La Jolla Dental Group

The few times I’ve come here on time I wait over 30 minutes to get seen then another 30 once I get in the room. I went in to get fitted for teeth whitening trays and they never called to tell me they were ready so I called and they told me they didn’t know why but I had to come in again to do the fitting process again. Found out later they lost it. They also told me I had cavities which my other dentist told me I did not. It’s just super slow and bad customer relations. Don’t recommend this place at all.

Such a bad vibe it’s eerie.
I really do think most of the 5star reviews on here must be coming in paid or faked. I was here for a new patient cleaning — arrived with first AM patients, 15 min early, waited for 1 hr from my appt, got an x-​ray and my 3 minute dental exam, and was told to come back for my cleaning another time. The tech is nice but the xray machine is the old slow type and take quite awhile. Anyways, back for my cleaning another time. Arrived on time — and just to see the hygienist waited 1hour 30min but left. There is a non-​hygienist person who does the polishing who had me assist her with suctioning while polishing my teeth and got annoyed at my positioning of the suction — I can’t see in my own mouth — sorry. It felt nothing like normal polishing efforts.
So, 2hours, 30min, 2 appts, no cleaning accomplished. I’ve seen Lana Borukhova and Jay Fallon who are great. I don’t know about people who complain about their insurance coverage or groupon issues, because I think those are somewhat expected.
They don’t have staff available to do your cleaning at the time of your exam — I mean, I’ve been to at least 20 dentists in my life and have never seen that. I’ve never had someone have me move the dental tray to get up. Greed can make you under-​hire and over-​sell on procedures I guess.
I always use a fake name on Unilocal and I’m glad I do — these guys are (probably illegally) commenting on patient visits, procedures, discussions — read a few of the responses and you’ll be convinced to avoid. Good luck.

People that are considering using this practice need to realize that La Jolla Dental Group is and has been breaking the law. They offer Groupon, Living Social, etc. deals and discounts WHICH IS ILLEGAL in the State of California.
When any health care business does this, it’s a great tip-​off to the desperation of finding patients, in addition to being illegal. Read the negative reviews, read the filtered reviews and you judge for yourself. Today they have a Living Social deal for the following:
* $ 45 ($ 330 value) for a general dental exam, X-​rays, and basic cleaning
* $ 85 ($ 729 value) for a general dental exam, X-​rays, basic cleaning & whitening kit
* The take-​home whitening kit includes custom trays and gel
Ask yourself, how can a dental practice do this and only charge you $ 45 or $ 85 for these services. The fact is, they can’t. They will tack on a «gum disease» load of B.S. and charge you for everything from requiring fillings which you do not need to a host of other maladies. If you read the reviews in detail and snarky remarks from Dr. Mehrack Kajian-​Faraji, would you want to attend this practice? Another great recommendation is to check out her rating on
. It this doesn’t settle the issue for you, nothing will.
I will be anxiously awaiting a response from the practice attempting to dispute any of this, especially the fact that they are breaking the law. I guess it’s time to report them to the CDA.

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE.
Do not go here, the negative reviews are true and correct. The positive reviews are fake. When they first opened they had great ratings from fake reviews, I trusted them and that was a big mistake.
I spent thousands of dollars here and later had to have both teeth they worked on redone. One needed a root canal they other tooth cracked at the root and had to be removed and it was traumatic and expensive and now I lost a molar. I normally do not post things like this publicly, but this place should be closed down and I do not want anyone else to suffer as I did. I wish there was something more I could do than just write negative reviews. If anyone has an idea do please met me know by complementing my review.
La Jolla Dental Group, please stop doing business, you do not know what you are doing. It would be one thing if you were only crooks, but you are causing people pain and traumatic loss.

UPDATED:
La Jolla has me as a recurring customer as I had a great experience here last time I came through. Another great experience yields a five star! ONLY downside is distance from home, but the staff was attentive and was able to answer questions I had in regards to my payment plan and progress on prior payments. Knowledgeable doctor and great dental work makes the trip worth it!
Colin

I would never recommend or return to this practice.

I just moved to the area and will be making this my new regular dentist thanks to such a great experience a couple of years ago when I was visiting. Thank you again!

I have been a client for years and I am very happy with Dr. M and her staff. I have always found her dental procedures to be gentle and painless. Recently, I cracked a tooth very badly over the weekend a couple weeks ago. They were great. They got in in first thing Monday a.m., Dr. M fixed it up and I’m back to pain free living!
Recommend

Wait times are either little or non-​existant. All of the staff is extremely profesional with also providing a welcoming vibe. I’ve had multiple cleanings and a filling done here, I definitely recommend this place.

I have been coming here for more than a decade and they have always taken great care of me!

Going to the dentist is not the funniest activity and I’m confident that others share the same perception. I had been seeing a family friend dentist growing up, but he retired a few years ago. Needless to say, it was so hard for me to make the move in trusting a new dentist.
I took a long time of researching new dentists until I was referred to Dr. Kajian. I have been extremely satisfied with all service thus far. Dr. Kajian is genuinely interested in ensuring that you understand your oral healthcare condition and makes sure you feel comfortable throughout the entire process. She is thorough and handles her business with great integrity. I definitely recommend Dr. Kajian to anyone in the Southern California (or anywhere) area.

I have gone to La Jolla dentist group for years and I wouldn’t trust my teeth to anyone else. They continue to impress me. Their staff is so kind and facility is spotless. I have one veneer in the front of my mouth that cracked and Dr. Mehrak Kajian worked her magic to get me a new one that matched perfectly. I would recommend this dental office to anyone who asks.

I’m doing this because I whole-​heartedly believe it’s a borderline moral duty of mine to inform my peers of the dangers this place poses. Went in here as a sophomore at UCSD as I was trying out my first dentists in the area. They subsequently informed I suddenly had…6 cavities? Which struck me as bizarre given the fact that I have good dental hygiene and no pain. As such, I decided to visit my family dentist during my next trip before deciding on anything (The number was so ridiculous that it quite frankly struck me as a scam). He informed me that I did not even have one and that if I had gone through with the procedure, I’d be out a decent amount of money depending on my insurance and my teeth would be forever weaker due to the process.
This is disappointing. Don;t dentists have a code of ethics? What about human decency?
MORAL OF THE STORY: Don’t trust these people and get a valued second opinion AT LEAST before going through with any sort of procedure recommended out of this office. Dishonesty reigns supreme here, don’t be a victim of it if you don’t have to. Terrible, terrible dentist, taking advantage of students is despicable.
Update: Sad attempt below to discredit me, backed by poor arguments of «I am a dentist, you are not». Took me 3 years to write a review because I witnessed their booth on library walk. Seek a second opinion, always or you may have some unnecessary work done on you.

I always have such a wonderful experience with Dr. Kajian and Dr. Valecruz. Not too long ago, I had my third molars extracted– and for many, this is not a very pleasant experience. Dr Kajian and Dr Valecruz made me feel comfortable during the entire procedure (and no, I was not put under). Dr. Kajian also gave me her cell phone number and called me multiple times to see how I was feeling. She is truly an exceptional human being. Doctor Valecruz also checked up on me frequently.
I also adore Maria, the receptionist! She’s always so pleasant and calls me «mija» every time I see her. It is quite adorable.
HONESTLY, Disregard all of the negative reviews. Everyone at La Jolla dental group is great at what they do, and I refuse to let anyone else touch my teeth/​perform any dental work on me.

TL;DR — Don’t come here. Don’t waste your time or money and find yourself a better dental group.
Like some other reviewers, I set up an appointment because a representative came to the UCSD campus and I had UC SHIP that covered a basic exam and cleaning. They even offered a free teeth whitening (normally $ 500, they say). However, I should have read the Unilocal reviews before coming in, because everything on those 1 star reviews are true.
First of all, the wait was ridiculous. My appointment was scheduled for 10AM, and I got there right on time at 9:57AM. When I walked in, the lady at the front desk was on the phone and did not even acknowledge me. I found a sign-​in sheet and put my name down. I waited for a full hour and 10 minutes, until I finally decided to bring the issue up. After I complained, they quickly brought me to the back to perform my exam (so what were they doing before that, just chillin’?!). The total amount of time I actually saw the dentist was maybe 5 minutes at most, but by the time I walked out of the office, it was already 12:03PM. I wasted 2 hours of my life and missed a class.
Secondly, the staff seemed unprofessional and incompetent. As mentioned, the front desk lady was always on the phone. In addition, While I was getting my x-​rays done, the operator didn’t even close the door. Whatever, I guess it’s more of a disadvantage to the health of their own staff members. After the exam, the doctor told me I had 7 cavities (7?! That is a LOT) that most absolutely needed to be filled ASAP. They quoted me for the treatments required and it came out to be around $ 500. Okay, fine, health care in the United States is ridiculously expensive, I already knew that. The main problem was that they did these calculations by hand and upon review I noticed they actually made some errors on the quote they provided me.
To top it all off, they did not even perform the basic cleaning, which was the main reason I scheduled this appointment in the first place. I brought this up, and they say that they would suggest getting the cleaning done while getting those cavities filled, so I can reduce the number of appointments I would need to make in the future. The issue was, I was under the impression that I was getting my teeth cleaned during that session, which is what I made the appointment for (basic exam + cleaning + the free whitening they offered). Also, in all my past experiences, the basic cleaning was done in the same session as the exam and x-​rays, then additional appointments for treatment were made separately. But at this point, I had already missed one class, and I didn’t want to waste any more of my time sorting this out with them so I just left it at that. I didn’t even bother bringing up the free whitening session they offered because 1) I wouldn’t trust them to do it it, and 2) I don’t plan on coming back anyway.
Bottom line is, you can easily find a more efficient and professional place to get your teeth treated. The only good thing I could say is that the people here are friendly… I guess. But as a business/​medical establishment, this place should not even exist.

I would rate zero stars if I could!
I waited for an hour before even walking into a room to do x-​rays. Then I had to wait at least another hour until the doctor comes around. The doctor said that I need a root canal on a front tooth but I suspected it so I am going to go to another place to check. I asked for my x-​rays over the phone and they said they would have to charge me 30 dollars.
The nurses at the reception are extremely rude as well.
I will never ever go there ever again!

This place is a SCAM.
A representative came to UCSD campus to schedule students in for appointments, so i thought, why not since checkups are covered by UCSD SHIP insurance. Ugh, I should’ve known better since it only had three stars on Unilocal.
The day of the appointment was okay. I had to wait 15 – 20 minutes past my appointment time, but the dentist checked on my teeth, gave me an evaluation, and told me what I needed for next time. Okay. I spoke to the receptionist about making a future appointment and then left.
However, a month later, I received a receipt from my insurance claiming that I owe $ 80 for a «series of radiographic images» (insurance had already covered $ 86 of it). What? I never signed anything nor was ever told about receiving this service. All I signed up for was a simple checkup. Now, the place has not returned any of my phone calls and its been SUCH a pain trying to clear this charge with Delta Dental.

I was referred by a friend to this dental office and had an accommodating, convenient, and comfortable experience. When I called for an appointment, they worked with my schedule and got me an appointment. People were very nice had no problems feeling comfortable. Would Def go back and also recommend a friend.
I’ve seen bad ratings on some places that are extremely nice and also do great jobs. So don’t believe what you see until you actually live it

I am new to San Diego and was looking for a dentist. I went on groupon and found La Jolla Dental Group. They had a good deal for basic cleaning, x-​rays and whitening treatment for $ 69. Clearly looking for new patients, i will not be one of them.
My rating is because the apt took 2.5 hours and they didn’t even do the teeth whitening. Also the staff was unprofessional. The person behind the desk asked me in front of the whole office in the waiting room personal questions about the medication i was taking while i was sitting in the chair waiting with other patients around.
Then once taken back, they had two different music genres playing that you could hear… one a pop station and the other was classical. Super strange to hear both and uncomfortable for me. Not sure why?
After i left and remembered they were suppose to do a whitening treatment, I emailed them and never heard back. I called the following week and they told me i would have to come back to get impressions done. I explained I already had the trays and only needed the gel, the receptionist told me she would have to talk to the doctor and call me back.
36 hours later they called and said i could come back and pick up the gel. This location is 15 – 20 min from my home and i asked them to ship it. They said no because they were not willing to pay for the shipping cost. Unbelievable to me considering it would cost me more to drive back over there (taking off work, gas, my time etc) then the shipping would cost. And they made the mistake! They were suppose to do the treatment in the same visit!!!
Very unprofessional and not a way to get new clients!
I will say that of the two dentists i saw, i really liked the woman dentist. She was very nice and helpful.

Do not come here if you have a groupon!
We came here for an appointment at 11:30 and didn’t get seen till 1:45.
It seems to be understaffed, and patients walk in and out growing impatient as well.
Not the best dental office. I was expecting better service, it being in La Jolla and all. This is the last time I’ll come here.