said «I love you guys» hahah … And in tha t moment — I meant it! Everyone was so professional and made me feel so safe at the same time.
I would recommend this place up and down.