Great Smiles Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

I love the attention to detail and excellent service! It has kept me coming back for the last 8 years.
Cheers,
Christine

This was my 5 year-​old son’s first visit here. (I am a dentist and have been taking care of his teeth so far, but my wife and I wanted our son to be seen by a pediatric dentist.) The entire appointment was incredible, starting with the friendly greeting when we walked in, the ample play area with toys and puppets, the excellent attentive cleaning of his teeth, and the incredible examination by Dr. Crystal.
My son was treated well and kindly, and his visit was incredible! I appreciated all of the professionalism, but even more important was the way that my son was treated as an individual and as a very special person.
As a dentist, I give my highest possible recommendation for Great Smiles and Dr. Crystal. As a parent, I can’t say enough good things about the doctors and staff. Thanks for the awesome care!

Lack of Patient Care and Dismissive attitude toward needs of Client. We were patients for 8 years at Solana Beach Great Smiles with my two son’s. A situation arose with my youngest son who had Orthodontic work that was completed with a family friend in Sacramento. A band had come loose and I called the Great Smiles for a «quick fix» spot of glue needed to secure the band. They refused to see my child unless I paid a $ 180.00 for a spot of glue!!. Told me to Fly back to Sacramento and have it fixed there or pay the $ 180 to them. After being a patient for 8 years they still wanted to squeeze me for ridiculous amount of money. The staff was so dismissive that they were pleased to send me the Transfer Documents to find another dentist. I called back 3 times with a plea to talk reason to them and each person I spoke with on Staff was unsympathetic and only wanted to price gouge me a drop of glue or transfer my files to another DDS. IF Your looking for a practice that treats your family as a valued customer go anywhere else. DDS are a dime a dozen and these guys do not care about anything but how much money they can get out of you. You just don’t know the quality of a DDS until you have a problem and Great Smiles is smiling all the way to the bank on overcharging for the slightest things.
Rochelle,
My question is to Dr. Rawlings. Why would he allow his (partners)& (Staff) to refuse an out of town patient the courtesy of drop of glue on a loop for a single tooth?. The idea that there is no professional courtesy in his organization is appalling. The desire to charge $ 180 dollars for a spot of glue for a child in need who’s current orthodontist is in Plymouth CA (outside Sacramento). The disregard for the request of an 8 year client. He is losing two patients who now feel abandoned. I am surprised that this level of dismissive attitude which is tolerated with the loss of a client. This lack of customer service will not go quietly with the ease of Unilocal reviews that will certainly not be positive. I’m motivated to post and share my experience with the potential clients of the orthodontic community for years to come.
Sincerely,
Chris

My son had his first dentist appointment today (he is two) and I was very worried that he wouldn’t sit still or let anyone look in his mouth. Everyone in the office is so nice and warm. My son, who screams through haircuts and pictures at JC Penny, laughed and smiled throughout the entire exam with Dr. Rawlings. He was kind and gentle with my son. Thank you!

Both my children have been going to Great Smiles since they got teeth. The staff there is amazing and welcoming and, they have always done a great job on the kids. The professionalism and service has been continuously beyond outstanding. My daughter has also gone through Dr. Hydo’s Orthodontics program to correct a bite and straightness issues. He and his staff did an amazing job correcting the situation. Dr. Hydo is an artist of perfection when it comes to teeth and service. Everything has worked out great for my children and, my daughter has an amazing set of choppers. This place is amazing!

Amazing doctors and staff on both dental and orthodontic side! Initially recommended to us by our pediatrician, stayed because of the warm, honest, caring, thorough and excellent care. On the orthodontic side, Dr. Hydo has worked wonders with our daughter’s extremely unique and complicated orthodontic treatment, giving her the gift of a beautiful smile today (as she goes off to college). Dr. Hydo always took the time to thoroughly explain treatments to both patient and mom, and genuinely listened to any concerns. He’s a perfectionist with just as much care, detail & concern on after care and follow up. I can’t say enough about Dr. Hydo and the entire Great Smiles staff. I owe my kids’ beautiful smiles to them.

Both our sons went to Dr. Hydo for full orthodontics as children 10 years ago (braces, expanders, retainers, etc $$$) Now as adults, both their mouths are a mess. Our oldest child has decided to live with his large underbite & maloclusion– chewing on only his back 4 teeth, our youngest son, who is now 22, has been in braces for the last two years fixing his cross bite and lining up his teeth in preparation for jaw surgery to get him to be able to chew food properly. All opinions from the many specialists these poor boys saw were fairly consistant in the opinion that their pediatric orthodonture was some of the worst they had ever witnessed. Hopefully this review will save some parents the expense and heartache we have endured. This is a review for Dr. Hydo only, we found Dr. Rawlings to be a solid pediatric dentist, and Dr. Crystal came into the practice after our boys treatment.

Great place! Dr. Crystal on the dentist side and Dr. MIller on the Ortho side. They have taken care of us since my boys were toddlers.
Thanks for being so caring!

We have two boys (10 &16). We have been going to Dr. Crystal and Dr. Rawlings for 10+ years now. Very happy.

We have been going to Dr. Crystal for over 4 years now and this office is awesome! We have seen both Dr. Rawlings and Dr. Crystal. They both really are patient, caring and fun! The kids absolutely love going to the dentist! The staff is amazing all around! I love how they talk to my kids with respect, and explain things clearly, so my kids have the power to control their dental health too!
My daughter can’t wait for her next appointment! Such a difference from what I grew up with!

I have been taking my children to Great Smiles Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics for 10 years now. The staff is friendly and kind and they do an outstanding job! The facility is very clean and professional utilizing all the latest technology and instruments. I and my children highly recommend them.

I just do not have enough good things to say about Dr. Rawlings (dentist) and Dr. Miller (orthodontist) and their staff. Professional and caring they went above and beyond to help two children we «adopted» — one of whom spoke no English at the time of treatment and yet the staff really worked to show her proper dental hygiene and make her feel comfortable. The other child, a teenager, had lost a front tooth in a car accident when she was 7 and was very self conscious because of the retainer she had to wear with a tooth — which could fall out at school. She had been bullied as a result and was just always sad. Dr. Miller took the extra time to explain her own personal experience and how she came to be an orthodonist. It inspired this beautiful girl and gave her a big confidence boost she desperately needed — and they outfitted her with a new retainer so she can eat at school without fear of being without a tooth while at school. While both kids were being treated I saw other kids come in — they get cool sunglasses, age-​appropriate music, a staff that really knows how to work with kids, and drawers full of flavored toothpaste, polish and numbing stuff — not once did I see anyone cry! They also had the latest and greatest equipment that I could see. I also have a one-​year old daughter and they just gained a lifetime patient there as well and as many referrals as I can extend. There are not words for the gratitude we have for your expertise, skill — and perhaps the most important ingredients because they are not something that can be taught or bought — your compassion and kindness. Thank you!!!

I love Dr. Crystal, and my kids love her more! My son has had to have two front teeth pulled after knocking them back after falling, and he’s had one cavity filled. No tears whatsoever, he enjoys going to the dentist! I’m grateful for this practice.

Excellent pediatric dentist office! We went to the Encinitas location — it’s beautiful, has lots of stuff for kids to do while you wait. The office staff is friendly, the assistants patient and do a great job getting the kids ready for a treatment. Dr Rawlings is awesome! I can’t imagine it getting any better than this.

I am reviewing the Encinitas location with Dr. Crystal and Drs. Hydo and Miller for the orthodonture. This is the best dentist office I have ever gone to. (The dental side only works on kids.) They were FABULOUS with my autistic son. He loves going there. I took my daughter for ortho when another experience went awry and I just wish I had done it earlier. Their staff is caring and professional. At my daughter’s first appointment they took panoramic x-​rays for free (the other place had charged me $ 125 and made me drive to Oceanside). They also took photos and explained to me in detail (and in writing) what kind of care she would need. Their office has little touches like coffee for the adults and video games for the kids that make it really pleasant. I just wish they could work on my teeth!

Great experience at Dr. Rawling’s office. My 4 year old needed his cavities filled and he needed to be sedated for the procedure because he just would not cooperate. Dr. Rawlings and the pediatric dental anesthesiologist Dr. Stephen Cotter, were so professional and thorough. I was very nervous about having my son sedated (general anesthesia) but this was the smoothest procedure with absolutely no problems! Would trust them again and again.
The front office is also excellent — and they’ll work with you on payments! I gave 4 stars because the cost was a bit high — but you do get what you pay for!