Asking for a friend: Recommendations for dentists in San Diego?

October 5, 2007 12:59 PM

My friend is looking for a dentist in the 858 area code of San Diego area. Any recommendations?

He signed up for a metafliter account, but was whammied by the 7 day waiting period. He's looking to get in relatively soon, as he is trying to get things done before he goes off of his dad's insurance in November.

Has anyone had really good experiences with a particular dentist in that general area? There is only one post that I could find that deals with dentists in San Diego, but... more specific recommendations would be awesome! Thanks! :o)

P.S. He has his insurance through United Healthcare, in case that bit of info helps at all.

posted by Mookbear to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

I've been a patient of Dr. David Eshom, for the past seven years, and have been extremely satisfied. He's probably the most expensive dentist I've been treated by, but if your friend has insurance that shouldn't be a problem. It's a state-of-the-art office (e.g. when I had my fillings replaced, a laser was used for anesthetic instead of novacaine shots, and I watched CNN on a screen above my head during the procedure) so you get what you pay for.
posted by Thoughtcrime at 1:08 PM on October 5, 2007

As far as I know, the 858 area code is mostly for cell phones. I'm not sure how it corresponds to actual location.

Anyway, I highly recommend Dr. Sue at La Jolla Family Dentistry. (She is from Sri Lanka and I have no idea how to spell her entire name, but the practice is just her.) She is a sweet, kind woman and a dental perfectionist. She redid some of my fillings for free because they had tiny air bubbles in them (which weren't her fault), but she couldn't stand them being anything less than perfect. She did a little jump and clap when she saw how beautifully other fillings came out.

I've had a few cleanings and a LOT of fillings (about 15, I think. Shouldn't have stopped going to the dentist for 3 years), but nothing more intensive. The practice is clean and nice but not super-high-tech, just regular. She does not take HMOs, but does take most other insurance.
posted by ilyanassa at 7:06 PM on October 5, 2007

Response by poster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_858
posted by Mookbear at 8:04 PM on October 5, 2007

The 858 area code is like any other area code, ilyanassa. I've had 858 numbers ever since they came into existence, on my cell phone, work phone, and landline. When you get population growth like we've had, one code just won't suffice.
posted by Thoughtcrime at 8:41 PM on October 7, 2007

I went to Dr Mojdeh Abbasian on Genesee to do an emergency exam following a chip. She seemed to have a light touch and was generally gentle and nice. Without insurance, it wasn't cheap, but I would have gone back to her if I'd been covered.
posted by crinklebat at 12:35 AM on October 8, 2007