Mira Mesa Dental Care

My back tooth was killing me so I scheduled an appointment as soon as possible. I hadn’t been to the dentist in 4 years… I ended up at Mira Mesa Dental in Mira Mesa. I was concerned and ready to hear the worst. Walked in and Merlie was so sweet and welcoming. Not too many patients so I was happy that today visit would be quick. Was taken in within 10 minutes! The hygienist whose name I don’t remember now sadly because she was amazing! Made me feel very comfortable and I expressed to her I hated the dentist so she was quick on my x-​rays but thorough. Dr. Alfonso camd in with a smile and immediately started on my teeth and took a look at my xrays. To my surprise, no cavaties! Thank you sweet baby jesus! !!! I do however have a gum abrasion so she said it looked like it’s healing so if it didn’t fully heal by next week to come back so I can see a specialist. I’m very Happy with my dental visit today and recommend Mira Mesa dental in Mira Mesa. Dr. Alonso is a great dentist and I recommended her as a dentist and her entire staff and dental office. Thank you for everything!

Dr. Alfonso has got to be one of the worst dentists in San Diego. The dental assistant who took my x-​rays was the only good thing about this office. Dr. Alfonso incorrectly adjusted my bite so when I chewed, my back teeth kept hitting in a tender spot. This hurt so bad that I had to go to another dentist to fix my problem. I don’t understand why Dr. Alfonso is so apathetic and unprofessional.

They were wonderful here! It was my second visit to this dentist, the first to have my wisdom teeth pulled out. I called in two days before my appointment and was able to be seen right away. The receptionist was very friendly, he had my file ready, and with my signature on a form I was seen right away.
They took my x-​rays right away, and the dentist came in for my cleaning and check-​up. I was in and out in 30 minutes and very satisfied with how my teeth looked.

My family had been patients of this practice for years, even while Dr. Paras was the present dentist. The wait here was always long, and during busier periods there were not enough seats in the waiting room, but there was a table and some chairs outside. In our experience, you could check-​in and not get called in until around an hour later. Often the wait (even after being called back) was longer than the time spent being worked on by staff, which was my family’s main complaint. We still joke about seeing people fall asleep in the waiting room. The support staff were nice enough, but that doesn’t make up for the inconvenience.
They served many Filipinos and Asian families, the majority of whom I assume are local. That may be one reason this dentist is popular, but I think this practice purposefully overbooked. My friends said that their dental visits elsewhere never had them wait as long, they were actually seen at the time scheduled, sometimes even being called in earlier. I can’t believe how long my family tolerated the wait times at this practice or the poor dental work.
I did not warm up to Dr. Alfonso when she took over. I felt that she made inappropriate and overly personal comments to me during my visits and I later switched dentists. It is not a good idea to argue when someone has a drill in your mouth, no matter how irritated or upset you are. I believe she felt she could be casual with me because I am Filipino myself. However, she is a dentist, not my ‘auntie’ and should be professional enough to keep some comments to herself. My relatives had separate frustrations, like the thoroughness of the dental work (or lack of) and overly personal conversation topics.
Funny story… I’ve since found a dental group I adore nearby in Sorrento Valley. I’ve been with my new dental office in since 2009, and during my first visit, I was surprised and embarrassed to learn that some of my back teeth still had layers of glue residue from my braces. My braces were removed in 2006 through Mira Mesa Dental Care! During several regular teeth cleanings with either Dr. Paras or Dr. Alfonso after the removal of my braces, this was never addressed or mentioned. The dental hygienist at my new location removed this during my first appointment.

I went to Mira mesa dental care for the first time just to get a dental cleaning. Prior to the appointment I had spoken to the receptionist, Yoli, to schedule the appointment and cover some insurance information. She wasn’t very nice on the phone, but at least she was thorough about getting all of my insurance information squared away.
When I walked in, she was just as unwelcoming as she was on the phone. She never smiled and made me feel like I was a burden to her whenever I asked questions about the paperwork she had me fill out.
I arrived there 10 mins before my appt time, but was not called in until a half and hour after my scheduled appt time. Which I kind of expected coming from a medical practice, but still it sucks to have to wait for so long.
When the dental technician took me in she wasn’t very friendly or courteous either. She just told me to sit down in one of those dental chairs and put on the movie «Bring it on» for me to watch while i waited some more. I was glad that I had my own personal tv sceen to watch, but the fact that she didn’t ask me what I wanted to watch, and just assumed, annoyed me (and yes there were other choices, because when I first walked in the TV was playing Indiana Jones).
The dental tech then told me that she was going to take x-​rays of my teeth, it literally took her 45 mins to do them, and the whole time she was complaining how small my mouth was. I was like ‘hello! im the one who should be complaining!’ she was NOT GENTLE AT ALL!
Finally after the tech finished my x-​rays the dentist, Dr. Alfonso came in to clean my teeth. She wasn’t much better in the pain department, it was probably actually the most painful teeth cleaning I have ever had. But, to make matters worse, she was very unprofessional and disrespectful. She barely acknowledged me and was gossiping with the dental tech the whole time she was cleaning my teeth. When I was leaving I tried to ask Dr. Alfonso about the cavities that I needed filled, and she didn’t even look at me while she talked, she was too busy flipping through her mail!!! HOW RUDE!
So the bottom line is, if you want horrible client service, an unprofessional dentist, and lots of pain and impatience from dental techs, then this is the place to go. If you WANT THE OPPOSITE of this check out Dr. Cortadi at Ablantis Dental in Solana Beach. She ended up filling my cavities and did a great job!

I love my dentist. Dr. Alfonso is such an awesome lady! Before she took over the office a couple years ago it looked like an insane asylum and I would dread going to this place, but now it looks like it got the Trading Spaces makeover it needed. The practice pretty much consists of Filipina ladies so they always make you feel at home there. Yoli schedules appointments and takes calls and she always gives you a ring a day before your appointment if you forget.
I just had my root canals done here and they ended up not being as bad as people describe it to be. Only flaw is that the wait once you get in can be 10 – 30 minutes depending on what other patients are being worked on (teeth cleaning, other roots canals, etc). But I guess that’s expected.