O’Connor Mary, DDS

This was my daughter’s first dentist appointment and everyone was so nice, from the front desk, the hygienist, and especially the dentist. I was able to go back with her and they made us feel do welcome. We will definitely stick with this office.

Dr Mary has always been pretty great and my 11 year old is autistic so I needed carrying people…
We went to another dentist and I didn’t like them, it was the super dentist, east lake, so we went back to Dr Mary… things were fine. My daughter had a permanent front tooth come completely out of her head last memorial day, two days before she was supposed to start braces. I called the new dentist but Dr Mary called back first. She was a little annoyed with my daughter, but I didn’t think much of it because I was there to comfort her. Anyway, she did a route canal under anesthesia, the tooth came or great and w went back about 6 months later for regular check ups… my daughter was doing amazing with the hygienist, I was with my 2 year old and trying to stay back because she tends to get whiny when I’m in the room… She had her hands down, was fairly relaxed and when she came to me, the broad had twisted one of the brackets on get tooth and didn’t even tell me! I know that hurt and after such progress for my daughter, we went back 10 steps… we have an appt today with another new dentist that another Unilocaler told me about, fingers crossed it’ll go well!

WARNING!!! Before you see her do your research. I truly trusted her and oh how I regret it. My 3 yr old had fillings done on May 15, 2015 by May 16, 2015 filling was gone. I call the office and went back May 20, 2015 she did the filling again and then later that day in the afternoon I notice the filling was gone again, so we went back for the THIRD TIME!!! so at this point, my son didn’t want to be there at all, he was so scare :(. Any who, any 3yrs old is gonna cry and be scared right? But no, not for this dentist every time my son would let out a cry, instead of being extra caring and patient with him she would tell him «there was no need to cry». OK that’s gonna make him feel better… NO! As a parent it was not easy seeing my son in that situation for the 3^rd time. When she was doing the filling, a white powder came out of her instrument to my baby mouth I couldn’t help saying «Oh my gosh!!’ and she turns around in a very rude way and tells me «You need to calm down Mom!!! «oh no she didn’t» Rude!!! hm mm… shame on her for not having compassion for parents or kids «Ggggrrr, what professional says that to there patients I mean really? At this point I’m ready to stop her and leave but i knew she was almost done. Seriously, i cant go on about how mean this dentist was. She even told him that he shouldn’t be crying because the other kids could hear him. Are you kidding me? Basically Dr. Mary O’Connor was impatient and not an ounce of compassion was show for my son or me. I mean seriously! Have a little more patience and kindness for a 3yr old! he was so scared! This was a horrible and bad experience I’ve had with this dentist, i will never again take my son back to her. BE CAREFUL! You would think that that since this is a pediatric dentist, they would know how to work with children. I live in Murrieta and i was going all the way to her office because i trust her «BIG MISTAKE» this kind of practice is why people develop a Life Long fear of the dentist. And let me tell you all that none of the fillings she did stayed on my son. Last time i spoke with her to let her know that filling fell off again she offered me to see another Dentist and that she was going to call me back with information till today June/​3/​2015 I haven receive a call from her. It’s going to be a long struggle but I’m hoping this bad event will pass. We are going to a much better office now, with a wonderful, caring staff.

This place was recommended by his pediatrician and I can’t recommend this place anymore they made my son feel very comfortable and at ease. They name their tools like mr. Thirsty and mr tickles and showed him how they work. which made him not afraid. My son is also a thumb sucker and they offer a $ 10 gift card to toys r us once he stops. Lots of fun toys for them to play with during the waiting periods and the staff is just so sweet and comforting made me feel comfortable leaving him in their hands.

My children have been going to Dr. O’Connor for about a year now. She’s nothing but AMAZING! My wife and kids RAVE about her! She’s fun, caring, and genuinely interested in making the whole experience a joy for our kids. She’s passionate about her job and it shows in her work product. I’ve never seen my child as excited about visiting a dentist as I did today! She was stoked!
We’ll be taking our kids to Dr. O’Connor for the rest of their youth and look forward to our next visit. Thanks for being such a great human being and dentist, Dr. O’Connor! You make us SMILE :-).

Fabulous pediatric dentist. Started here when my son was almost 2yrs old. Suki and Lorraine are amazing assistants and know just what’s necessary to get my child in the chair and excited about getting his teeth cleaned. Thank you for making what could be a disaster easy!!!

I’ve been taking my kids to Dr. O’Connor for about 2 years and i’ve never had a complaint about them untill now. I have 3 kids… 14, 13, and 3 yrs old. Maybe it’s because my oldest were such easy kids when it came to check ups, cleaning, xrays and such that they never had to actually deal with them.
So, when I took my 3 yr old last week to have fillings done the first thing the dentist said to me when she sat on the chair next to my baby girl was, «Now mom were gonna start taking better care of your little ones teeth from now on, right? so that she doesn’t have to come back.» I said to myself in my head like, «oh no she didn’t.» I took it as a little rude because I don’t think it’s fair to blame the parents all the time for there kids having cavities, Some people are prone to cavities while others can sit there and eat a bunch of candy and not have a single cavity. Plus, she doesn’t know me for her to assume i don’t brush my daughter’s teeth, when in actuality we brush after almost every meal, floss and mouth wash every night before bedtime. Which is the same for all my kids and my oldest have had one cavity each there whole life, so hmmm… shame on her for being judgemental like that.
Then, after her finger pointing was out of the way, she told my baby she was gonna put some more stuff in her mouth to make it feel funny. Which by the way the dental assistant had already applied the topical numbing gel to her gums. So she went in with the needle and obviously, it hurt my baby so she cried, which is normal right? I did the supportive thing and I told my baby it’s ok hunny momma’s here it was just a little pinch i promise, so she calmed down and that was it. After waiting like 10 mins for her mouth to numb the dentist came back in and so at this point, my daughter didn’t want to get back in the chair so i calmed her down and told her I was here and that they’re just gonna check and clean her teeth. Any who, she’s 3 years old and she’s gonna cry and be a little scared right? But no, not normal for this dentist. Every time my daughter would let out a cry, instead of singing her a song or simply being extra caring and patient with her she would tell her that there was no need to cry. Ok, like that’s gonna make her feel better… duh. It gets worse though, at some point after laying there being a good little girl, she cried again and she started gagging a little and choking on her spit. Instead of letting her up for air and calm herself a little she told my daughter, «See now, that’s what happens when you cry.» Ggggrrr, what professional says that to there patient. I mean really? At this point I’m ready to stop them and leave but I knew she was almost done. Seriously, I can go on and on about how mean the dentist was. She even told her that she was just being rude and she shouldn’t be crying because the other kids could hear her. Are you kidding me? You’re the rude one telling a 3 year old she’s being rude because she’s scared.
Basically Dr. Mary O’Connor was impatient and not an ounce of compassion was shed for my daughter. I mean seriously! Have a little more patience and kindness for a 3 year old! She was scared people! Although this was the only bad experience I’ve had with this dentist, it was enough to see and know that she is truly mean and I will never again bring my children to her dental office.

We have been coming here for the last four years. Both of my children started their first visit here when they turned one year and go twice a year. I have found the staff to be very friendly. They have always allowed me to be with my children at all times with the exception of X-​rays, makes sense. My kids like going there because of all the toys and prize at the end of their appointment. They honor and respect your time. Dr. Mary O’Connor truly seems to love what she does.

I brought my 2 year old daughter here for her very first dental visit. They let me come into the room with her because it was her first time there. They told me I would not be allowed back in the room during subsequent visits. I didn’t think much of it. While back in the room the hygienist came in, sat down and turned on the polisher. You would think that since this is a PEDIATRIC dentist, they would know how to work with children. She didn’t introduce herself, or explain what she was going to do. The spinning sound and the fact that this strange person was going to put something making noise in my daughters mouth scared my daughter. The hygienist didn’t really say anything other than «sit still and open your mouth». My daughter was nervous and wouldn’t open her mouth. The hygienist called in another person who then proceeded to hold down my daughter for the cleaning. I asked if it was necessary. They said yes! My daughter was so scared and traumatized by this. To top it off… they cut her lip while doing this! Both my daughter and I left the office in tears. I felt like a HORRIBLE mother. 6 months later, determined that I would not let that happen again, I called the office to make an appointment. I told the lady that I was not comfortable with my daughter being in an office alone while having a cleaning. The receptionist was SUPER rude and said that I would not be allowed back with her. I told her why I wanted to go back with her and she kind of laughed and said that they have to restrain kids who don’t sit still! WHAT THE HECK?! WAKE up!!! This kind of practice is why people develop a LIFE LONG fear of the dentist. There was zero reason to restrain a 2 year old for a cleaning! What is wrong with these people? My daughter is still scared of the dentist… She is 5. We go to a much better office now, with a wonderful, caring staff.

My kids were super happy during the entire visit & now they are looking forward to their next appointment. Plus they each got a goodie bag w/​a little toy prize, floss, a travel size toothpaste & a new toothbrush. And the staff handled all 4 of my kids while I got to relax & wait in the waiting room. Mary O’Connor is the best pediatric dentist in San Diego IMHO!!! She is very sweet, but also direct & firm with the kids. I really would never go anywhere else again for my kids teeth.

My family has been coming here since 1997. I have four kids and they love this office. My kids have never had apprehension about going to the dentist because the staff and Dr. O Connor are very good with kids. They talk to them and include them in the process. One of my kids thought about becoming a dentist because he so enjoyed his experiences. All of the staff has taken interest in my kids and has worked with me to schedule around their busy activities. It’s not easy getting an appointment for four kids at the same time. Oh, and I drive 25 miles from east county to get here because she’s that good.

We discovered Doctor O’Connor on Unilocal as a result of no longer being happy with the current dentist. We are always promptly helped and acknowledged when we come to the office.
I have three kids ages 5,7, and 9 and we are able to schedule everyone’s cleanings on the same day! The kids like coming here, so that is a huge plus! They all get a bag of goodies which include: toothbrush, floss, tooth paste, and toys!
Our previous dentist seemed to be drilling on my kids teeth to much and he lost my trust. We haven’t had that problem here. In fact, doctor O’connor said my child did not have the cavities the other dentist reported!

Dr. O’Connor and her clinical staff are great, but her front office/​billing staff are terrible. I was stuck with a bill since they didn’t verify my insurance. Then basically said they are too lazy to check everyone’s insurance. FYI– thats your job to check insurance. I can’t imagine that answering phones and filing electronic charts takes up so much time that you can’t spend 15 minutes making sure someone doesn’t get stuck with a bill.

I took my son here a couple years ago and I would not recommend her. She strapped my 4 year old to get teeth extracted, caps and cleaning. He’s 7 ½ and he is still traumatized from this experience. He doesn’t like going to the dentist. Even cleaning is hard to do. It’s going to be a long struggle but I’m hoping this bad event will pass.

After asking friends and searching Unilocal I finally decided on Dr. O’conner and I’m so glad that I did. One of my children is afraid of everything and has been dreading going to the dentist. First off, I was very impressed with the fact that the office sent all of the paper work that I needed to fill out in the mail so that everything would be ready when we got there. I have to say that this is one of the best ideas any Dr. could have ever had. Our wait was probably less than five minutes before we were taken back. Even if it had been longer it would have been fine because the front office has a bunch of toys and two video games (including old school Ms. Pack Man) I could have sat there all day:) Once taken back we found an exceptional staff and more toys. The dental assistant Ms. Lorane (sorry if I miss-​spelled) is now one of my favorite people on the planet, I can’t say enough wonderful things about her! Dr. Mary O’conner herself is a great lady, great with the kids and direct to the point. I felt confident in her assessment and I didn’t feel like she was trying to get me to do things that we didn’t need, which is one of the reasons I didn’t want to go back to their old dentist. My children were happy when we left the office and actually enjoyed their trip to the dentist. They came home excited about brushing and flossing and are already asking me when they can go back. One of my children is going to have to go back in a month and have some work done so I will try and update this review after our second visit but I have no reason to doubt that it will just be more of the same great service.

Mary O’Connor was my son’s savior!
We had been going to a dentist that telling me that he needed to do work that didn’t need to be done and charging hundreds of extra dollars for work. When we came to Dr. O’Connor, we had one filling left that still needed to be done and she said that there was no trace of a cavity anywhere in his mouth!
Doctor O’Connor does her work quickly, and is very lighthearted with the kids. She is also very reasonable. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER!

Totally turned off.
I was one of the earlier reviewers of Dr. O’connor — at a time when she had poor ratings on Unilocal.She was considered militant and unpleasant. My review at the time had been glowing, heartfelt and sincere — but it was also relevant to that particular point in time, and our very specific and peculiar situation: our daughter needed very extensive dental work done, at age 2, and under general anaesthesia!
This was in 2009. As the years went by, we noticed that the maintenance procedures for the original work done were frequent, quick and swift, but also very shoddy. My daughters fillings were always falling out. All the time. We would go back, spend a few quick seconds with Dr. Mary and with a couple of days the fillings would be out again, and the cycle continued.
I initially chalked this up to my older daughter’s particularly challenging dental work, and gave this practice the benefit of the doubt. However, with the second one going in for her first dental treatment and that filling falling out within a couple of days, I started reviewing our experience and paying attention to the quality of the work.
My older daughter, sadly, now has two abscesses in her gums under her teeth that were capped by Dr. Mary, leading me to wonder if the clean up job of the decay below the cap was not done properly to cause this chronic infection.
Add to this, the front office staff is OBNOXIOUS and RUDE and RACIST. I am Indian, and snide comments were first made about Hispanics (because the older lady at the front desk assumed that that is what I must have been), and then quickly turned into disparaging comments about India.
Unfortunately for this practice, my suspicion is, that it is like a gaggle of older women that sit around and gossip. There is a level of arrogance in the way that the front office staff behaves, that in our opinion, can only come from permission and/​or encouragement from the boss.
Overall unwarranted unpleasantness from the front office staff (the two ladies that are always there) and quick and sub-​quality dental work is what finally turned the tide for us.
That said, there is a wonderful, wonderful hygienist in that office. We will miss her and I wish her the very best for maintaining a spot of light in that otherwise awful place.
Hope this helps!

After searching for a Pediatric dentist for weeks, I decided to go with Dr. Mary based on her Unilocal reviews. I am so glad I did! My 3 ½ year old daughter felt so comfortable. We had to return to have cavities filled and a crown put on, which as a mom I was so nervous about. My daughter did great and Dr. Mary had all the work done in one hour. I could not be happier! Plus, her pricing is extremely reasonable.

I was nervous about taking my kids to a new dentist in the San Diego area as they do not enjoy having their teeth worked on. I was referred to Dr. O’Connor’s office through my insurance company and was impressed from the first phone call. The receptionist was very nice and helpful and they sent out a packet by mail for new patients to fill out before their initial visit. I thought this was very useful because sitting in a waiting room filling out paperwork with two kids is not fun!
The entire office was comfortable, there are lots of toys for the kids to play with and the staff was amazing! You can tell that Dr. O’Connor is passionate about her job and loves children. My daughter’s cavity filling was fast and convenient. They even gave my son a prize for waiting for his sister’s appointment! I recommend them to anyone who wants high quality care in pediatric dentistry.

15 years ago two of my siblings went to Dr. Mary regularly. The staff are all nice and VERY patient. Dr. Mary is very knowledgeable and quick. So when I wanted to take my three year old to his first dentist we went to Dr. Mary O’Connor. My son got his teeth cleaned, x-​rayed and sealed in 30 minutes. The wait in the waiting room is never that long, either. Besides, there is a video game machine, books and lots of toys.
I don’t know why someone complained about Dr. Mary using swear words, she would never do that. The reason they don’t allow parents in after the first visit is because children listen to authoritative figures who aren’t their parents better than their parents. (Case in point, my son doesn’t let me brush his teeth without a fuss, but when the dental assistant told him to get in the chair and she started to clean his teeth he did what he was told and just sat there, hands on tummy, letting her work. I was very surprised.)
An added bonus is that she accepts Medi-​Cal!