Forum Family Dental

I love Dr. Nguyen! I’ve been going for a few years now and all she has been to my wife and me is honest and very competent. We originally came in because of the offer for a $ 40 cleaning but now we go because she’s great. She seems genuinely concerned about our health and is always very patient with any questions I have. She is the best plaque scraper I’ve had work on me. She has tiny hands and gets in like a little humming bird and never leaves me in any pain (and I usually have a lot of plaque). I don’t give out great reviews easily but she has definitely earned it. As long as we live in San Diego, she will be our dentist.

I came here for a second opinion, and I’m really glad that I did. My previous dentist had told me that I needed to get a crown and that I also had gum disease (which I’ve received expensive treatment for). Dr. Nguyen informed me that I didn’t. That was a huge relief. She also was able to find a tooth that was in bad condition that the other dentist didn’t even notice (it had a cavity). Her staff was so professional and friendly, I was extremely impressed. Dr. Nguyen took so much time going over the details of the X-​ray and personally showed me the details of my teeth so I could understand what was going on. I feel fortunate that I found a dentist that I can trust. I highly recommend Forum Family Dental… an overall great experience.

I was a patient of Dr. Nguyen for over a year and was very satisfied with the service I received at Forum Family Dental. They have always been easy to deal with and have always been able to fit me in for an appointment, even on short notice. Furthermore, Dr. Nguyen gives it to you straight when evaluating your teeth and never recommends unnecessary procedures or fillings. I wish I could keep Dr. Nguyen as my dentist, but I moved to Northern California and I’m still searching for a dental group as professional and caring as Forum Family Dental.

I had pretty low expectations, as our dental insurance changed to HMO and they were basically the only dentists nearby that took it.
Happy to say, our expectations have been exceeded over the past 2 years of going there. They have seen my whole family, including two young kids, and are quick, easy and friendly. I find them to be very convenient and the process of exams, cleaning, etc. is generally painless.
They initially seemed a little more «hard sell» (as HMO dentists sometimes can be) on getting additional procedures but it feels like they’ve backed off that a little bit, for which I’m thankful.
Only other complaint is that the elevator music they play is excruciating… almost worst than the dental treatment itself! Wish they would put on something more upbeat.
Appointments can be hard to schedule, but if you call early enough you should be fine. Overall, a very positive experience with Forum Family Dental.

I just had another appointment with Dr. Nguyen yesterday and have to say I am surprised by the negative reviews. I have been a patient there for almost 2 years and have never had a bad experience. I have actually had the opposite experience. She is by far the most thorough and hands on dentist I have ever been to, she even does her own cleanings.
Yesterday she was replacing a filling I’ve had for years that had fallen out. This is the 3^rd filling she’s had to replace (none of which she had originally done) due to them straight up coming out when i have flossed. I asked her about it and she explained that I clench and bite so much I am literally cracking the fillings and pulling them out when I floss so she fitted me for a mouth guard. She also called me a few hours after replacing one with a crown due to the previous filling being like half of a tooth and just wanted to check in to see how the new crown was feeling. She didn’t have her assistant or secretary call me, she called me. That is patient care! She has also always asked me during my treatments if I’m doing okay or if I need to take a break because my jaw pops during treatments. She also has always asked how my bite is after and will make any adjustments needed to make sure my bite is perfect. When I made the appointment I told Lisa I had to be somewhere (a Unilocal event coincidentally!) at 6 and needed to be out of there by 5:30 and Dr. Nguyen did everything she could to make that happen. I was literally out the door at 5:30, once again that is patient care! I can’t imagine Lisa being rude, I’ve dealt with her numerous times and she has been nothing but helpful and accommodating to my schedule, and the same every time I’ve seen her in person. There was a new assistant there yesterday that I think is great, she said it was only her second day and I think she did a great job! I actually think she did a much better job than the other assistants I have seen there.
Also, in no way do I feel like they try to up-​sell services. In fact, my dental insurance has a maximum payout per year and on my first visit where i needed several fillings and a crown she made a list and prioritized what needed to be done first and told me I could hold off on the others until the next year so I didn’t exceed that amount.
Clearly you can’t please everyone and I’m sure people have had bad experiences BUT I also know the majority of people who take the time to write reviews are doing so because they have had a bad experience and that’s not indicative of their patients’ experiences overall. That is one of the reasons I am taking the time to write this, because I think there should be a fair representation from their patients.

I have been to a many great dental offices in Encinitas area… due to insurance change had to leave awesome dr kleins office to this horror story. after 9 years of clean good teeth it is funny how 1 visit (get teeth cleaned every 6 mths) this office found cavities and root canals in all of my families teeth. SCAM also had to go back several times after each visit to file down what should of been done while there. They also get very mad if you don’t order the most expensive crowns I enjoy the dentist and always go. I am now paying more so I could return to my 9 year great dentist after this nightmare. Dr is very nice but wants too make money any way she can. The one experienced asst was great, The front desk receptionist Lisa is horrible and should be fired. She treats you like you are beneath her and that she is doing you a favor. She was rude at every appt and on phone. Not a way to represent a business. I have NO reason to say anything not truthful. I have visited many dental offices and this is for profit only and I question their skills… after having to go back 2 – 3 times after every tooth was worked on to correct what they did… no apologies either
DO YOUR SELF A FAVOR and go to a REAL HONEST AND SKILLED DENTAL OFFICE! THIS IS NOT IT!

I had a really bad experience here. Definitely seemed to sell you more than is necessary. I didn’t feel they were being honest. And weren’t super friendly either. I felt like I was just a check off the list of patients.

Stay away from this place — they are dangerous. I have so many stories to tell about crowns and bridges falling out numerous times and then I finally went to a new dentist and had all that work redone and it fits perfectly now. So aside from the thousands of dollars I had to re-​spend to get crowns that stay in place, here’s the actual horror story:
While prepping a tooth near the front of my mouth for a crown they accidentally shaved off the front face of my front tooth! How? I have no idea. I didn’t realize it until I got home but the shape of one of my front teeth was totally off. Just caved in in the front. I went back and told the doctor and she simply filled it with filling material. Which of course wasn’t flush along the bottom and so it chipped off in the middle of the night while I was sleeping and I almost swallowed it. Anyway, I finally went to a new dentist to fix everything and was told that my front tooth that was shaved off by family forum dental now needed to have a crown! I tried to get my money back from forum but of course that’s a lost cause. I should at the very least get refunded for the tooth that was perfectly fine and then needed a crown because they shaved the face of it off. Wtf. Please just stay away from this place. They have no idea what they are doing.

Very friendly dentist and staff… Also love the convenience of being in the Forum so accommodate other shopping.

Excellent dentist! Extremely kind and highly professional.

Our family was very impressed with our first visits to Dr. Nguyen. We switched to her because we were dissatisfied with our former dentist, a friend recommended her, and she participates in the Costco/​Delta insurance program. What an improvement! She follows a process which is different than any of our previous dentists. After taking an extensive set of X-​rays, her assistant polishes and flosses your teeth. Then Dr. Nguyen herself cleans your teeth while performing a thorough exam, charting the results on the computer. This process seems to reduce the cleaning time and provide a more detailed exam. My previous dentist spent about a minute after his hygienist was done. Dr. Nguyen found several problems which he missed. We feel like we’re getting better care at lower cost. Highly recommended.

Dr. Nguyen and her staff are great. I have had two crowns put in by Dr. Nguyen and my husband has had one crown and we were both pleasantly surprised by the service, professionalism, cleanliness of the office and the follow through from her staff. We have insurance with Delta Dental and the dentists we had in the past were not nearly as good as Dr. Nguyen and this office. The only downside is a cleaning exam takes awhile to get but trust me this office is worth the wait! Dr. Nguyen is reasonably priced and we feel like we totally trust her word when we need dental work. In fact I got a second opinion when I first went to her office and the second doctor told me that I needed two crowns exactly where she said I needed them.

PATIENTS BEWARE!!!
Went in for an exam and consultation. Was given a very low price for a crown, made the appointment to have it done and after it was completed, her price increased an additional $ 200. She said she had to build it up. What a scam, the old bait and switch trick. Very poor business practice and not honorable. She is very money hungry, not even wanting to hire a hygienist. Guess the rent is a little steep at the Forum.
A friend went in for the $ 39 cleaning, and the bill afterward was $ 160 for a half hour cleaning, Dr. Nugyen expained it was an upgraded cleaning. Definately never to return again. Any positive review is certainly fabricated here.
Don’t waste your money and go elsewhere!

Called to make appointment, rude lady on the phone says they dont have an opening until May! Really? I’m going to wait 4 months to get a simple cleaning? Seems like they dont care about anyone.

I am a dentist that moved from La Jolla to La Costa. I fractured m anterior porcelain crown in the late afternoon. Looked horrible. Dr. Nguyen got me right in and did a temporary porcelain veneer repair. It looked great. I was able to go out dancing that night and didn’t have tohold my hand over my mouth in embarrassment. She was gentle, kind, courteous AND excellent. From one dentist about another dentist… I would highly recommend !

SCAM!!!
Went in for the $ 39 coupon, then after the doc took a peak she said I needed an upgraded cleaning. I’ve never had a cavity or mouth problems in my life! So basically my options at that point became, pay $ 40 for the 2 minute «examination» or pay $ 160 for the upgraded cleaning. What a scam! I went for the upgraded cleaning which maybe lasted 20 min, and was exactly the same as every other basic cleaning I’ve ever had. I even explained to the doc that I’m a Grad student living on loans and she still dropped the axe on me!!! Terrible customer service!!! I’ll never be back! Don’t trust the coupon, it’s just the bait!

Forum Family Dental is exceptional. My wife, son and I have been extremely impressed with Dr. Tanya Nguyen and her wonderful staff: all her dental assistants and her front office admin, Lisa. All are true professionals and warm, caring people.
Dr. Nguyen is very knowledgeable about the latest in dentistry and takes the time to explain things in understandable terms. She places the patient’s needs above all other considerations and works with other professionals on behalf of her customers. We highly recommend Forum Family Dental.

I wanted to write a follow up review to my negative review that I wrote in the past. I had terrible pain after a cavity was filled and I was reassured that it would just take time to go away. Due to the severity of pain, I wrote a negative review but, I also believe it is important to correct that if later you realize the doctors were correct. Just as Dr. Nguyen said, it just took time. My tooth is fine now and I also did do my homework and I discovered that my husband and I do need the treatment that was suggested and I also learned that the Forum Family Dental prices are much more affordable. I will go back for the additional treatment that I need. They were very attentive and concerned that I was ok and that is comforting.

Best dental place I have been to. Dr. Nguyen is very caring, professional and affordable. The staff are awesome and friendly, the place is very clean. Highly recommended.

This place was wonderful, my daughter and I had such a good experience! Dr. Nguyen was knowledgable, informative, gentle with injection, sweet and kind personality, and the pain was almost non-​existent. The staff was friendly, the office was VERY clean and in a great location, and the pricing was very reasonable.
I would recommend her to anyone! Love it!