Rio Vista Family Dentistry

There are two names of this business (other is Bonifacio & Reyes Dentistry) so I am going to post this review on both of them for the benefit that people get to see it if they go to one and not the other.: Dr. Reyes is always a breath of fresh air! Coming to the dentist always gives me anxiety but Dr. Reyes is fast and gentle so she never hurts my mouth or teeth when probing them. Im in and out. In the past when I have had to have some work done, she was again, fast and professional. I highly recommend Dr. Reyes as I have been coming to her and her staff (my hygienist Camille) for almost 8 years I believe and wouldn’t go anywhere else. As for Camille, I only set appointments with her and wont allow any other hygienist to clean my teeth, I’m a baby that way. I have a very small mouth I think and the idea of a big man hand in there. .. . well, I’ll stick with Camille! Dr. Bonifacio has sat in before when Dr. Reyes was out of the office and she is as exceptionally skilled as Dr. Reyes. The office is very well run and the front staff is very efficient with Arlene handling all the billing hassles so I don’t have to. It’s a pleasant office to come to, open air so you don’t feel confined, tv’s on the ceilings to take your mind off what is going on in your mouth and they send you home with goodie packages after you have your teeth cleaned. The parking lot is free, .large and vast so if you wanted to park at the wayyyy other end to get a lot of steps or exercise in. .. you could. Again. .. highly recommend!

Dr. Bonifacio is the absolute best! I wish my insurance still covered at her facility… every time I go to the dentist I think GAAAWWWDDDD I miss Dr. B!!!

I came here for the first time today and I loved everything from beginning to end. Calling in to make an appointment was easy and they explained the whole process to me. Once I got there, I got so much love and energy, the kind you get from family members. Every person I encountered was nice and very knowledgeable. Dr. Lockwood did a very thorough assessment and explained everything to me in detail. I don’t care where I live, I will always come here for my teeth.

This place has been so amazing! All of the staff is super friendly. Dr Reyes is really sweet and thorough. I had my teeth cleaned by Oscar and he was very informative. I’m so glad I picked this place to get my teeth worked on.

My loves! Everyone and I mean everyone here is great! I even convinced my grandmother and my mother to become patients. Great customer service, and dental work! They made sure I was comfortable and knew every single thing was going on with my teeth. The dentists are gentle, efficient and do their work quickly! A perfect experience every time I visit.

This is a great dental clinic with very friendly staff. Although it’s not cheap, the quality of work is good, attitude is friendly, facilities are nicely updated and they do try to make sure you have the best experience.
It’s hard to beat a place where you can come after long absence and they still recognize you and greet by name.

I absolutely LOVE coming here. I have not had a bad experience, the entire staff is super friendly and they are always very quick– but thorough and do excellent work. Scheduling is super easy and they not only give you a call the day before but email you as well and you can confirm your appointment via a link in the email.
Oscar cleaned my teeth the first time and was super chatty and friendly! He also recommended the Phillips Sonicare Diamond Clean toothbrush for in between dentist visits and not only do you get a discounted price, but you get a coupon for a rebate and I absolutely love the toothbrush.
I very very highly recommend this dentist’s office!

I have been going there for 9 years. My son was 3 month old when I first started. We moved away for 2 years then moved back. Whether you believe or not, when we moved back to San Diego, I told my husband that we need to find a place in Mission Valley because my dental office is there! Oscar is the best cleaning person. He is extremely careful, kind and professional! Dr. Bonifacio is my doctor and Dr. Rees is my son’s doctor. They are both professional and friendly.

The staff and Dr.‘s are so great! I had a dental emergency and they were extremely helpful and got me in right away! The vibe is calm and relaxed, which is great since the dentist isn’t always fun. I would absolutely recommend Rio Vista Family Dentistry!

Best dentist I have been too in SD! Great dentist, employees, and customer service. They are highly thorough and give u feed back immediately. They do not seek your money and are more concerned about the health of your teeth.

:I had to leave this dental office due to insurance change three years ago. … Finally I’ve been at my job long enough to come back to Rio Family Dentistry. I absolutely LOVE this dental office. The staff is super nice and Dr Reyes is amazing.
At my former dental office in Santee, told me I have gum issues, and needed laser treatments, etc. Etc. I came to Rio Fam Dentistry today and had a full exam… Dr. Reyes told me that their is nothing wrong with my gums. Everything looked good!
I know some dental offices are about Money and what they can be out of you. Today showed me, not all dentists are like that. THANKS DR. REYES for your honesty. You are truly appreciated!
Can’t wait for my next visit… Dang, who can really say that… «I CAN’T WAIT FOR MY NEXT Dental VISIT?!»: see you soon Camille =.)
XOXO, Mrs. D

As a new patient for Rio Vista Family Dentistry, my family gives them FIVE stars! Not only are the Dentist super nice, so are their staff! Kudos on the excellent customer service and for making my family feel comfortable. Scheduling with them is a breeze and they send you email reminders.
Also, Rio Vista Family Dentistry is on the MetLife dental listing (for military TRICARE recipients).
Check them out!

I’m going to start by saying I really liked my hygienist, Camille. She was always very thorough and friendly. I was a happy patient from about 2009 until the last year or so.
More recently, Dr. Bonifacio-​Lockwood has been increasing unavailable as she has begun practicing only part-​time. I would happily see another dentist at this facility, but I get stuck with the part-​time schedule anyway.
Dr. BL also recommended and I therefore agreed to a procedure my insurance company determined was not reasonable, thereby resulting in me paying additional funds out of pocket. When I called to ask the office about this, biller Arlene would not take my phone call and instead hid behind receptionist, (I think?) Ashley, who does not know anything about the issue, but only parroted what Arlene told her to say. There was never any apology or adequate explanation of what had happened, i.e., why this was recommended by the dentist but denied by insurance.
Also, during the procedure referenced above, I had my temporary crown yanked before I was numb. I jumped, the assistant (not Camille) dropped the temporary in my mouth and I almost choked on it. It then took 5 – 6 shots of Novocaine for me to get numb enough for the rest of the procedure. Dr. Reyes had to step in and complete the numbing. Somewhere around shot 4 I was numb enough, but Dr. BL went to work on someone else so that the shot wore off by the time she came back. (She also tried to tell me that I was actually numb and it was all in my head, until she noticed I still had full control of my mouth while talking to her.)
That should have been enough for me to talk away, but I was due for a cleaning and had made an appointment some time ago. I did not want to shop around for a new dentist and, as I said, I liked my hygienist so I went forward as scheduled. (I tried to change the time, but was told if I did that, I could not be seen until 3 months later.) When I arrived for my appointment, I was advised that the dentist would not take my new insurance. (In fairness, I said I thought I might have an HMO. I didn’t know for sure.) No research was done on this issue, no doublechecking. Just no. So I left. When I got to a computer, it turns out they do take my insurance, which PPO. I left the appointment for no reason. I called to tell the office as much. They offered one date in the near future and the rest were three months out. And again, no apology for wasting my time or not ensuring that I had care. Apparently this office has plenty patients and does not need my business.

Dr. Raquel Reyes is very competent, also very pleased with my dental hygienist, Kristen. In addition to these two great staff members the wait for your appointment is always very reasonable.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend Dr. Joy Bonifacio. During my last visit (while Dr. Reyes was on vacation) Dr. Bonifacio told me I should «start putting money away» to get cosmetic dental work done. This was a recommendation after she didn’t properly identify my 12 year molars, making me feel even more secure in her judgment (sarcasm). In the three dentists I have had before (and one afterward) no one has recommend cosmetic dental work, even when asked. I felt she was just fabricating an issue to earn more appointments/​income. This left me wondering the integrity of her practice, and also the three advised fillings I received at this dentistry last year.

Ok, now that I can chew again life is so much better. Rio v. Is a five star in my book. Dr. L adjusted my bite and worked on one of the crowns she gave me until it was perfect. I really love this place and Camille is an amazing hygenist! My smile is very much brightened! Thank you guys!

Joy is absolutely amazing, she is so gentle. And so nice with my mouth. She truly cares about the comfort of her patients. Unfortunately, I’m forced to cancel my service with them due to the billing lady Arlene. Every encounter I have had with her, she has cocked some sort of attitude. Weather I’m making a payment, or just going in for a routine check up, she has this tendency to be rude. This is not only my opinion of her but other peoples opinions as well. My stepmother, and another woman we referred have also complained about her rudeness and attitude. I know Arlene is Joys relative, however when four people cancel their service due to bad service, it’s time to think about what’s best for the business. I’ve never encountered any problems with the other staff members. It’s simply just her. I pay a lot of money to this place, I at least deserve good customer service for that!
I have recently decided to Change my ratings to 4 stars, as I have realized I can not judge the dentist based on her staff. She is still an amazing dentist and I would totally recommend her to people if you don’t care for the customer service aspect of it.

Love this dentist office. The place is clean, timely and professional. I appreciate the information they provide on how to keep my teeth looking good and healthy.

I have been going to Rio Vista Family Dentistry for years now. I have referred all my family and my friends and they all love the dentists, hygienists, and staff. I have been seen by both Dentists and they are all great. Oscar is my hygienist and he takes his time to really clean my teeth each time I come. The décor is soothing and they have TV stations in the ceiling to watch when having work done. The automated email and text system is great to remind me of my appointments. I also love the follow up calls the dentists make themselves to make sure everything is going well. What a great group and highly recommended.

I haven’t been to a dentist in a long time (and I really mean a long time) but my girlfriend made an appointment for me to visit Dr. B to get my teeth checked out. Everyone at the office was great and very friendly and my first visit went pretty smoothly and much better than expected. Dr. B talked me through the whole process so I knew what was going on. She definitely helped me get me over my phobia of dentists. After that first visit, I had to go back 2 more times for some deep cleaning which was done by Camille who did a great job and the procedure was much easier and not as painful as I had expected.
So my faith in dentists has been restored as well my teeth which have been given a new bill of health!

Worst dental staff — do yourself a favor and go elsewhere. They took over three attempts to make my impression because the dentist’s assistant kept «messing up»…Are you kidding me?
Billing: Price misquotes and absolutely no follow up. Their left foot doesn’t communicate with their right foot which leads to miscommunication and one gal telling you one thing and another gal telling you something else.
In summary, dentist was ok but the administration staff was the worst dental staff I have ever been in contact with. Do not compromise quality and stellar service and go elsewhere!