Unlimited Smiles - San Miguel Dental Group - Walnut Creek, California

Olga Petray

You should all listen to the bad reviews. This Dr. SCAMMED me too. He said he put this plastic post so that when I was ready for my implant he could proceed. He charged me $500.00 for nothing, I went to another Dr. and I had nothing from the implant. Do not waste your time here!

Zachary Wheeler

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!! SCAM!! I had a disappointing experience at this dentist office, despite it being covered by my new dental insurance. I visited for a routine bi-annual check-up and standard cleaning, as per my HMO insurance coverage. Following the completion of the check-up and X-rays, a receptionist entered the room requesting me to sign an invoice for $125 before the cleaning.

I expressed concern and questioned the unexpected charge, pointing out that my insurance clearly states that two cleanings per year are 100% covered. A second receptionist, presumably in a higher position, entered the room to explain that my HMO insurance "only covers" two out of the three cleaning procedures, and if I wished to proceed, $125 was required. Unfortunately, the interaction was marked by unprofessionalism and rudeness.

The dental staff, overall, was pleasant and professional, except for one receptionist who displayed rudeness and unprofessional behavior. It's regrettable that a team so generally lovely would include someone who speaks condescendingly to people.

In summary, if you have HMO dental insurance, it's advisable to avoid visiting this office.

Zeeshan Mehmood

I’m glad I’m not the only one who had a bad experience here! I was on a pretty good insurance policy at the time through work! 80/20. After all my work was done, after my night guard was ready to be picked up they said my insurance didn’t cover everything and that I owed 400 something dollars. I remember thinking there’s no way because I have access to every claim through my collective health app. Well..I did reach out to delta dental and collective health and they broke it down and even they said there was stuff that wasn’t covered but it isn’t even close to $400 something. So…they said they wouldn’t give me my night guards until I paid…trash!

Funny thing is…delta said the claim with the night guard was fully paid for so they shouldn’t be holding the night guards. It’s unethical and manipulative.

Bob Dodson

Terrible, terrible, terrible, worst dental experience I’ve ever had. Stay away from this place! Unfriendly staff in a run down facility who try to “upsell” a routine cleaning with a “$78 fluoride treatment” or a “$120 water jet cleaning”. I was turned away and told there was no other option, when in fact my coverage guarantees three free annual cleanings. The lack of business in this clinic causes them to lie, upsell, and over charge patients in order to stay afloat. This clinic should be shut down, if not they will soon be out of business on their own doing.
Whoever is in charge of this facility needs to retrain its staff, not engage in upselling and shady practices, and create a warm friendly environment, which doesn’t exist now. The owner should check the numerous other negative reviews and make changes. This is not how a dental practice should be run.

Hope Minton

I had a very bad experience. I am most upset about the fact that they did not let me opt out of the $78 flouride treatment. The woman said that it was mandatory which makes no sense except if they want to scam you out of your money. My appointment was at 9 and I didn't leave until 11:20. The cleaning was also pretty painful and did not even floss my teeth. I don't recommend.

Renata Cunningham

They only get 1 star because of Dr. Andrews. Do NOT go to this place if don’t want to be harassed and ripped off.
I was going to move forward and make an appointment to come back after Dr. Andrews heard from the lab guy. I was only questioning the charges when the manager Nina told me to get my crown back and look for another place. Your staff should be better trained in how to deal with stressed and frustrated patients. No profanity or yelling ever happened. I’ve spent a lot of money there in 2018 and I hoped I’d be treated with a little more respect and consideration.

James Jordan

My regular dentist wasn't an option after a change to my insurance, and I drove out of my way for this Unlimited Smiles location because it was one of the few covered options with decent reviews. My experience from an appointment in late April 2018 DOES NOT reflect those decent reviews.

I've always had good teeth. Every dentist I've ever been to has complimented me on them. The same was true during my very short visit from the doctor at Unlimited Smiles. "You have very nice teeth," he told me. After he left, the dental hygienist started a hard sell on some expensive treatments that had me paying $340 outside of the basic cleaning - treatments that my insurance wouldn't cover. I care about my teeth and generally trust medical professionals, so I reluctantly accepted those procedures after asking the hygienist to confirm that they were absolutely necessary. She said that they were.

Roughly 2 months later, I got a call from Unlimited Smiles. I thought they were just checking in, but instead they told me that the doctor was reviewing my file and discovered a couple of cavities that I needed to come back in and have filled. The very idea that a presumably busy dentist would be going back through old files raised a red flag for me, and I told Unlimited Smiles that no, I wouldn't be coming back in until my next appointment 6 months later. My teeth weren't bothering me - and it seemed exceedingly strange that a dental office would decide this was necessary well after the fact.

Around the beginning of July (less than 3 months after my cleaning), I started to notice my teeth turning brown around the gum line. I've never experienced this before - and it proceeded to get worse and worse over the next several weeks. Nothing has changed in my meticulous brushing and flossing habits. I use an Oral-B electric toothbrush (2 1/2 minutes, twice a day) - and I floss every evening. But suddenly my teeth had become embarrassing. It was causing me enough emotional stress and self-consciousness that I finally decided to go to another dentist and pay out-of-pocket for a new cleaning less than 4 months since my Unlimited Smiles visit.

The new dentist confirmed severe staining on my teeth, which was difficult to explain with my brushing and flossing habits. After a new set of x-rays and a very thorough cleaning, my teeth are thankfully back to normal - but I hold Unlimited Smiles responsible for this inexplicable browning. I told my new dentist about the strange phone call insisting that I had cavities that needed filling, and he laughed heartily. "You have no cavities," he told me.

Unlimited Smiles should not be trusted.

Kim Kirkbride

I want to acknowledge the time, patience and professionalism with which I was treated today by Angela at the Front Desk and Michelle, one of the Practice Managers. I have a very complicated situation with one of my molars and even more complicated insurance coverage. I called them at least 4 times and they were helpful and friendly and SUPER informative every time. I never felt rushed or condescended and they answered all my questions thoroughly. Angela delivered my "new patient" paperwork via e-mail (how refreshing!). Michelle not only told me what various options cost for handling my tooth, she also addressed the negative Yelp reviews. Suffice to say, they take constructive criticism seriously and have made changes to address these concerns. And a personal note, remember most people who review do so because they are unhappy. Most happy patients/clients/customers don't post reviews. It's just a statistical thing. I highly recommend this practice!