Thomas G Acierno, DDS

Extreme anxiety and claustrophobia kept me away from the dentist for too long. Dr. Acierno is awesome and I cannot recommend him enough. His staff are kind and know what they’re doing. Absolutely nothing but great things to say about this office.

I got a root canal 3 days ago. And while I can honestly say I don’t like visiting the dentist, I wouldn’t mind visiting this dentist again. Unfortunately, Dr. Acierno’s practice is limited to endodontics. The reason why I’m giving five stars is because first of all I didn’t feel a thing. And while he was doing the surgery, he was singing along to the radio. Which it made me feel more relaxed, because it was like a regular work day for him. The main point is that he talked to me like a person, not a patient. Which is extremely important to me. Nobody likes to be talked down to. He showed care, and concern towards my tooth problem. So after the surgery I was in such relief and I still remained pain free after the anesthesia wore off. I truly hope I never have to have another root canal. But if I do, I’m I know where to go.

I was referred to this office back in October for a root canal. I hadn’t gotten work done in awhile so I was nervous for my first experience back to be a root canal but Dr. Acierno made it quick and painless. I was out of there in about 30 minutes which was awesome for my lunch break.
It is now April and I just received a phone call from a COLLECTIONS AGENCY telling me that I owed them $ 106 for not settling my debt with this place. First of all, I have insurance that they had told me would cover most of my procedure. I had paid $ 148 the day of the root canal so I figured everything was taken care of especially since I didn’t hear from them at all. Apparently my insurance did not actually cover the amount they had told me and they failed to let me know that I had a balance to pay off with them. I found out through a collections agency giving me a week to settle my balance before affecting my credit.
Their office never bothered to give me a call to let me know that I owed more than originally paid, they sent «statements» to my home address which I never received either. This place is shady and I will make sure to let everyone know that you should go elsewhere for any procedures. Don’t waste your time or screw up your credit.

I’ve had a number of root canals, and he was the best endodontist I’ve been to. Also very nice, and funny. He made root canal almost pleasant.

The staff was very upbeat, and Dr. Acierno was very comforting and charismatic. He has a great personality and seems to care about his patients. I was waiting til the first of the month to get dental insurance so I would pay less for a root canal, but after having pain that would not let me sleep through the night, I decided to make an appointment and pay without insurance. I called the office (which I had a referral and appt to on the 1^st) and they offered a Monday appt, but after I discussed my situation, they said to come in asap, because Dr. Acierno said no one should be in that much pain before the weekend. I drove there and within 10 minutes, was being seen by Dr. Acierno! Got my procedure done and was on my way. I got a discount on the procedure, as I was a referral by my particular dentist. He answered all of my questions and did not seem to be in a rush like most doctors are these days.

So disappointed that I have to do this but I was in extreme pain & my general dentist told me to get a root canal. They wanted to refer me to a specialist but I wanted to go back to Dr Acierno since I had a pleasant experience w/​his work previously. I made an appt & the morning of my appt received a call that it had to be cancelled because the doc wasn’t going to be in that day. Of course I freaked out because I was in pain but they ended making an emergency appt for me the following day at 8 a.m.
The next day I arrive at the doc’s office before 7:30 and sit in my car to wait for it to open. I get in at 8 & have to do some paperwork. I get taken to the back for an x-​ray & proceed to sit there for the next hour. The front office gal Naomi walks in & tells me Dr Acierno just called & says he won’t be in again! Astounded & frustrated I let her know I am in a great deal of pain & since he’s calling out again an appt should’ve never been made for me in the first place. I cannot believe he did not give any prior notice to his staff to alert them not to make anymore appts & to cancel anything he already had on the books. I was told he had a fever. 2 days in a row?! Maybe you should’ve cancelled or not take on more appts the moment you called out & knew you were sick?! I understand shit happens but at the very least have some decency to let your staff know to alert your a.m. appts not to come in & to cancel your appts stat! I woke up extra early, drove out of my way & had to miss work because of this! I wasted my time & my gas. Had I known I could’ve made arrangements to seek another endo to perform this root canal that I desperately needed rather than be stood up like this & having to put up w/​the pain unnecessarily longer!
Talk about lack of concern or respect for one’s time or situation! I will say that Naomi went above & beyond to try to remedy the situation. She was very empathetic to my needs & even managed to find me an endo that would’ve seen me that day. It was all the way in Oceanside though but I appreciate the effort she made & for her stellar service I would give her 5 stars.

I called to verify the location of the office. I got an answering machine informing me they’re not available or on another line. I continued to drive and found the office. The front door was locked. There isn’t any signage about office hours. I knocked. With no answer I double checked my appointment time and my watch. Yes, 1:00 is correct. I stood there thinking about what to do next. About a minute later the door opened. I could not see anyone. I said «hello?» A female voice said, «Come in.» As I stepped into the office a man dressed in medical garb came out from behind the door, which startled me. He snickered at my reaction as his juvenile prank amused him at my expense. I walked up to the receptionist at the front desk and told her that I was confused by the events, which I explained, adding that I felt uncomfortable. The receptionist barely looked at me while she shuffled papers. Then she curtly and unsympathetically said, «Well, we were at lunch» I was shocked, but I added, «You missed the point, I feel uncomfortable and now not welcomed here.» She replied condescendingly, ‘What, just because we take a break for lunch?” At that point I let her know she was being rude and she owed me an apology. She refused and the man, now at another desk behind her, mumbled in an audible voice, «We don’t owe you nothing.» Then I was given a clipboard with forms and told to fill them out. I did so, then waited until another man, nicknamed «Misa», called my name and took me to an exam room. He was very polite and helpful, explaining what he was doing, asking me if I was comfortable. Then Dr. Acierno came into the room. With hostility he wanted to know why I expected his receptionist to apologize for them closing the office for lunch. I replied that she and he missed the real point. However, I let the doctor examine my tooth. He said, «Open your mouth. Let’s take a look.» I pointed to an upper left tooth and said, «It’s this one.» To which the doctor curtly replied, «I know which one it is.» I let it go. As the doctor explained his prognosis, I didn’t fully understand. Instead of patiently explaining, with anger he told me that he was highly trained. I was shocked by his unprofessionalism and told him so. I added that it’s my tooth, my body, and I have a right to answers so I understand. I continued that I never doubted his technical abilities, but I have concerns about his «bedside manner.» The doctor calmed down and the procedure went well. When I explained to my wife about what happened, she told me that our dentist referred her to Dr. Acierno about a year ago. She went, but felt so uncomfortable she left without proceeding with the work needed. Instead she went to another doctor of endodontics. I wished my wife had told me that before.

OMG… have a big fear of dentists. Had some dentists not give enough numbing medicine and felt tremendous pain few times. Some dentists were rough… Some you wait forever to be seen. THOMAS G. ACIERNO DDS IS THE BEST ENDODONTIST!!! He CARES about how you feel, listens to you, talks you through the procedure. I had a root canal. I usually feel the shot. I FELT NOTHING. I DIDNT EVEN FEEL THE ROOT CANAL… The dental assistant, he was the best. Very accommodating and friendly. Made me feel extremely comfortable. I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. I JUST WISh THEY DID REGULAR DENTAL WORK BECAUSE IF THEY DID, I WOULD BE HIS PATIENT!!! The receptionist is also great… awesome environment!!! If i could, i would rate this place 10 STARS!!!

Dr. Acierno is the best!!! I am new to San Diego and was referred from my dentist for services in his office. He can make anyone feel comfortable in one of the most uncomfortable of situations! Who likes going to get their teeth worked on??? I highly recommend Dr. Acierno. Not only is he great, but his office staff is as well.

Sheister!
The receptionist «misrepresented the truth», and charged me twice my deductible amount for a 10 minute consultation. The Dr. was arrogant and NOT gentle. Apparently, «We are here for you» is his catch phrase, as I heard it 7 times in the 10 minutes I was there. I can not believe others have given him high reviews… makes me wonder if they were family members or still under the gas.
I won’t go back and I’d encourage others to look around for ANYBODY else.

I have nothing but praise for Dr. Acierno and his staff. It annoys me that some people will write negative comments which I find hard to believe are based on any facts. I guess there will always be those kinds of people.
The truth is:
Dr. Acierno is amazing, professional, kind, caring, amiable and most especially, very skilled. Every single member of his staff is cordial, caring and efficient. Both my 89-​year old mother and myself have been patients of Dr. Acierno for many years. He is absolutely wonderful with seniors (such as my mother); many doctors are not. He is also patient and kind with persons like myself who have close to a phobia about dental work. I am an awful patient. The thing that saves me is that I trust Dr. Acierno completely. Despite my being scared, nervous and worried, Dr. Acierno and his staff put me completely at ease. They are understanding of my fear and work with me as an individual. I have always been treated with kindness, understanding and a world of patience.
Dr. Acierno’s patients are not just «numbers» to him. Money is not his motivation. He sincerely cares about his patients. The camaraderie of the office staff adds to the peaceful harmony of the office. I have recommended Dr. Acierno to many of my friends. I have never heard anyone say a negative comment about him. So to read negative things on this blog gives me great pause. I just felt I needed to put the record straight! Thank you, Dr. Acierno and staff!
Your worse patient,
Connie
San Diego

Visited for my 3^rd root canal, very good dental care. thank you!
I now am pain free and can get on with life!

Dr. Acierno deserves a shout out. He repaired an old root canal that became infected and saved me from losing the tooth. As may be obvious from my rating, he is extremely knowledgeable, experienced and managed the procedure expertly. Staff is also highly competent. I will recommend Dr. Acierno to anyone in need of an endodontist.
note: Dr. Acierno is a very personable and matter-​of-​fact guy, not reserved. So I would say that could belie his awesomeness as a doctor to people that expect a more formal dialog with their doctors. The benefit is that he is very forthcoming with his thoughts and will explain exactly what the situation is and his approach. To me, that was really valuable.
Tony Choi

He’s fast and gentle. Great staff, great sense of humor. My dentist was going to refer me to someone else, but I specifically requested Dr. Acierno. I know the kind of work he does because I accompanied my boyfriend on a couple of his appointments.

Dr. Acierno is just downright an awesome guy. I was referred to him by my general dentist to take a look at a root canal that was done by my previous dentist that started bothering me after half a year.
Within 10 min, Dr. Acierno determined that there could be some infection present. At the next appointment, it took him 20 min to remove everything and put in medication. At the final appointment, within 30 min, the canal was filled and I was set to go. When I originally had it done, it took the guy up to 4 hours, but Dr. Acierno did it quickly, professionally, and a lot more effectively than the previous guy. You could definitely tell the difference on the X-​ray.
His employees make you feel welcome and always have funny stories to tell. The huge poster of Italy Dr. Acierno keeps in one of the rooms is just badass and shows that he’s a true guido at heart. All these guys talk about is baseball, and although I’m not a fan, they’ve got some pretty interesting stories to keep you entertained.
The only negative part of my last two visits was the numbing procedure. I was given 4 shots in very painful places back jaw muscles), which resulted in pretty inconvenient pain. What annoyed me though, is that he kept the needle in for no more than 5 seconds, made me wait 40 minutes, only to have my mouth barely numb. Once he went through with the procedure, I still didn’t feel anything, so I felt like there was no need for it at all. The second time around, I requested no shot, and he insisted that we do it but said he would give less this time. Alas, I was given the same amount of shots and ended up with the same post-​visit pain.

Was referred by Dr. Taylor… who appeared to be a good dentist, probably why he didn’t want to bother with doing my root canal —-having Smile Saver 3000 which covers little :(
Unfortunately upon entrance to Dr. Acierno’s office, was greeted with an energy of indifference bordering on unprofessionalism. Was told to sign a consent form stating that it would not be covered by insurance (was apparently an emergency procedure — not stated by original doctor when being referred) and that it would be $ 900. Consent had to be signed before seeing doctor.
Immediately re-​instated my appointment that I had for a dentist in Mexico. Was seen the next day, by polite staff… much cleaner establishment than that of either dentist here in San Diego, and total amount for root canal therapy, root canal, crown and antibiotics will be significantly less than what Dr. Acierno’s peeps want me to sign for.
If you are an inferior doctor practicing medicine here in United States, perhaps you should look into practicing in a third world country where there is little is any expectations of care and concern for people coming in for help.

I needed serious work done, so I was referred by my dentist. Dr. Acierno and his staff are very friendly! I was impressed by all the great Unilocal reviews, and it made me less anxious. He really wanted me to be pain-​free. He likes to talk during the procedures and sings along with the songs on the radio. He seemed sympathetic and empathetic, which are hardly words to describe a dentist :) He would constantly check up on me, and make sure I was feeling ok. A couple of times, he asked if I needed to take a break. He was saying so many nice things, it was hard to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. I’m no dentist, but he seems to really know his stuff, and that’s what matters most! 3 root canals later, and I’m still alive!
Before leaving, make sure they give you some pain killers!

Dr. Arash Qadeer *great dentist* recommended that I go see a specialist, so he sent me to Dr. Acierno. I had never been to an endondontist before, and I had never had a root canal. I had read/​heard horror stories of people about their root canal procedures from various dentists. I was terrified. This is coming from someone who strongly dislikes dentists.
Dr. Thomas Acierno and his staff were wonderful. I didn’t experience any discomfort, and it was quick. Less than 20 minutes. Very nice people, and music. It was funny hearing the doc sing along. He was gentle, and a funny man. His dental assistant was also funny, and made me feel at home. I love these people, and I trust my teeth to them. This might sound weird to some, but I look forward to going back for my next rootie.

Dr. Acierno should be voted ‘ENDODONTIST OF THE YEAR IN SAN DIEGO!’ I was recommended by my friend who works in a general dentistry office and I understand why she gave him such accolades.
Last year, I went in with much trepidtion because of a previous bad experience with another dentist! Immediately put at ease with
Dr. Acierno. He has a easy going, light hearted manner yet maintains a professional docorum. My root canal went off without a hitch. They handled my jittery nerves with compassion and and his humming tunes helped ease me through what turned out to be easy time of it in his chair.
Dr. Acierno’s staff was top notch! Specially compliments to assistant, Robert.
I walked away, thinking Gee, if anyone I meet needs a root canal — I’d certainly recommend Dr. Acierno!
To my chagrin, lo and behold I’m back at Dr Acieno’s this year for another root canal. I was desperate because I was just leaving for a 3 week vacation to Europe and needed help immediately. What a relief to call his office and his receptionist handled me well and got me right in!
I told Dr. Acierno that I wasn’t relishing to have a root canal but the good solace was that I was glad he was going to take care of me again.
Oh went well again! Five Star rating from a Happy Patient!

Now I don’t know much about root canals, but I do know that Dr. Acierno did a great job (as great as a root canal can be). He’s personable and fun. From what he said, he’s been doing root canals for 20 years. You’d think it’s just all routine, but he has a way of making you feel like an individual. The root canal was fairly painless (I didn’t even need pain meds, other than an advil) after, and it was quick.
When I arrived for my appointment I had to wait just a couple minutes. They got me back, x-​rayd, prepped and finished all in about an hour. I didn’t even have enough time to read a magazine like I usually have to while waitng at any dentist’s office.
The staff is also great. Very friendly and helpful. The receptionists all were happy and welcoming. The dental assistants were great and made me feel at ease.
Hopefully I won’t have to have another root canal, but if I do, I will definitely see Dr. Acierno again.