Sun Smile Dental

The receptionist was seriously so rude she made me cry, and I’m not even the type of person who complains or gets upset !!! I still can’t believe I let her pressure me into getting x-​rays done again even though I had just gotten them done 9 months ago at their office! The worst part of it all was that they knew I had an appointment for an exam and cleaning that day, yet they still let me come in and go through the whole exam before telling me that the hygienist wasn’t even there to clean my teeth and that I had to reschedule! So I went along and made another appointment for my cleaning, however, I decided I wanted a second opinion on my gums and asked the receptionist to send my x-​rays to another doctor. Then she got offended and asked me if she should cancel my cleaning appointment since I’m going to another doctor. I said NO, because what’s wrong with having more than one dentist? Then she went on and on for 10 min reprimanding me about how it’s rude to waste an appointment if I’m not going to not show up! At that point I was so insulted and upset that I couldn’t even defend myself because I was in shock and beginning to cry… I had planned on getting my cleaning and cavities filled there since they have good prices, except now I don’t even feel comfortable coming back into that office because of the way she treated me! By the way, my mom isn’t going back either, and I think the rude receptionist is actually the office manager and the dentist’s wife, which is obviously the only reason she’s employed there… She is extremely unprofessional, disrespectful, and even walks around the office barefoot!!!
***Update: I had paid $ 20 to transfer my x-​rays to another office the last time I was there which was over a week ago. I called yesterday because my new dentist hadn’t gotten the x-​rays yet, and the person on the phone said she would make sure they got sent… Which of course they never did! Anyways, my new dentist had to redo my x-​rays in which she only found 1 cavity while Dr. Shah said there were 5!!! Also, she said I had very healthy gums and I scored very well on my periodontal chart while Dr. Shah never even probed my gums but still said I was exhibiting signs of gum disease and needed expensive laser treatment!!! Not to mention an unnecessary $ 1000 crown on the tooth I needed a filling in!!! At Sun Smile Dental they try to make you feel guilty for not visiting their office regularly by dramatizing your dental health in order to make you feel like you need expensive work done. These people are vultures that pray on patients who are naïve and easily persuaded.

Bought a teeth whitening deal for Christmas and specifically asked if it was the dental whitening trays molded by the dentist and was told yes. They ended up doing extensive work that was so bad a second dental office had to be utilized to fix all the mistakes made here at Sun Smile. The pain was severe and lasted for weeks without subsiding because it was cause by fillings not being shaped correctly and a raw tongue from sharp edges. (fillings too large obstructing bite and bruising gums). The work was lazy and mediocre at best and required over an hour of attention from another dentist to fix. The kicker? They gave at-​home silicone trays you can buy anywhere. There was literally NO deal here. Same trays available on
for less than I paid Sun Smile. They are scam artists and shoddy dentists.

The staff is very friendly, extremely understanding This was the first dental office I checked out moving to San Marcos. Dr. Shah is kind, patient, and understanding to your dental needs. They work with your financial needs, they have great monthly plans to fit your needs. I tried to going to Las Posas Dental and they consulted me with a gum disease that I know I did not have considering that I had just been seen by Dr. Shah a few months prior. The hygienist at Las Posas probed my teeth so hard that she caused gum line to bleed. So I have decided to return to Dr. Shah where him and his staff are honest with your dental work.

I just decided that me and my family would not be going back to this office. So unfortunate since my husband really likes the dentist but the receptionist has no costumer service at all. She was very pushy for me to make an appointment i didn’t want to make in the first place. Now i have to pay a cancellation fee if i want to go back since my kids and myself got sick on the day if my appt. Its not the 30 dlls im worry about is the way she handles the call.
So I also cancelled my husband and kid’s appt for next week, as I will look for a place with better costumer service.

I forgot to write a review about this place. I went here about a year ago. I purchased the groupon as well. The one that was suppose to include a teeth whitening kit. Let me tell you I had the SAME experiance as the others. But worse!
The day I went there they apparently had issues with their system and had me in a chair for almost 4 hours just for my cleaning the two young assistants seemed like they had no CLUE how to handle the equipment and how to get it to work. When the dr finally came to check my teeth they told me I had so many cavities and an upwards of 2k in work. I told them I just want the regular cleaning and my whitening kit. They kept pushing and did not want to do the cleaning. They wanted me to do the work first. When the assistant finally did the cleaning he literally spend less than 3 minutes on a quick polish. I was appalled that was it. Then they refused to give me the whitening kit. Stating my teeth will change after I get my filling and to wait to get the kit. I persisted and they finally said ok, taking imprints of my teeth stating they are custom kits and they would call me when it was ready. Well you can all guess that call NEVER came.
At the time I didn’t know you can request a groupon refund. I’m a young mother and had to spend MORE money to get a REAL cleaning and more ex rays. I was very upset with the whole experiance. I would not recommend this place to anyone. A waste of my money and time !

Had the same horrible experience as the other groupon buyers. This office tried to tell me that my child needed 3500.00 Worth of work. I was told not to return if I wasn’t going to go along with the work. The front lady was rude and pushy. What a joke. I will never refer here. Got a refund on my groupon.

We purchased 2 Groupon offers of a dental exam with a cleaning and digital x-​rays and intraoral images plus the take-​home teeth-​whitening kit for $ 39.00 each… A total of $ 78.00. What we got was some x-​rays & images plus a huge treatment plan for $ 2449.00 and $ 3833.00. No Cleaning and no whitening kit.
He claimed we both had gum infections so they could not do the cleaning without special treatments and deep root cleanings. He also claimed my husband needed to have a tooth pulled and I needed some fillings and an oral cancer screening.
Well, we got an second opinion and were told there were NO gum infections, no teeth needed pulling and I did not need any fillings. Our teeth were cleaned with no problems.
I did decide to get the cancer screening at Loma Linda Dental College and found that my first opinion of ‘burning mouth syndrome’ was the only problem.
We feel they owe us a full refund since everything they said was false and we got nothing for our $ 78.00.

I called this dentist after seeing the reviews. They answered the phone right away when I called and were able to schedule me in for a routine check up. The day I arrived at the office the movie fools rush in was playing. I love that movie, it’s so funny and Salma Hayek believes in signs so I took this movie playing as a good sign about this dentist! The waiting area is overall clean like they just recently mopped and dusted and nicely decorated. The only thing that turned me off was that the couches had a few stains on them. I waited about 5 minutes and then was called back. I had X-​rays taken while a chatty guy told me all about his life. The dentist seemed to do a very thorough check. He did that thing where they check your gums and say how deep the pockets are: 1,1,2, 2,2,1 etc. He said I was overall healthy and I just needed one small cavity filled and a routine basic cleaning. Six months earlier a previous dentist that I had gone to said that I was going to have to be completely numb in order to do a very deep cleaning which I knew was a total scam so I was glad to see that this dentist was honest and not trying to just steal my money.
A week later I came in to do my cavity filling and the cleaning. The dental hygienist did some of my cleaning and then the dentist stepped in and finished which I thought was really good because most of the time dentists don’t ever seem to do a single thing. He did recommend that I do an antibacterial mouthwash which I agreed to and then regretted because at the end I realized that it was $ 60 and all they do is give you a little bit of mouthwash to rinse with. You can buy that prescription mouthwash at CVS for $ 25. I know because I bought it after I got my wisdom teeth taken out! Oh well I guess there’s not a perfect non over priced dentist out there after all. In the end I did like this place and I will be back and hopefully make this guy my regular dentist from now on. Once I come back a couple more times I may change my review from four stars to five but I am kind of apprehensive about giving a dentist five stars because let’s face it who likes going to the dentist? It is not fun at all. All the instruments make the most terrible screeching noises! They have TVs playing movies on the ceiling which is kind of nice because it does help take your mind off of the terrible sounds all the instruments make.

Update! The dentist responded to my review, there are a few problems with his response: 1. My profile on Unilocal does NOT mention my last name. How would he know who to look for to find MY records?2. No Gift Cards. Perhaps not a normal practice for them, however my situation was an extreme one in their office and after losing MY night guard they offered to drive it to me when it was found. The person who dropped it off was apologetic and said they wanted to apologize for my experience with the gift card. So maybe the dentist didn’t feel it was necessary but the person dropping it off did. On top of that I do believe someone on their Unilocal page mentions being given a gift card for giving a review. 3. I may have confused the offices?! No sir, I did NOT confuse which office I visited multiple times or what phone numbers I called multiple times or the staff including YOU who I saw multiple times to correct the errors of your work. I know exactly where, when and who I saw. I also happen to still have the email that includes my dental ex-​rays that YOUR office sent to me. (Mind you I had to ask for them because my insurance didn’t want to pay for more ex-​rays at a new place within the year) I did double check the address and phone number just to make sure I wasn’t «confused». It has your name as the dentist and your location address and phone number. My 1 star review stands for this location and your staff. There is no need to contact you now. I had multiple conversations with you and your staff at the time. The issue has been settled and is over. I did feel it was appropriate to leave a Unilocal so others know what has happened at your office. Hopefully you have made the necessary changes to correct all of the horrid problems that were happening in your office and everyone else will have pleasant experiences now.
Absolute WORST dental experience EVER! I will never return. I tried this place out because I needed a new dentist after moving to the area. One of their employees was going business to business selling whitening services at a discounted rate. That should have been clue #1.
Clue #2 was when they refused to do the whitening service until you completed all of the dental services they recommend. Clue #3 was when the dental assistant who is in school to become a dentist wouldn’t listen to me. I tried to explain to him what my history was so he would be caught up. He had no interest whatsoever in hearing it. He came off arrogant. He drilled and filled my teeth. Is that even legal since he isn’t a DENTIST yet?! I must say my bite felt better than it ever had when I left. The next day when flossing a piece of my new filling came off. I called and they said that was normal. (Seriously!?) A day later when flossing the entire filling of another tooth popped out! There was blood everywhere and I was in so much pain. I called and left a message on their answering service. Then I called the emergency #, several times and several messages later they finally answered, but not really. She accidentally answered it while trying to ignore the call so I got to hear her conversation while I’m in serious pain. I finally got a hold of them around 11 when their office opened up that day. (What’s the point of an emergence # if you don’t use it)
Went in and the actual dentist proceeded to drill away half of one of my molars to get the rest of the old fillings out, he had decided he needed to take the ones his assistant did out and start over. There will be no fixing of my tooth now. He «reshaped» it with the filling material as best as he could but its trashed. I am thankful its a very back tooth and not one people can see in the front.
I had turned in my night guard my first appointment to have them shave it down a bit and by my third visit I was asking for my $ back due to their obvious lack of skill and for all of the issues not only myself but my husband endured they brought out my finished night guard.
The box was totally different and not the one I dropped it off in. It was old, beat up and dirty. I opened it to find that it wasn’t mine at all! Someone else’s guard was in that box. They were clueless! The receptionist was extremely nice and went through the office to try and find my expensive dental piece but couldn’t locate it.
I was furious! I left with a portion of my $ back and no mouth guard which was custom made by my last dentist. I did receive a call from the receptionist a few days later explaining how they found my guard which had

Located on the second floor of Westview Plaza across from San Marcos HS.
I came here to get some work done after not visiting the dentist for a few years. (FYI: My previous dentist screwed me over) Hence the hesitation.
Anyways…
The staff at Sun Smile Dental are super friendly and helpful. I didn’t feel rushed and they actually asked questions and listened to my concerns. Dr. Shah, Ruth, and Dan are wonderful and very professional. I got some fillings, treatment, and a deep cleaning, which took about 2 – 3 hours to complete. I still have some work to finish, but they did a great job so far and I didn’t feel any pain at all. They didn’t push me to do any work I didn’t want to get done and treated me like family.
Plus, I got to watch ‘Legally Blonde’ and ‘Up!’ while getting my grills done :)
So far so good!
*Will update after my next appt.

The staff is really friendly and they do a good job on your teeth. One of the dentists is really good looking lol :)

I’ve been going to Sun Smile Dental for almost a year now. I waited to write my review until I had a couple of procedures done because, frankly, my first impression was that this place was just too good to be true.
I have a very high tolerance to pain in almost every area of my being. I had my kids at home. On purpose. I felt kind of bad when my appendix burst 4 times and was back at school 3 days after the surgery. I’ve been in a number of situations that, logically, should have killed me and came through just fine. But believe me when I say. I’m a complete wimp when it comes to dentistry. I gave Dr. Shah and Sun Smile Dentistry the opportunity to change my distrust and fear of dentistry.
Among other problems, I had a condition that affected one of my upper molars, and it looked like he was going to have to remove the tooth. Not optimal… He put me on antibiotics and I made the appointment to return after finishing the meds. When I returned, the condition had improved and Dr. Shah recommended that we hold off on the extraction until it was absolutely necessary. His words to me were «I wouldn’t remove it if it were my mother’s tooth — I recommend we wait.»
WOW!
In short, Dr. Shah is gentle, patient and a good communicator. I am convinced from being his patient that he treats me with the same level of care as he would any member of his family. Ruth and the rest of the staff are so friendly and warm. How can anybody be fearful of a place like this?
In a world where trust is in short supply, Sun Smile Dental shines as a bright example of what professional trust and outstanding service looks like. Count me a fan for life.

First off all you ever get is a recording when you call their phone #. I’ve left about 10 msgs to schedule a cleaning. I have even tried doing it online as the recording suggests, but no response that way either. I called the emergency # as a last resort & no one calls you back. Guess they don’t need or want my business.
Would not recommend this is NOT what I call «customer service». If they can’t even return your call to schedule an appoint how are they going to treat you once you get into their office. Very POOR customer service.

I had not been to a dentist in YEARS! I was referred by my Acupuncturist. Turns out I had 10 or 11 cavities. The staff is very friendly, especially Ruth and Daniel. The doctor is very kind and gave good self care advice.

Finally, a positive dental experience! For years my family and I had been going to another local dentist in Vista that always seemed to try and screw us over — they told my sister she needed a root canal (after a second opinion, she certainly did not) among other recommendations for countless unnecessary services. Going to the dentist was exhausting because they were always trying to talk us into giving them more money. Finally we decided we weren’t going there anymore and I was given the job of finding a new dentist so I went straight to Unilocal.
After going through the list of our insurance-​approved dentists I came across Sun Smile Dental and pulled up their reviews. I was so pleased to see positive reviews from patients whom also had struggled with getting honest and fair dental work. My first appointment for a full exam was today and I was extremely satisfied when I walked out.
The dental assistant, Dan, who took my x-​rays and photos was friendly and talkative which helped to distract me from being nervous about the bad news I was preparing myself for (my first cavities). There are TV screens in the ceiling; today’s movie was Snow White and the Huntsmen. When Dr. Shah came in to greet me he was warm and pleasant and I immediately knew I was in the right hands. He took another look at my x-​rays and poked around my mouth and gave me the news — one cavity. I asked him some more questions about other issues I had and I got a lot of straightforward info that put my mind at ease. The receptionist brought me my bill for my future visit so I knew what I would be paying, complete with an itemized list of what services I would be receiving. It was all very organized and I’m not too terrified of the dentist anymore :) Thanks Sun Smile Dental!