Smile San Diego

If you are looking for a great dentist office this is the place to go to. The receptionist Misha is so friendly and her smile is contagious! Jessica, the hygienist and the assistant Jasmin are a good team together. As I was having my dental procedure, Jessica stopped and asked me if I was doing alright, which I appreciated! The office is always clean. Marco who helps in finances is always making sure what your insurance covers and is very friendly and helpful. Thank you to Smile San Diego for taking good care of my teeth. :)

I’ve looked at some of the negative reviews on this place and I must say I have never had a problem. Me and my family of 5 have gotten good care here and have had no issues with inflated costs. The wait times are reasonable and I would not make any change.
The staff is friendly and polite.

Smile San Diego in Mission Valley really is a good option for you. Being in the insurance business I understand that you are probably looking at them if you have a dental HMO plan of some sort. As a self-​employed person, dental insurance has always been tough because the only one that makes sense financially normally is the HMO, but you normally feel restricted to big dental offices that maybe don’t have the same personal feel as some of the practices that only accept cash or PPO. I went to this office probably 15 years ago when it was under different ownership and remember having to wait an hour past my original appointment time. I then went to another dentist for many years and just came back here a couple of years ago and didn’t realize it was the same office till I got here. Fortunately the ownership had changed and the way they run their business had as well. I have always gotten in quickly to my appointments and they actually remembers me and are always wonderful. I had a great fast appointment today to just get a filling done after a root canal where they could have said they needed to replace the crown, but instead complimented the doctor who did the root canal and confirmed that the crown was just fine.

Smile San Diego is awesome! The folks at the front desk are always so friendly. Jessica the hygienist is the best. If you need a deep cleaning, I highly recommend going to her. She’s gentle but thorough. Thanks Jessica, and everyone at Smile San Diego!

Been coming here for a while thanks to my friend Jahtoo and every visit has been pleasant one. A trip to the dentist can always be nerve racking, but the staff here makes it a little more bareble with their friendly attitudes and caring hearts.
Jessica, the hygienist took very good care of me and the cleaning was super fast and very thorough. As always, Dr. Yom was super nice and is a pleasure to be around.
Friendly staff, quality work. Highly recommend this dental office!

I’ve been going here for over four years now, and have received nothing but quality, professional service (cleaning, exams, and a couple cavity fillings) from kind and helpful dentists. I floss daily and thought I was pretty good at it. However, I ended up picking up some tips from the hygienist a few visits ago – just ask and they’ll show you how they do it.
I have no complaints about Smile San Diego, and can usually get an appointment for a cleaning within a few days to a week.

I’m one of those people who has had a miserable dental care experience since I had to change dentists after relocating from the Bay Area to San Diego.
My previous dentist had told me I needed 2 root canals and multiple fillings at a cost of $ 3200 with insurance. Absolutely ridiculous!
I came to Smile San Diego 4 years after that terrible experience expecting the worst. Had not been keeping up with my regular cleanings since my devastating previous diagnosis, I was expecting to be without savings and in major pain.
Luckily my experience was anything but that! Although I needed a crown and 7, count ‘em, 7 fillings! My experience was painless despite my anxiety on arrival.
This dental team is friendly and extremely competent. I would recommend them to anyone scared of dentistry. Even their deep cleaning was amazing!
I believe I had Dr. Suarez. His work was on point and I did not have any discomfort. He was reassuring and his work reflected his word.
At the checkout desk, I worked with Mark. I believe he is a patient account manager. Thanks to my insurance (Delta Dental USA DMO) all of this work would cost me no where near as much pain, to both mouth and wallet, as I had previously expected.
All in all I would recommend Smile San Diego to anyone who is scared of dentistry or really to anyone who just needs a solid dentist with gentle touch!
Thanks Smile San Diego!

So far my experience here has been great! My kids like it, i like it, and they work fantastic with military families. The whole staff is great and just awesome! You feel like you have known them forever!

I cannot say enough great things about Smile San Diego!!!
I have such an anxiety over dentists due to a issue when I was younger, that the only dental work I have gotten in 15 years was an emergency wisdom tooth extraction, that I was put under for, I completely skipped the follow up for that.
I heard about Smile San Diego from some friends and decided to call and set an appointment, that I felt so nauseous and shakey after doing.
Upon my initial visit, the staff was super welcoming, and I saw Dr. Suarez, and an amazing hygienist (goodness I cannot remember his name!) who put me at ease. I was appalled to hear how much was wrong with my teeth, but even more stunned to hear that it truly was NOT that bad for so many years of not having work done.
In the span of 2 months I have had a root canal, 2 crowns, multiple X-​rays, fillings, and more and I am beyond happy with the work that was done, with the staff, the professionalism, mannerism, just everything! Smile San Diego goes above and beyond, I am so thankful to have found them. Thank you all!

I have nothing but good things to say about this place! I’m always greeted by their receptionist, Mischa. She is so friendly and always makes me feel comfortable. I’ve never felt judged going to this dentist. Some dentists make you feel awful if you need some work done, but not here. The dentists that I have seen, Dr. Serino and Dr. Valadez, have great bedside manner. They were always wonderful at calming me and making me feel like everything would get taken care of. They are gentle and were always making sure I wasn’t in pain. This dentist office is so military friendly and are always willing to work with me. They do very well with payment plans. I was so lucky to have found them!

If dentists make you nervous, find someplace else to go. The dentist came into the cubicle I was in, took one look at me and asked if I was nervous. When I replied yes, his response was that I should use sedation dentistry. He made absolutely zero attempt at calming me or trying to make me feel more comfortable. That made me feel even worse.
If you’re allergic to anything, find some place else to go because they don’t bother reading the paperwork you spend your time filling out. If you are allergic to latex, skip this dentist all together. Seriously, who still has boxes and boxes of latex gloves in exam rooms in this day and age?!
I scheduled a cleaning here based on so many positive reviews I had heard from people. They are extremely military friendly, I will give them that much, but honestly I didn’t feel they cared one lick about me as a patient or my child as a patient. Next time I won’t listen to people I know, I will trust the reviews I read online about a place instead. Lesson learned, I should have listened to Unilocal.
The only saving grace was a cheerful lady in the front. She was incredibly nice and I appreciate all her help. Too bad she’s not the one seeing patients.

I will never go here again! I read all the previous reviews and can’t understand why I had such an awful experience.
I went in as a new patient for a routine cleaning. When I made the appointment the woman over the phone did not tell me it would be a consultation followed by a cleaning if they have time. I had my consultation and sat in the chair for another 1.5 hours waiting for my cleaning, when finally someone told me they were running behind and didn’t know I was supposed to have a cleaning appointment.
The Dentist was great, he was very polite and friendly. However, when I told him I had an impacted wisdom tooth that was hurting he said it was probably just trying to come in and DIDN’T EVEN CHECK IT.
The hygienist finally came in. Right away I need a deep cleaning. Whoa, I’ve never needed that before as I never have tartar build up and I have very shallow pockets. Takes her measuring tool and DEEPLY goes under my gum making the whole top row of my teeth bleed explaining that because I was bleeding I needed a deep clean. Then, My dentist comes in and looks and says I don’t need a deep cleaning, they then stand there and argue about it for a while and he leaves saying he would do my cleaning she can move on. After he leaves, she gets me up out of the chair and has me make my first deep cleaning appointment because she made an «executive decision.» I left, the dentist then calls me and asks why I left.
Look, I went to another place. My hurting wisdom tooth was infected and needed antibiotics immediately. He didn’t catch that which could have been dangerous. I also didn’t need a deep cleaning because you would only need that if your gum measurements were at least a 5 or 6, which mine were ALL 3’s.
They don’t know what they are doing, they are totally unprofessional and I’m mortified I almost had them do that awful cleaning.

I am a new patient and had a regular cleaning scheduled. After the exam, I was told I needed a deep cleaning. I don’t doubt that I could probably use one, so I told them I would like to schedule it at another time and have a regular cleaning done.
I was told that «that is not how dentistry works» and was even asked by a staff member if I could ask my parents for money for the deep cleaning.
I was pretty much denied care because they would not even give me a regular cleaning when I asked for it. Needless to say, I will never go here again.
Don’t waste your time here, look elsewhere!

Experiences at a Dental office are usually NOT GOOD! you know what I mean?
This one was exceptional. Made an appointment for my Mom. Right from the initial phone call to set up the appointment to the end of her actual appointment, she was handled with care.
When I explained that she was experiencing pain we set up an appointment, the person on the phone told me to call back if the pain increased and she could not tolerate it, and they would try to accommodate an earlier appointment if possible.
Once we arrived, it was a friendly atmosphere. We were greeted and processed through at the front desk fairly quick since we had given most of the information over the phone.
Dr Stephan Serino took care of my Mom. Treated her with gentle gloves despite having to extract a tooth. The dental assistant who helped him was also super friendly. The whole staff worked as a team. While we were waiting, the financial service rep came to review the cost of the extraction and we took care of this.
It turns out that gums were also inflamed and infected so this required a little bit of extra care. Dr Serino explained clearly what needed to be done. And what the next steps would be for after care.
When we were done and went to the front desk to settle the payments, the staff was again super friendly and professional.
Overall, we would return for regular care, not just for an emergency extraction.

I don’t often do Unilocal reviews, but for Dr. Sorreno I will make an exception! This office is amazing from the receptionists to the dental assistants I the insurance guy Marco, but above all Dr. Sorreno is awesome! I had some traumatic experiences with dentists when I was younger but he total makes me feel at ease. I cannot say enough good things about this office! If you are considering a change please consider this office!
Also they are VERY military friendly.
All I can say is GO to this dentist! They are great!

This as an HMO that is doing it right. Yeah its not high tech or fancy but its always very clean and the staff are courteous personable thorough and caring. Marco the office manager is also a dentist in Mexico and is very knowledgable and professional.
Dr Suarez has done a crown and fillings on me and I couldn’t be happier! He was very gentle and did a great job! I had gone to another dentist prior who said I needed work that Dr Suarez said was unnecessary. (Ie cavities u didn’t have) I am a big baby and I never felt the injections!
The hygienist Trevor was great but he recently moved the new hygienist Shanna is awesome too! The whole team from assistant to off iv staff are great and there is no real staff turnover which is a good sign.
They take all insurances HMO, ppo, and cash etc
It’s hard to find a good HMO dentist but they passed all my rigorous tests I am a picky pain in zee ass baby.

Short Review:
Don’t go here. I really wanted to give a one-​star rating, but the X-​ray Technician was incredibly efficient and cleanliness was satisfactory. Total time in office was appointment time +45 minutes.
Long Review:
I have been fortunate to always have had access to good dental care and accordingly don’t have any bad dental experiences. I brush (properly) twice a day and floss daily. My teeth aren’t sensitive and my gums don’t bleed when I floss. It had been less than 18 months since my previous dental check-​up which is longer than the norm. My previous dentist is not covered by my current insurance plan.
Prior to my appointment I received a courtesy call reminding me of the appointment. I arrived 20 mins before the appointment to fill out the obligatory paperwork.
An assistant called me back about a minute before my actual appointment which was pleasant and unexpected. I was led to X-​Rays. The X-​ray Technician was courteous without being chatty. She quickly and efficiently took my X-​rays with minimal discomfort. The X-​Rays were old school film instead of digital. She then led me to an exam chair.
I waited a while in the chair. At some point an employee (Hygienist?) sat behind me and reviewed my file, but without acknowledging or speaking with me. Another employee brought sterile packaged exam tools and placed them on a tray.
After approximately 20 minutes, Dr Suarez arrived and introduced himself professionally. He then conducted a different exam than I’m used to. He measured and dictated pocket depths to an unknown assistant. The exam seemed cursory as he took one measurement on the lingual (tongue side) of each tooth where I’m accustomed to 6 measurements per tooth (3 lingual and 3 facial). He scratched on one molar with his pick. He asked if I had any complaints about my teeth (I didn’t).
Dr Suarez then declared I had a cavity and did not need a Deep Cleaning, but more than a normal cleaning (huh?) and medicine (huh? again). He did not offer an explanation, but announced a Coordinator (exact title I can’t recall) would be arriving and walked away. The unknown assistant directed me to wait in the chair.
10 minutes passed (were wasted).
The unknown assistant arrived and proclaimed the Coordinator was busy, but my next visit would cost me $ 170 and presented a bill stating I needed a filling in tooth 18, a «Full Mouth Debridement» and «Irrigation.» The unknown assistant could not provide me any information on what this meant, but that I wouldn’t need an anesthetic (Thanks!).
I’m not a dentist, so take my analysis as such. A cavity in my mouth is certainly possible; cavities happen even with the best of hygiene. A Full Mouth Debridement is a fancy way of saying, «A normal dental cleaning that takes longer and might need anesthetic (pain killers).» This is unlikely as my dental hygiene is on par with that recommended and it had not been excessively long since my last appointment. «Irrigation» means application of an antibiotic, possibly as simple as hydrogen peroxide or even Listerine. They also include more complex antibiotics used in Scaling and Root planing or Root Canals (neither procedure was recommended). Studies on antibiotics without the listed procedures have not been shown to improve dental health in clinical trials, which is why they are not usually covered by insurance. These are things I knew before the exam, not things explained to me.
When questioned, the unknown assistant advised me the Coordinator (now known as Marco) would assist me.
Marco arrived after an additional 10 minutes (I’m still in the patient chair with a bib at this point). Marco showed me a price list, but would not explain the procedures as, «[He] didn’t conduct the examination.» (As if this fact had escaped me).
I went to another dentist who has a significantly higher Unilocal rating but who is not covered by my insurance. This dentist confirmed NONE of the treatments were necessary. Further, if he had to choose a tooth to fill, a different tooth was closer to needing a filling than the one identified by Dr Suarez. I paid this dentist out of pocket to clean and examine my teeth less than I would’ve paid Smile San Diego.

I went in for a deep cleaning to get some fossilized plaque removed from my teeth. Needed to reschedule last minute and had no problems. Trevor, the hygienist, was great, very chatty and worked swiftly. My teeth look and feel amazing.
Also received a free tooth brush. Pretty cool.

I HATED going to the dentist! Not because of traumatic experiences due to drilling or anything of that nature (had my first cavity at 22 years old) but because of their deceiving ways — we’ve all experience this con artist nature at least once from a dental office. I was so fed up with the lies, waste of time and money that after moving away from home I took a while to find a dentist and schedule a check-​up. And what I mean by while I mean 3 years (yes, disgusting I know). I was so apprehensive and, well, a little traumatized from the last experiences at the dentist that I wasn’t in a rush and wanted to stay clear of a dental office until I got to the point of being grossed out and I made myself pick a dental practice and go.
Thank goodness I picked Smile San Diego! All of their staff are friendly, professional, and fun! They introduce themselves and explain everything to you in terms that can be understood. They ask you multiple times if you have any questions or concerns and, get this, they actually listen to you and respond accordingly! No rush, no impatient half ass (excuse my language) responses, no technical verbiage that has you more confused than you were before, and they don’t try to push and sell you anything! Staff make environment welcoming and friendly which lowers your anxiety. After not seeing the dentist for 3 years I was expecting the worst but it was quick, painless, and reasonable! I definitely recommend and have recommended this dentist to my friends and coworkers.

After a horrendous experience with Apple Dental in Golden Hills, I picked Smile SD from a list of providers based on these Unilocal reviews. It was the only dentist that had more than 2 stars lol
The entire staff is so friendly, polite and genuinely caring. Same with the dentist. He introduced himself and walked me through my work upon our first meeting and since then, he always greets me when he sees me & wants to ensure I am feeling good about my dental work. I believe his name is Javier. I didn’t feel pressured to do any procedures and I can’t say enough good things about this office. After such a tragic experience at my previous dentist, I might be experiencing a bit of a halo effect but I sincerely recommend them regardless.
I always leave them better than when I came!