Modern equipment helps make us one of the most technologically advanced offices in the area. It enables us to be faster, less invasive and more efficient while offering the highest level of dental care at an affordable cost to you.
CEREC CAD/CAM is the epitome of Modern Dentistry. It means that in just 2 hours you can have a crown! There are no temporaries and no need for a second visit. It's a precise fit. CEREC CAD/CAM is less invasive and delivers durable, natural looking crowns in a snap.
Electronic Dental Records are an integrated part of our practice management system. Our paperless system delivers electronic charting, digital imaging and enhanced case presentation where it is needed most... at chair side.
Digital X-rays offer a huge advantage in early detection and preventive services. Advanced image manipulation and analysis, for example, allows your doctor to detect early stages of gum disease through recognition of bone level changes, or by evaluating the results against a previous treatment.
An intraoral camera is an indispensable diagnostic and educational tool. The tiny video camera moves around inside of your mouth and generates a tooth by tooth video exam of your teeth. Using an intraoral camera allows patients to better understand their dental needs by seeing what the dentist sees and then having it explained.
Lasers are a non-surgical approach to arresting the progression of periodontal disease. Following scaling and root planing, a laser is used to significantly reduce the bacterial colonies and decontaminate the infected periodontal pocket. Lasers also remove the infected tissue lining the periodontal pocket. As the infected tissue is removed, microscopic blood clots form and your body's natural healing response takes over. As you heal, the tissue reattaches to the bone and your gums return to a healthy infection-free state.
Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is an advanced, proven technology that provides more precise three-dimensional (3D) imaging for more accurate diagnosis and treatment of oral health conditions. 3D dental X-rays can uncover issues that may not be detectable with 2D X-rays. By making images easier to see, its helpful in gaining a better understanding of oral health conditions and suggested treatment.
Reviews
Rating 3.8 out of 5 based on 99 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestKyle Kirkpatrick
a year ago
PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS. THEY BILLED MY INSURANCE $6K FOR A ROUTINE CLEANING. Service and quality of the care was great, but these dentists are scammers. They will severely overbill your insurance and you'll be stuck with a high out of pocket cost. They will attempt to strongly upsell you on services you may or may not need, some of which might not be covered by insurance. For a routine cleaning, I paid $350 out of pocket (with insurance) and they still want an additional $110 more from me, which is insane. Their phone number is also hard to reach. I've been on hold for 30 minutes for someone to pick up and tell me the billing person is gone for the day. FIND A DIFFERENT DENTIST IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THEM. Edit: Look at the reviews on Yelp, as they're more indicative of what you may encounter than the reviews here on Google.
Katelyn Francis
a year ago
The pricing at this office is outrageous and the administrative staff is unprofessional and unfriendly. The two administrative assistants talked poorly about another staff member (presumably a hygienist), outwardly mocking her as I waited in the office. The dentist prescribes unnecessary procedures in order to up-charge clients and avoid insurance covered routine cleanings. I was charged almost $1,000 to fix a cavity (with dental insurance). They also attempted to convince me that I needed other very expensive procedures (laser cleaning) rather than a routine cleaning. I am in my 20s, have good oral health, and no pain or bleeding when flossing. I paid for their recommended teeth cleaning (as opposed to a routine teeth cleaning which is covered by insurance) and it was extremely cursory and took only 10 minutes. Please be cautious of their attempts to avoid insurance covered cleanings and charge for unnecessary and highly expensive procedures.
Kyle Kirkpatrick
a year ago
PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS. SHADY BILLING PRACTICES. THEY BILLED MY INSURANCE ~$6K FOR A ROUTINE CLEANING. Service and quality of the care was great, but these dentists are scammers. They will severely overbill your insurance and you'll be stuck with a high out of pocket cost. They will attempt to strongly upsell you on services you may or may not need, some of which might not be covered by insurance. For a routine cleaning, I paid $350 out of pocket (with insurance) and they still want an additional $110 more from me, which is insane. Their phone number is also hard to reach. I've been on hold for 30 minutes for someone to pick up and tell me the billing person is gone for the day. FIND A DIFFERENT DENTIST IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THEM!
Jane Doe
a year ago
ZERO STARS! Don't go here. Read the bad reviews. I had a horrible experience here. The dentist lacerated my mouth with an electric sander (I went to Urgent Care afterward) and an Endodontist's assistant chipped my front tooth! I had to go back to have it filled in and the comment he made was: "I'll have to slap her hand", as he laughed. Not funny at all. Now my front tooth looks awful. The wait time in the dental chair lasted almost 1 hr twice. Don't ask the manager too many questions about the costs. She doesn't like that. She chewed me out when I had to ask again. Condescending and arrogant she is and another dentist there who lacerated my mouth was awful. Also the temp crown they made was too high and I was biting my cheek because of it. When I had to go back approx the THIRD time to have it shaved Alicia, mgr gave me a hard time as well as the female dentist threatening to charge me for that. Unbelievable. The other crown looks awful and is too short. Awful. I've never been afraid of going to the dentist but after this experience I was left traumatized. I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. Seniors especially beware. There are plenty of dentists out there who care about their patients . Not this group. Avoid this place like the plague!
Kevin Jo
a year ago
Being a military veteran, Dr. Michael Han has a special connection with other service member patients. I was referred to him by a friend of mine that works at the VA hospital. My mouth was full of infected and broken down teeth, so I wanted a fresh set of teeth with implants so I went to see him at his La Jolla office. I was out to sleep for the procedure and woke up with a new set of teeth. My life has changed dramatically. Thank you to Dr. Han and his wonderful staff!
Claire Tagbo
a year ago
Got a second opinion from another dentist last week and found out I was being lied to by the new provider I saw last month. Will never return to this office and I do not recommend this clinic to anyone .
David Max Steinberg
2 years ago
I was very impressed with Dr. Alvarado. He was clear, concise, understood my position as a patient, and was just generally very respectful and pleasant
Kyle Kirkpatrick
2 years ago
PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Service and quality of the care was great, but these dentists are scammers. They will severely overbill your insurance and you'll be stuck with a high out of pocket cost. They will attempt to strongly upsell you on services you may or may not need, some of which might not be covered by insurance. For a routine cleaning, I paid $350 out of pocket (with insurance) and they still want an additional $110 more from me, which is insane. Their phone number is also hard to reach. I've been on hold for 30 minutes for someone to pick up and tell me the billing person is gone for the day. FIND A DIFFERENT DENTIST IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THEM. Edit: Look at the reviews on Yelp, as they're more indicative of what you may encounter than the reviews here on Google.
Kevin Thurman
2 years ago
Just recently to La Jolla Smiles dentistry and Dr Alvarado and so far it's been fantastic experience. I had some work I had to postpone during COVID that I put off too long but he and his office did an excellent job explaining my options. Additionally compared to my last dentist they have done a much better job working with my insurance to get them to cover as much as possible and with keeping my own out of pocket expenses reasonable. To top it off though they are helping me out with some work today...on a freaking SATURDAY....and at NO COST!!!!! It's something they do about once a year for people in my situation....not sure how much they can do for me but still ********* stars if I could rate them that and so far all of the work done here has been fantastic.
Kyle Kirkpatrick
2 years ago
PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Service and quality of the care was great, but these dentists are scammers. They will severely overbill your insurance and you'll be stuck with a high out of pocket cost. They will attempt to strongly upsell you on services you may or may not need, some of which might not be covered by insurance. For a routine cleaning, I paid $350 out of pocket (with insurance) and they still want an additional $110 more from me, which is insane. Their phone number is also hard to reach. I've been on hold for 30 minutes for someone to pick up and tell me the billing person is gone for the day. FIND A DIFFERENT DENTIST IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING THEM!
Laura Holland
2 years ago
Great location. Dr Alvarado explains options available and they have in house financing. He is knowledgable about implants also. They accept most insurance. I had crowns made within 2 hrs and you can go to the mall while you wait. Clean office.
Alee Bazan
2 years ago
I've been coming to this office since 2021 and I'm glad I made the switch. I never have to wait too long for them to check me in and everyone is very friendly. Especially Shannon and Alicia. Shannon is one of the dental assistants and she always makes me feel comfortable and makes sure my voice is heard she communicates well between me and the dentists. Alicia the office manager is very knowledgeable and has always helped me understand my costs and how my insurance will process my claim. Overall great office I definitely recommend to my friends and family.
josh chavez
2 years ago
I recently visited this dental office and had a great experience. It was very convenient that they are open Saturdays. They were kind and helped me get in and out of my appointment in a timely manner. Also the hygienist did a great job cleaning my teeth. I will be visiting this office again.
Marco Derakhshidan
2 years ago
I am writing this review because I would like thank Dr. Alvarado and his staff for being so friendly and easy to work with. I had two implants and tooth extractions yesterday and it went very well. They did a good job and I highly recommend this dentistry to anyone reading this review.
Maggie del Valle
2 years ago
Another great experience at LJSD!! Special thanks to Dr. Alvarado for always being so thorough and for taking the time to explain in detail every step of each procedure, and to his wonderful staff. Thanks Carline for all your help and time in accommodating my root canal with my tight schedule.. Highly recommend LJSD for your dental work..
Brianna Lewars
2 years ago
This was my first visit to the office and it was great! They made me feel very comfortable right off the bat. Setting up an appointment was especially easy with Shannon helping me! She is thorough and friendly. Dr. Alvarado made me feel at ease. Chelsi also helped me with setting up follow up appts. Very happy I switched to this dentist office.
victor nguyen
2 years ago
I've been a patient here for almost 10 years, today's appointment was the worst I've ever experienced. I arrived on time but was not seen by the dentist until almost an hour later. I had to run to a meeting and couldn't stay for my whole appointment. If you make an appointment plan to stay longer than two hours. That's how long it was going to take them to fix my crown. Very disappointing, I drive from Oceanside because I liked them, but after today I'm going to find a new dentist.
Fred Cary
2 years ago
Second time I've come. They are great. And, Shannon, one of the technicians, is incredible. I've never zipped through x-rays so fast, without having to redo anything. I saw someone leave a one star review because they "upsell you." Come on - it is a dentist! If you don't want to be "up sold" take better care of your teeth. Great job - highly recommend.
Jessica Melo
2 years ago
Sam is a great hygienist, I've been happy each time with her friendly attitude, recommendations for my dental health, and thorough cleanings. I like the up front pricing. All office staff is friendly as well.
Tyger Yang
2 years ago
Great dentist. Very professional. Shout out to Samantha Hansel, one of my favorite hygienists. The health of my teeth has improved a lot since I started going here.
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