Gentle Dental Mira Mesa

Dentists are professional and friendly but I hate how they cost yo more. They charged me and my insurance on the same procedure twice. When I went to ask them, the receptionist was so arrogant and was confused to explain me what exactly happened. That was my last visit there and decided not to see them again.

My experience with this dental office has been very sub par. I’ve taken my son there for 3 – 4 appointments to see their pediatric dentist and today’s appointment will be my last, no way will i return. First off let me say that the staff at the reception desk and the dental assistants were friendly and accommodating and its a shame that they have to work with an un professional dentist that tarnishes the reputation of this dental office. The procedures rooms are very small and very inconvenient for parents who want to be in the room with the child during their examination or procedure. The pediatric dentist on staff always seemed annoyed that i wanted to be present and observe during my child’s examination and she could use some lessons in bed side manners. She also never seemed to read the charts/​file prior to speaking to me because she never had any idea why my child was being seen. All of this made me wary of this place but my son needed to have some cavities filled and a baby root canal so i decided to bring him in to get the procedure done. Well, today was the final straw. i bring my son in to get his procedure done and the assistant comes out to tell me that they want me to stay in the front reception area during the procedure, i respectfully tell her that i am not comfortable leaving my son alone in the procedure. She tells me that there will be assistants in the room as well so i should be ok with him being in there without me, i told her i still didn’t feel comfortable with that and i would like to be present. She then tells me that i can stand in the hallway and observe, i agreed. The assistant walks me down to the procedure room where the dentists tells me again that she wants me to wait in the front reception area, i again respectfully say that i am not comfortable with that and i would like to be present for the procedure. The dentists doesn’t say another word, she just walks away leaving me standing there with the assistants, with us just looking at each other. Finally, one of the assistants tells me that the dentist refuses to do the procedure because i want to be present. I’m just blown away at the unprofessionalism exhibited by the pediatric dentist. I am then quickly ushered out of the dental office like i did something wrong. There is absolutely no reason a parent should not be able to be present for or observe their child’s routine dental procedure and any dentists that is not comfortable with the parent being there is being absolutely ridiculous and that throws up red flags for me. If you are considering taking your child to this dental office, i would highly recommend against that because they are not considerate of parents at all. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILDREN TO THIS OFFICE.

Well the appt is at 9am and I showed a few minutes early in case of any situations. I come to find out that even at 9 there is nobody here I mean nobody but the receptionist. What kind of business is this you should be here before your first patient. This is in acceptable will likely be looking for a new dentist.

How is this business still open?! I’ve seen cockroaches in their exam rooms. I’ve seen sinks that were so clogged, there were things growing in them. When Dr. Stephen Needle (aka The Butcher) was performing their surgeries, I passed THREE separate people who were unconscious in their chairs WITHOUT supervision. (This breaks the law!) I’ve waited over two hours for my appointment more than once.
Don’t get me started on how they over charge. Two separate times they charged my insurance for a services they never provided.
I’m just happy I’m alive and didn’t pick up a disease!

DO NOT GO TO THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE ANYTHING BUT «GENTLE.» If I could give 0 stars I would, my daughter had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled. The procedure went fine until she had some complications afterwards. We were treated substandard, as if we were putting them out by requiring their assistance after they just made over $ 2,000 off of the surgery. While my daughter was in great pain, the surgeon downplays her pain and symptoms and literally shoves the gauze into the back of her mouth and down her throat. Then while he’s doing that, his assistant comes up to reception and begins talking about me as if I’m not sitting right there! These people were totally unprofessional and undeserving of the patients they have. I have cancelled all appointments for my family and will not go back. They need to learn patient care, this place is a chop shop.
**Now that the bleeding has slowed down (6 hours later!), we can see what the «surgeon» has done that caused the problems. He sliced my daughter’s cheek away from the gum and cut up into her cheek. It looks so serious that it needs stitches, but this jerk instead shoves the gauze into her cheek and says just bite harder. I’m reporting him to the dental board tomorrow!
Update: took over 24 hours for the bleeding to stop completely when we were told it should stop within 2 – 3 hours. It’s now 5 days later and my daughter’s face is black and blue. This whole experience that should have been textbook, has been horrifying.

I had a horrible experience with Gentle Dental Mira Mesa. It took 1.5 hours just to get X-​rays and an initial exam. I was then informed that a deep cleaning was needed along with 3 cavities. Due to the cost I decided I would proceed with the cavity fills along with the normal cleaning until the next year. I had to go back to work, but Dr. Nelson Deleon, DDS insisted that he could do the fills then and get me back to work by noon. I would have rather come by another time due to the need for anesthesia, but he informed me he could do it without any. Though it felt rushed, hesitantly I said yes, to save the time of coming back… wrong choice.
The first fillings went without pain, but the pain set in for the 3^rd, and said he needed to use the anesthetic. I said I could come back easily to prevent me going back to work all numb, but insisted it would only be a little numb and wouldn’t interrupt work. I proceeded but felt very uneasy. There was pain during the shot and began to tear. I apologized because out of pain and anxiety I began crying, something that I have never done at the dentist before. Dr. Nelson informed me that I was making him feel bad, which only made me feel more uncomfortable. When he proceeded to work on the final cavity again, the pain wasn’t lessened so he told me he needed to use more anesthetic. At that point I did not feel at all comfortable and was visibly shaken. Rather than try to see how I was doing he informed me that he has been doing this for 15 and knows what he was doing. Also not helpful. At that point it was 11:45 and decided I needed to get out of there, so he put on a temporary filling so I could leave without being additionally numbed.
I have been to several dentists over the years, and never felt so shaken. I left with two small cavities repaired, and temporary filling and NO teeth cleaning. A horrible experience and I hope that no one else has to go through the experience that I did.

I had deep cleaning done, very professional and attentive to pain management. Great office experience, billing covered very well before procedure. A little salesy, but gave a list of to-​dos and didn’t feel pressured. Overall, great office to visit.

Don’t NOT base this dental office from its previous history. They are a wonderful establishment and have given thoughtful care on all aspects of their service.
I had the life event of removing all my wisdom teeth 6 months ago. They did a masterful job of the procedure and had caring customer service every step of the way.
The front staff is courteous and helpful: Ruby and Elaine. The technicians/​helpers – Anna my regular, Amy the intern – were professional and lovely. Dr Niloufar tells it exactly how it is and knows her practice. She is a great dentist.
Their service warrants 5 stars and they deserve way more than what their past record shows. Thank you all so much; I will continue to go to you for all my dental needs.

Never had a dentist try to ‘sell up’ like Eghlimi did. I went to her after my dentist left the ins program. In 3 mos she said my teeth were in terrible condition (I have no bleeding gums, etc.) & diagnosed an expensive treatment program. I said I would have to think it over. She refused to call when I asked to have her call to discuss, so I had to go in for an appt I did not want. She refused my insurance service of a cleaning on 2 appts when I would not ‘buy’ all the items she wanted (none were covered by ins). She talked my dependent into the ‘hard sell’ and none of what she is doing is covered under insurance & we can’t ‘go back’. I have insurance, so have to go find another dentist. She also told me I had a ‘cleaning’ when I only had a polish & floss (no scraping). Bet it will go to the insurance as a full cleaning. This is a ‘business’. I told her about all the complaints on line and she said it’s not her!

My family and I all decided to try this dentist out and sure enough the horrible reviews are all true. I practically cried after the dentist decided to dig to china on my gums and then later told me I needed all this extra stuff that was going to cost me an arm and a leg when less than 6 months ago my teeth were perfect. She then later told me I had a cavity and refused to believe her so I requested another x ray and sure enough … NO CAVITY. I would highly suggest avoiding this place at all costs.

Second time I stop by to pick up my xrays during supposedly business hours and met with locked doors. I tried to call ahead to confirm, but I’m directed to a call center that had no idea. I also tried to make am appointment to make sure they are open but was told to just stop by. Seriously? Glad I’ve moved on.

Worst patient care for sure. My four year old had to come back for a specialist pediatric appointment and then they did nothing. His mouth was too small for the x-​ray films so we came back for this so called specialist appointment. She just looks in his mouth and says” no cavities «Never gave him x-​rays or the fluoride treatment or the cleaning we asked for :(. This office tried to tell me things that just were not true about my insurance. Horrible feeling after $ 4500 in dental insurance premiums over the years and to hear the lies from this office told me. I am glad I called my insurance company today and they confirmed that I was correct. Avoid this dental office at all costs!!!

My crown fell off and I needed to permanently cement it back. In addition, I also needed cleaning done. So my wife and I are driving to my appointment that she made for me (my first mistake) and I ask her if this place is any good. She tells me that their reviews on Unilocal are horrible and she went there one time and the place looked really dirty. At that time any normal person would be like «fuuuuuck THAaaaT place!» and would turn the car around. Taking in consideration that my detached crown was in my pocket and I was leaving the country in 3 days, I really needed to get the work done.
So we get to this hell hole and start filling out the paperwork because I’ve never been there before. The place looks okay on the outside and in the lobby (those are the only pics they have on Unilocal)…but then they take you back to the rooms, and that’s where you really get the picture. It’s like being teleported to a movie set of «Saving Private Ryan». I bet my testicles that those tools were never cleaned. They looked so dirty like they were being used to dig up dinosaurs. The paint on the walls is chipping and coming off. The machines are so old, Jesus himself was probably sitting in the same seat. I was sitting in that seat and thinking of it being some kind of a fucking death trap. That Jigsaw himself from the movie «Saw» is going to pop the fuck out and say «I want to play a game».
After taking over 30 x-​rays of my teeth, like it was some kind of a rare discovery… they placed me into another jail cell looking room where I sat for over an hour. Then Yao Ming looking dentist comes out and tells me that there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I felt like I was at a body shop where you come for an oil change and then they tell you that half of your car needs to be replaced.
Then he left me again for 30 more minutes. Maybe he thought I needed some time to digest all that bullshit he fed me… whether I should just pay up or if it would be just cheaper for him to throw on a pair of steel toe boots, hang me upside down with my hands tied behind my back and start practicing field goal kicks on my mouth. Suddenly I see my wife running into the room and telling me that we need to leave NOW because they are not going to cement my crown. I told her to calm down, and that we would need to run in case of a huge man with a chainsaw and a leather mask would slam through the fkn walls trying to kill us. In addition, they placed my crown on a dirty table and then tried to put it back in my mouth. After I told them to clean it up, they went to another room, broke my crown and gave it back to me.
Long story short… I came out of that haunted house alive. The only thing that those clowns killed is 2 hours of my life… I left pissed and fixed my tooth elsewhere.
PLEASE!!! Don’t make the same mistake as I did. Read the reviews. especially the negative ones!!!
If you want to go down to that scary place… do it on October 31^st. Unilocal doesn’t give you the option of rating a place with a middle finger… but if they did… I would use both hands.

I would not recommend this place.
My kids and I went there for a routine cleaning in April 2012. I will say that the tech who did x-​rays and the DA who cleaned our teeth were very friendly and warm. The actual dentist was a bit cold, but okay.
The kids didn’t have any cavities but I was told that I had two cavities. They were each in between two teeth so they recommended that I have a deep cleaning and have four inlays done at the cost of over $ 4,000! I was flabbergasted that I needed a deep cleaning (which I had never heard of before) and had just been to a different dentist 6 months prior for a cleaning and routine checkup with no problems. After the dentist recommended this, another person came in who handles the billing. I had HMO insurance at the time and it (obviously) didn’t cover much of the expenses. I was in shock and felt like I was being given a sales presentation.
I decided not to have anything done there and get a second opinion. I called to ask for a copy of my x-​rays. They asked when I could come by. I asked if I could come by late and they said no, they close at 5. I left work early to get there the next day in time before they closed and my x-​rays were not ready. 5 pm came and went and they were still seeing patients. I waited over an HOUR for my x-​rays! During the time I was waiting I overheard that out of the two patients that were in and out of there, one was having the deep cleaning done and the other was having the deep cleaning recommended to them. What are the odds of two out of two needing deep cleanings? I have been to the dentist many, many times and have never had a deep cleaning recommended or overheard recommendations for them. I finally got my x-​rays and got the hell out of there. I was really annoyed that I left work early to get there when they were still open to accommodate patients anyway!
My HMO allowed me to change dentists but it takes one month to take effect. So I requested the change, waited my one month and went to the new dentist armed with my x-​rays. The dentist looked at my x-​rays and inspected my teeth and said I DID NOT HAVE ANY CAVITIES AT ALL!
He said I had some old cavities that could be replaced and a few teeth that had rather large fillings that eventually would need to be crowned but that I did not have any cavities.
I was sick to my stomach to think that I might have spent over $ 4000 at Gentle Dental for procedures I DID NOT NEED.
Also, they list their dentists on their website here:
. I don’t know if any of them actually work there because the dentist I saw was a woman and she was not listed on their site. When I initially called I wanted to make an appointment for my kids with the pediatric dentist for my kids and they said he’s only there one day a week (if that).
Do not go to Gentle Dental! If you must, I am willing to bet they will recommend a deep cleaning and and perhaps other expensive work and if that happens, PLEASE get a second opinion.

We were limited to the dentists we could see because of our insurance. I needed to have both my children (ages 6.5 and 3.5) get check ups. This location has a pediatric dentist on staff. I was nervous after reading the reviews, but decided I would go with my gutt once we visited the office.
Scheduling was great; the front office was very nice and thorough. The check up appointment went well (was with the regular doctor, not the pediatric). Both children had cavities that needed to be filled, with older son having several.
We had a consultation with the pediatric dentist, Dr. Mark Lee, to see how to proceed with sedation. The office worked with our insurance to check on what was covered/wasn’t and to give us an accurate quote prior to the procedure. Additionally, they discussed that several of the cavities might need «baby root canals» but they wouldn’t know until they were working on them.
I was very nervous the day of the procedure. My son was sedated for the work and it was completed in the time they said it would take (between 1 – 2 hours). Thankfully, none of the cavities required the root canal. The Dr. talked to us after the procedure and gave us his number if there were any problems. We also received a follow-​up call from Dr. Lee himself, that evening to check everything.
Our son did fantastic! He came through the procedure with flying colors and never complained once about pain or any uncomfort.
I was VERY impressed by the staff, Dr. Lee and the care throughout the procedure (prior and follow-​up). The fact that they did only the work that was required speaks volumes to an honest and ethical practice. I would highly recommend Dr. Lee to other parents who are seeking a pediatric dentist!

Gentle Dental in Scripps Ranch, San Diego is not the place to go for dental work… the new dentist there is very rude and inpatient. Ive been a patient since 2006 and recently Dr. Michael Tarighati has taken over. I went there yesterday in pain and instead of Dr. Tarighati displaying empathy and understanding he told me it is not his fault I’m in pain. When I didn’t understand the procedures, he told me he wouldn’t explain the procedure again because he already explain it to me. I was in extreme pain I couldn’t believe how this dentist was talking to me. I left that dentist office in tears not due to my tooth but due to the way the dentist belittle me. I’m not a dentist and if I failed to understand something I expect my dentist to treat me with courtesy and compassion. I will no longer attend this dentist office and I recommend you don’t too.

I have read all of the previous postings on this business and frankly I’m shocked at the negative experiences some people had previously at this office. There is a wonderful new doctor, Dr. Michael Tarighati, presiding over the office now and he is an extremely compassionate and talented dentist.
I just left the Gentle Dental North County office this afternoon and I cannot say enough positive things about my experiences. The kindness the entire staff showed me from the minute I stepped in the door was refreshing in a dentist office environment, and I can’t stop raving about the high quality of service I received in necessary dental care. Cathy, at the front desk, is sweet me and very knowledgeable; she returned my calls promptly and answered many questions that I had in between visits, making me feel very comfortable and supported by the office as a whole.
I first met Dr. Tarighati a couple weeks ago when I went in for a routine cleaning. He first sat down with me, introduced himself, asked me how I was doing, and how my experiences with dentists had been in the past. Genuine caring exuded from him as he listened intently, and I realized that no dentist had ever asked me how I was doing before! He assured me that their office’s approach is to support their patients’ long-​term oral health, and that they would jointly do everything possible to help keep me happy, and my mouth healthy and looking beautiful for a lifetime.
Francisco, the dental assistant, is a very warm, kind gentleman. He took my x-​rays and assisted Dr. Tarighati through my visit. Francisco and Dr. Tarighati work very well together and made me feel comfortable (providing me with an extra blanket and all), and made me smile and laugh, another experience I’d never previously had at a dentist’s office.
It turned out that I had 3 small cavities and one major one, in addition to mild gum disease and several chipped and uneven front teeth. I asked the doctor how it was possible that my last dentist had missed those cavities previously and he showed me on the x-​rays what he saw and how easily someone could miss it if they didn’t have a highly trained eye or care enough to take a very thorough look. Honestly when I heard the news that I needed so much work done I started to cry. I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it and I was disappointed in myself for having neglected my dental health in the past and for letting my mouth get to this point. Dr. Tarighati sat down with me and spoke with me gently with me until I stopped crying. He gave me multiple options to tackle the services I needed and multiple payment options as well.
While I was disappointed that I needed so much work done I was also relieved that Dr. Tarighati found the problem areas and brought them to my attention before they worsened, causing me to need a root canal or some other serious treatment in the future. Because of the warmth and compassion he and his staff showed me I knew this was the office I wanted to have the current work done at and the office that I want to continue to return to for many years to come.
I had 4 cavities filled (one needing restoration), my gums flushed, 8 teeth (4 top front and 4 bottom front) sanded and polished to smooth out some chips and unevenness, and my teeth whitened. I could not be happier with the results! My teeth look absolutely gorgeous and flawless now! The entire experience was completely painless, and I would even say enjoyable, due to everyone’s positive attitude and caring demeanor.
I am so grateful to have Dr. Tarighati at Gentle Dental to call my permanent dentist now. I am referring my mom, both of my sisters and my fiancé to him because I am so thrilled with my experiences.
I understand there may have been problems with the office in the past, but I assure anyone who is reading this that all past issues have not only been rectified but vastly improved to a higher standard than any other dentist’s office that I have visited.
Dr. Tarighati, Francisco and Cathy… THANK YOU so much. See you in 6 months.

Go elsewhere! Seriously, save yourself the hassle.
I went in for a checkup. The whole experience was awful. The place is dusty, not clean at all. The xrays took forever. Then after the checkup they handed me an estimate. They were going to max out my dental coverage for the year and charge me a couple thousand out of pocket. The estimate covered 4 fillings and Arrestin (an antibiotic powder for the gums costing $ 400 per tooth) on many teeth, and teeth whitening that I didn’t even ask for. They swore that if I didn’t get the arrestin that the deep cleaning would be pointless. I googled arrestin. Most dentist don’t even believe it works. I decided not to go back, so i needed to get a copy of my xrays. They demanded to know why I was switching dentists and then charged me $ 25 for my xrays.
The punchline? My new dentist determined I don’t actually have any cavities and my bill was $ 100. I am so happy I did my reasearch and didn’t let this company take my money.

OVER PREVENTATIVE & OVER PRICED EVEN WITH INSURANCE.
I went here about 5 years ago and it’s funny to see that it has received 1-​star all around.
When I was a new patient at this office I showed up to my first appointment and they said they didn’t have an appointment for me. They had gotten my name wrong and took them a while to figure it out.
After the first exam I was told that I needed $ 1100 dollars worth of dental work and that they would waive my $ 10 fee for coming in that day. I was told «That’s not that much if you think about it.»
Various unprofessional things happened here, but here’s the worst. They numbed me and left me sitting in the chair for over an hour!!! I was ready to get up and leave with no word.
The «dentist» finally came back in and I told her that the Novocaine felt like it started to wear off. She told me that I’d be fine. By the way they were working on a deep cavity that was really close to my nerve and was really sensitive. First thing she does is spray cold water on the area and it was so painful I almost jumped out of my chair. She says «Oh, you should’ve let me numb you again. » Like it was my job to foresee what was going to happen.
I left that place with out finish all the dental work they said I needed. When I left, the guy at the front desk almost demanded to know why I was leaving.
NOT GENTLE DENTAL.

don’t go here! They told me I needed over a thousands dollars worth of work … I went and got a second opinion and found out they exaggerated on EVERYTHING. For example, saying I needed a crown when a filling was good enough.
Dishonest and shoddy work. I got a crown that chipped after 2 years — they wanted me to pay full price to get it redone.