Marlene Thompson, DDS

Wish there were negative stars. First off, multiple complaints. My first time i went, i was told i had a whopping 16 cavities. More on that later. I brought my daughter in (14yrs old) and while she was back, Marlene came to the lobby and told me to keep kids quiet. Had they been acting disruptive, by all means Id understand. But honestly they were laughing and in good moods. I brushed it off, thinking maybe a customer in back complained about the laughter of a 10 month old. People can be grumpy. I came back once more, only to finish work on my daughters incompleted crown. I dropped her off, avoiding waiting in the lobby for fear of one of my kids sneezing too loud. When i decided to go in briefly to check on her progress, i witnessed my daughter crying in the chair and Thomspon snapping at her saying, «you need to stop crying or i cant work on you!» She had no idea i was standing there. Her explanation is that there is no reason she should be crying. Really?! My daughter said she kept telling her she still felt pain, and that Thompson said she shouldnt feel it. So, she tried to lay there & take it. If your child patient is visibly upset and shaking that you cant have a steady hand to work on her, reaccess! Dental work should not hurt! Case in point why countless people are fearful of the dentist! PAIN is a huge motivator, and when youre blamed for still feeling it, you lay back and suffer through it?! And those 16 embarrassing cavities… I got a second opinion and… just one! No dentist should make you nervous or scared to speak up in the middle of treatment. If you feel pain, TELL THEM! IF THEY BLAME YOU OR DOWN PLAY YOUR FEELING PAIN AT ALL, WALK OUT! I sincerely hope this woman loses her lisence. A rude uncaring crook. Her receptionist could tell i was visibly upset, and explained Thompson was Christian & there must be a misunderstanding. Clearly there was. She didnt care about the underage customer & was prepared to cheat me out of 15 healthy teeth. I hope you or your staff read this Marlene Thompson. And i hope as a Christian you realize that you represent the Living God. So many people get ripped off by people claiming to be Christian. By your fruits you will be known. Far be it from me to recommend any person to your dental office.

She is the worst. She did a root canal a year prior and I went to another dentist for fillings and she days there’s a infection 1 month after getting it done well 1 year after having done she recheck the tooth and there’s still a infection so I decide to go back to marlene to see if she will fix it she takes x-​rays her assiant says there’s a little infection so marlene comes in and says there’s nothing and it’s my fault that it hurts because I fractured the tooth well you’d see that one a xray so she continues to insult me and tell me I don’t brush my teeth which I do twice a day and floss and I tell her that and she continues to tell me no no you don’t so I just walk out and leave so if you don’t wanna be in pain and get insulted for her bad work then have to spend 1000 to get her mistake fixed just go to someone else because she is absolutely the worst dentist there is.

i went in for an emergency toothache. they took x-​rays said you need a root canal. They scheduled it. I came in Dr say’s you ever had one before I said yes like 30 years ago. O, k. good then you know what its about lets get to work. no explanation whatsoever.
She gets to work and is breaking in a new assistant who is playing 50 questions while the Dr is drilling in my mouth and trying to tell her what to do. finally the Dr gets totally distracted and is carrying on a conversation looking at the assist and and forgets she is holding a running drill in my mouth,. so she is waving her arm back and forth and she hits a tooth on the opposite side of my mouth with the running drill.
Obviously she felt it because she immediately snapped to attention stopped the drill and took it out f my mouth. she then instead of saying something to me or looking at my mouth finished her Q&A with her assistant. She then went back to work. finished up and rushed out without a word to her next patient.
When the pain medication wore off later I realized there was a chip in the tooth from where the drill hit. So next visit I immediately told the person setting up about it. This time it was a different dentist and She looked at and said what the Hell was she doing with te drill way over there? That was it.
The next visit Was Dr Thompson again. she breezed in made no mention of what she ad been done even though it had been recorded on my chart. .glued on the crown and breezed out to her next patient.
so i have a tooth with a chunk out it from Her drill and she get’s paid in full by my insurance. no explanation from Her or anyone in the office no apology. i guess i have to go see another dentist to find out if that tooth will become cavity prone of if anything can be done to fill the hole she left.
i resent that she is first of all too busy to explain anything of the procedure she plans to do and more I resent Her not taking responsibility for what is malpractice and negligence on her part. sue anyone over a chipped tooth but this dentist is guilty of negligence, arrogance and malpractice.

This was the dentist near me that did periodontal cleaning and it’s with one of those high frequency cleaners. I hadn’t been to the dentist in a while and I am very nervous around them particularly after an extraordinarily painful episode a few years back where they did a bad job extracting a wisdom tooth I had broken. I got here and everyone is very nice and helpful, I am not sure about these reviews TBH. The lady at the front desk calls you promptly, i have never had to wait for ages to be seen and my appointments are on time. She (The Dentist) is courteous and explained to me what needed doing and what they were going to do over the ensuing month. Nothing was done «extra» since it isn’t covered. I felt they were very nice given my nerves and the fact that I have super sensitive teeth. I didn’t feel rushed. In the waiting room I notice a lot of mothers with their children whenever I leave too. My old Dentist was the worst for appointments and waiting for ages to have them jam some equipment in your mouth and then let you sit there bleeding. Here they have given me some great shots post-​work that have really helped my gums and teeth. There is more work to be done on my teeth so I guess I can follow up then but I haven’t ever felt pressured here or mislead or what the other reviews state. The dentist herself is very matter of fact and if you drink a lot of coffee over the week post clean she will remind you that hey — youre teeth will stay stained if you dont use something to lift the stains — and that you need to maybe invest in x, y or z wash to help your mouth health. I like them so far, everyone in the office is super courteous and for something local I am glad they are gentle and kind. I never hear any of the kids crying or people complaining in the office itself so I don’t know what these other reviews mean? Either way it’s a good starter family dentist and they are great about keeping appointments and the staff are helpful. The dentist herself is gentle enough and she is informative and kind.

I will try to be as tactful as possible but STAY AWAY FROM THIS DENTIST! She is dishonest and deceitful. My husband needed immediate attention for tooth pain and after his visit to her office she performed unnecessary procedures and tried setting him up for more «procedures» that needed to be done over the next coming weeks. Thank god I started calling around and got a second opinion from an oral surgeon. Not only was she performing unnecessary procedures, the procedures she started were causing more problems that were going to need additional exams. So, instead of a one visit procedure we now have to make 3 – 4 appointments just to fix the things this woman did! And to top it off, she recommends exams and procedures that are not covered under insurance to minimally covered make her patients pay out of pocket. We are now seeing the oral surgeon and will be going to his recommended dentist from now on. I cannot stress enough DO NOT GO HERE! It my husband wasn’t so level-​headed and calm, I would see about suing her! She needs to have her license revoked.

I’ve been a patient for years and spent thousands of dollars only to return over and over. The pain is an everyday event. Trying to make an office visit for cleaning. Sandy runs everyone and totally incompetent. Will proceed with law suit” Contacted lawyer. Contacted credit card company. Will also, under advise of counsel, State Board of Dentistry. Shame on you. If you had been professional and did your job correctly, this could have been eliminated.

Everyone there is amazing expect the female doctor from Brazil.
I am in super pain right now because my mom miss placed my prescription, the Dr. Wouldn’t help. She kept saying she had to talk to me and ask me a bunch of questions that she already knew. After not being able to hear her because of her heavy accent, she referred me somewhere else.
Point is, she couldn’t help me and she really needs to be reminded to help to patient in pain and customer service is first.
Not her way

Don’t go to this place!!! My husband went there and they mentioned that they had to get work down that he actually didn’t need. This dentist is a huge scam!!! I wish that people would be more honest these days and not need to work people for every last penny they have!

Terrible customer service. I had scheduled a first time appointment for my child and the day of the appointment they call me to say that my insurance will not pay for it and that I have been assigned to someone else. I then call the insurance provider and they say that Dr. Marlene Thompson is the assigned dentist. It turns out that Dr. Thompson wants to charge whatever she feels is reasonable, versus what the insurance company will pay and therefore will not see my child. Unacceptable! Medical practice should be about the patient, not who will pay more. Disappointing!

B E W A R E!!! This dentist is HORRIBLE!!! I took my 5 year old twins to get their check up for the school year. All the other staff is great and very attentive. When the dentist walks in, she is cold and you can barely understand her. My daughters still have their baby teeth and after the x-​rays were done, she proceeded to tell me one of my girls has 4 cavities and the other has 5. I was SHOCKED! She «tried» to show me where a few of them were, but I don’t know what I’m looking at, and she obviously knows this and thinks I’m stupid and I’m just going to go along with what SHE says. It gets better.
So I have my mom take my girls to MY dentist. HIS DIAGNOSIS: ONE OF MY GURLS HAS ONE CAVITY! Which he then advises to not even worry about it because its in their baby teeth! This woman misdiagnosis’s patients and obviously doesn’t care. I have Medi-​cal and that’s the ONLY reason I took my babies there. I would NEVER recommend her to anyone. It’s sad that because of low-​cost insurance, this is how you are treated. I WILL be taking this to a higher authority for sure. MISDIAGNOSIS=MALPRACTICE! I am a nurse and as a nurse, it is part of my responsibility to report these types of issues, and you can be damned sure I will do so! Good luck to you and your practice, I hope your staff finds other employment with an ACTUAL DENTIST, because this lady is NOT A DENTIST!
Oh and by the way, I would NOT GIVE THIS PLACE ANY STARS, but since I HAVE to, I’m giving them only ONE!
Shame on her and her practice!

Like other people have said previously this place does try to take you for all you are worth by using scare tactics; telling you there are millions of problems with your teeth.
I went because I got a Groupon for a Zoom! Whitening treatment. When I got there they were very nice and polite and excited to get me started with the treatment. They asked if I wanted the consultation part too and I thought sure, why not.
When Dr. Thompson came in she started to examine my teeth with some type of laser. She told me I had 10 cavities that needed to be filled! I was shocked and worried since I’d never had a cavity before in my life!!! They quickly hurried me to make an appointment which just happened to be perfectly available whenever I wanted it… I made the appointment just to get out of there, canceled it the next day, went to my regular dentist who said I was fine and had zero cavities.
I will never go back there because this business/​dentist tries to take advantage of people, oh and the whitening barely made a noticeable difference.

After a visit to Dr. Thompson’s office was in the waiting room for 39 min. After finally getting called to the back only one X-​ray was taken on a tooth that was not hurting, when the appoitnment was for a regular general visit.(With No Hurting Teeth). An associate dentist came in Dr. Lilianne shepard. She was only concerned about one tooth when the visit was once again a regular visit. asked if my tooth hurt, i replied no. She kept on insisting and wanting me to say it did. She was very unprofessional, rude and acted like she was in such a big hurry. To sum it up the office is not very welcoming and some of the staff was not friendly only to certain people. I would not recommend this office to anyone unless you like rude doctors.

I am so happy to finally write a review on this poor excuse of a «dentist.» Did you know she got her certificate in Peru RED FLAG. I first came here when in 2009 (I was 19 years old and it was my first time being on my own insurance) with that being said, I went in for my first cleaning. We took the x-rays.I have never had a cavity in my life, only 6 months had gone by since my last check up, and she swore I had EIGHT. EIGHT cavities. I thought there is NO WAY. She handed me a paper showing the portion $ 1,800!!! She told me she had «special equipment» that showed tooth decay other machines/​offices couldn’t. I should have known then what a wack job she was (I hope she sees this review)
To fast forward a little bit, I ended up getting not one, but TWO other referrals, and I had two tennie tiny cavities. I had also expressed my interest in invisalign, and she jumped all over it. She told me I was a great candidate blah blah. We got the forms to see how much insurance would cover. My portion ended up being $ 3,500. What she didn’t tell me was that we were actually doing CLEAR ALIGNERS, NOT INVISALIGN! After everything was said and done she told me that clear aligners were «Just like invisalign»…ummm no they were not at all alike. I still continued with the treatment because I was so desperately wanting the perfect smile. 4 weeks later I had my first check up for my clear aligners. I check in and wait for 30 mins. They eventually call me up to the front desk and the receptionist tells me they have not received my trays yet, and to schedule for another 2 weeks out. I was so furious!!! Not only did I waste my gas, but I took time off work and it was a complete waste of time! I come in two weeks later, same thing, took them forever to call me in, then wait another 15 just for here to come in the room. As usual the other staff was awesome! but I had also noticed all of them had changed, except your one, Henna. Marlene came into the office with my aligners and we attempted to get them in. They did not fit. She continued to try and try, but no luck. She then told me «just keep trying to get them in, the eventually go» and she sent me on my way. I rushed out because I had work, but I noticed she didn’t tell me the oral care aspect of invislign, nor did she tell me how often I needed to wear them, she basically told me nothing at all. Basically, every visit only continued to get worse, the next visit she shaved my teeth. I HAD TO REMIND HER TO BUFF MY TEETH OUT!!! the time after that my impressions didn’t fit so I had to order more, another time she literally lost my new aligner, therefore; leaving me to do impressions again, the next time a composite she did came off after 1 day. The list goes ON AND ON! Rearing towards the end of my treatment I had hardly noticed any difference in my teeth. At the time I ran over to Hidden Valley Ortho (where the REAL professionals are) I told them my horror story and they actually informed me that I could contact my insurance provider and file a grievance letter asking to be paid back. That’s exactly what I did. After 30 days my insurance informed me that they were going to ask Dr. Thompson to reimburse me for the treatment. She fought and fought but she lost the case. I am now getting treatment through Hidden Valley and I am very pleased. It seems like Dr. Thompson has a bad rep here. 7 for 7 on bad reviews. She clearly needs to get it together.
DO NOT COME HERE!

If I could give negative stars I would. I was also seen by Dr. Thompson (joke… She shouldn’t be a doctor). I went in because I was duped by their offer for a x-​ray/​cleaning. The assistants were somewhat nice until I got to the back room. The first mistake I made was adding my social security number to the form… After I was seen by the doctor she told me I needed a cleaning which she said was a 1200 buck value. (b is crazy) insisted without my permission to run my credit so she could charge me INSTANTLY so she could begin the cleaning. After I refused she simply gave a snappy attitude (had one from the beginning but got worse after rejection… Obviously she doesn’t take it well) began telling me how I’ll regret not getting it done now, yada yada I shut her off after her first complaint. All I saw was dollar signs in her head. After that discussion I just jetted as fast as possible out of there. I was seen by another local dentist who told me my cleaning was only 60 with my insurance.

Have you ever walked into a dentist’s office and felt like you weren’t a patient, but a bottomless money pit? If not, then you certainly will by visiting Dr. Marlene Thompson’s office.
Her staff– nice as pie. Kind, attentive, friendly– until she walks in. Let me just explain one thing– I had been to her practice before, seen by a nice enough male dentist who assured me that they could fix the few problems I have and all will be well. I was happy. Until he sent in the «finance person». After he left, a young woman with a clipboard came in and to my shock presented me with a «treatment plan» with $ 5000 worth of work. Now, I have dental insurance, and I had a my insurance paperwork with me– which showed, without contention, that the items I needed (crown, partial, filling) were covered. The major dental work was covered at 60%. The minor work, 100%, so imagine my surprise when none of the coverage that I pay for every month out of my paycheck is reflected in the price. When I dispute the charges, I’m told I don’t have insurance, I have a «discount program». I’m pretty sure AETNA doesn’t agree with this statement. In any case, I ignored their outrageous estimation and went about my life.
Let’s be 100% clear on something: in this economy dental work is only mandatory when you are in pain. If you’re not in pain (and there are no visible signs of damage to your teeth), dental work is not a priority. My mortgage, car insurance, food– they are priorities. So, my teeth issues fell by the wayside for an entire year. Flash forward to the present and I’m called up for my yearly cleaning. I hesitant, after the experience I had back in July ’11, but I went in anyway at least to find out about the state of my teeth– i.e. how much had they deteriorated from last year? And to get them cleaned, since I do pay monthly for the option.
When I went in, I was greeted by an entirely different office staff. However, they were still just as friendly and nice as pie as the time before. Okay, so far, so good. This time I was prepared to make it clear that I was not interested in seeing or hearing about any dental options other than those that are covered on my AETNA insurance… Well… things only got progressively worse from my first visit. This time I was seen by Dr. Thompson herself. And I must say, I am not impressed with her patient manners at all. The woman needs to take a serious course in her professional bedside etiquette. She started off the conversation by reprimanding me for not following through on the previously prescribed $ 5000 treatment plan from the previous year. I’m a 27 year old professional woman. My parents do not reprimand me, my husband does not reprimand me and I’m certain that someone who is being paid for a total of 10 minutes of work has no right to reprimand me. I was actually speechless. I couldn’t believe she started our patient — doctor relationship by actually reprimanding me for not following through on their ridiculous, unnecessary treatment plan which I had repeatedly stressed I did not want. Do I need a crown? Yes. Do I need an amalgam crown installed with a laser? No. I need what my insurance covers which is stainless steel crown (and since it is my very back molar which can’t be seen even with my mouth wide open, the suggestion of anything else is absurd). After I told her expressly why I did not follow her treatment, she assured me that the staff that had ran her office like that were long gone. She was only interested in getting me to a healthy smile– baby steps, were her words.
I was all done. I had a new treatment plan and was assured that they would work within the confines of my insurance. I waited for the price, expecting to be maybe $ 1k in the hole or a bit more. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I was handed a $ 3000. And again, nothing was deducted for my insurance. I didn’t understand, so I tried asking questions. Why would my charge be $ 1800 for a partial, when my insurance pays 60%, and the cost for the entire procedure is $ 1800? Where is my 60% discount?! Since they still insist on calling it a discount service.
AhHa! Now I get it. None of the work that they were proposing is covered by insurance. Why? Because my insurance covers metal fillings, stainless steal crowns, and metal based partials. Like most insurance companies, the nicer, more expensive amalgam teeth appliances are not covered. Unfortunately, and conveniently for Dr. Thompson’s accountant, she is morally against metal work. This she doesThis she does not tell you. Instead you are presented with a large bill without explanation of the reason.
Worse professional practice I’ve ever experienced. To them, you aren’t a patient in need of a dental work and care. You are a walking dollar bill sign– and what you need, they aren’t interested in. Dr. Thompson is only interested in your pocket book.

These people will try and take you for every penny possible.
During my visit I was informed that my DMO is just a «discount service» not really insurance. (It feels like real insurance when it comes out of my paycheck each month)
Anything metal that is covered by your insurance, for e.g. Fillings/​Crowns they will not do. They will give you a full-​blown speech on the «evil» that is metal tooth work.
After the first sales pitch I was handed an estimate for over $ 3,000 with every single procedure on the list NOT being covered by my insurance.
They opted to do the procedures not covered and they DO NOT DO PROCEDURES THAT ARE COVERED.
At which point, I asked that they only do what my insurance covers.“Oh, I’ll have to refer you because we don’t do that anymore.“
Regardless of whether or not you explain, «I only want what my insurance covers, I cannot afford anything else.»
They said that my treatment plan through my insurance is an acceptable option but not for them.
They literally see their patients as walking $$$$‘s and nothing more.
How difficult is it to find a dentist that cares more about your teeth then your wallet?
AVOID THIS DENTIST.

I went to this office for the first time because I was assigned to them through my HMO insurance. I was impressed with the staff’s niceness, but that was about it. I was told that I needed $ 4200 of periodontal care and without even asking if I consented, Dr. Thompson said «WE WILL START THE TREATMENT RIGHT NOW.» I didn’t consent or even express interest. I was still in shock by $ 4200. I left telling them I would have to discuss this with my husband, but really I needed to talk to my insurance company. It turns out I should only have to pay $ 100 TOTAL for a full mouth deep cleaning. They wanted to charge me $ 1280. They claimed my insurance only covered $ 20/​quadrant. In fact, I should have to pay only $ 25/​quad.
Bottom line: They lie to you about how much your insurance covers, try to sell you $ 185 toothbrushes as if they are absolutely necessary. Dr. Thompson also stated that with my gum disease and my pregnancy (I am 22 weeks along) that I am «KILLING MY BABY.» Her words exactlty. I should have left the chair as soon as I heard that. I’m a registered nurse and know enough about human physiology to know that my gum disease IS NOT KILLING MY BABY.
DO NOT GO HERE!!!

In a word: HORRIBLE
I originally went to her colleague, Roberto Salazar in Encinitas based on a Groupon. Roberto’s demeanor was pleasant and he seemed an OK dentist so I tried him.
I did not need veneers, one of my teeth never came in and a bit of composite worked fine for thirty years but it was time for a replacement. I was talked into veneers instead, huge mistake.
After six (yes 6!) days, one fell out without any cause. I went back to Roberto who was all apologetic, he took a new impression with every intention of replacing it for free. Threw in two movie tickets as a token of his mistake LOL. He was not sure if another impression would be needed, being as the other three veneers were still intact (for the time being). He had been very meticulous about no other teeth hitting them and grinding my teeth was certainly not any concern.
A few days later I was called back into the office for a new impression. Instead of Roberto being there, Ms. Thompson was there instead. She was immediately rude to me, telling me it was my fault and that I broke the veneers. That was the beginning of what can only be described as her rant.
I have never been to a dentist remotely as unprofessional as Ms. Thompson. After replying that I certainly do NOT grind my teeth and Roberto himself admitted the fault was his, offering to replace it, she basically treated me like a criminal, even making remarks like, «my pants were dirty» (!) and then threatened to call the police. I immediately left. For the next two days I left a message for Roberto to call me but he never did. I will be filing a legal complaint with her company demanding all my money back. It had been very painful walking around with an exposed tooth that has all the enamel ground off.
I went to another dentist who agreed the veneer was not properly glued on, it was the only possible explanation. If young Roberto had the courage to extricate himself from under this tyrannical «dentist» who is controlling his practice I would give him the chance to correct his mistake. Being as this is not going to happen, the courts will decide.
Please AVOID THIS DENTIST, apparently she makes big mistakes then brow-​beats her patients rather than attempting to correct them. I have never had anywhere near such a horrible experience, there is much damage to be remunerated.

If you want to spend over 3 hours in the dentist’s chair, for what should take ½ hour, be my guest. I had two temporary crowns removed to have the new ones put in, and they had to break the temporary ones into pieces to get them off. they kept talking about the glue, which I suspect was the permanent cement, not the temporary stuff they are supposed to use. the final straw was when I went to another dentist for an exam, x rays, cleaning and she said it looked like I hadnt had them cleaned in years (it was 3 months!). I called to ask for a refund and got a flat no. I am so glad I broke up with this dentist!!! Also, the second dentist said I had only needed one crown, not two… goodby 900 bucks!

I didn’t have a good experience with this dentist and I would not recommend them. They are the type of dentist that really tries to pressure you to accept services and procedures, without concern for your feelings or budget. I left feeling like they were only interested in getting as much money from me and my insurance as possible. I chose to not get my dental work done there at that time in hopes of finding another dentist that wasn’t so high pressure.
When I called to get my x-​rays, I spoke with Nancy that works in the front office. She asked why I was leaving and I told her she had put too much pressure on me for sales. She didn’t apologize or try to make my experience better, and notified me that they would be charging $ 35 to have the x-​rays sent!
My advice-don’t try this place! Go to someone who actually cares about your oral health and has a good bedside manner!