Unpleasant Experience! I was referred by my friend as he gets his teeth cleaning done here. He said that the dental hygienist does all the cleanings and is very thorough (about 45 minutes) which is normal. I come in for my routine cleaning and all is nice, staff is very nice and friendly. Dr Jaksha is very nice too, very personable, witty sense of humor; a charming man. He literally cleans my teeth for 5 minutes and tells me that there is bleeding and discomfort (which is quite normal) so he will stop and not charge me for the general cleaning but to make an appointment to see the dental hygienist. I said "I thought that's what I came in for..Obviously, they must have goofed on my appointment and sent me home, then at the desk, he explains to me that he is charging for the general cleaning and they will email me an estimate for further dental work. At this point I am very confused and a bit angry. Long story short, Dr. Jaksha says in an email that he will credit my insurance for the general cleaning. I get 2 cleanings a year for the past 30 something years and never have I had a 5 minute teeth cleaning...My teeth still felt the same, there was still stuff on there that my toothbrush can't reach...this is absurd!!! 3-4 weeks later, I try to make an appointment to get a teeth cleaning at another dentist; come to find out that Dr Jaksha never refunded or credited my insurance. I am quite livid at this point. Not only are they losing me as a patient, but also my friend who is angry I got angry at him! read more

I've been going to Dr. Jaksha for about 7 years now. He is very knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. And because he's set up with all the latest tools, he can show you immediately the problem areas that he's working on and provide you with options. His office staff is very, very pleasant, and they have the best gossip mags (it's the only time besides when I get my hair done that I could catch up on Hollywood gossip). Also, when they say your appointment is at 9:30am, they really mean it. I've never had to wait more than a minute or two! UPDATE... on MLK day, I bit into a gummy bear and my new crown came off! I freaked out! Called Dr. Jaksha's office, and was in within the hour, and the crown was cemented back in. That's service! read more

Dr. Jaksha is running a phenomenal shop. Period. I value my time more than most. As such, I look for people who know their business, work efficiently, and keep their word. If on top of that you are actually personable and have a sense of humor - sweet baby Jesu, I must keep you in my life! Dr. Jaksha's whole team knows their stuff. I've never had an appointment go longer than 10 minutes, tops. They don't run late per appointments, and everyone is cheerful. There is a definite esprit de corps about this office. When my biannual appointment pings up on my Outlook calendar, I actually nod and say, "Cool. I'm getting my teeth cleaned tomorrow." How many folks can actually say they look forward to seeing the dentist?! I certainly didn't until I had the good fortune to run into these folks. Summary: Check in, seated promptly, X-rays, toothscrub, sonic scrape, doctor's summary - OUT IN UNDER TEN MINUTES. I love it. read more

I have been going to Dr. Jaksha for almost 19 years and I feel he is a very ethical dentist and provides excellent care. About 2 years ago our dental insurance changed to an insurance his office didn't take. We went to a number of dentists who all seemed to need a new car as we walked out with quotes for 10-15k out pf pocket costs. We were offered deep cleaning, industrial strength tooth removal and replacement, dental botox, laser nostril resurfacing and one dentist was scheduling my son to have his wisdom teeth removed as though it was an emergency that had to happen now, even though he was not having any problems. Dr Jaksha and his staff are great, efficient and you can trust that any treatment you get is needed for your dental health and not to finance a new dental dumaflatchie. read more

**Update: I have changed my review from 5-stars to 2-stars. In April 2015 I stopped going and returned to my previous dentist, who is more expensive. I had one of those "very rude" experiences which is beside the point (Never buy into "they were rude" reviews, and to be honest, I was a bit ornery, declining x-rays and in some other ways). My problem was, the ultrasonic teeth cleaning was so fast, I just couldn't believe it was a solid cleaning. I remember it as about 5 minutes (wish I had timed it). Also, you can tell when a hygienist is really looking carefully and dwelling more on the stubborn areas. I was annoyed and motivated enough that I called my previous dentist and got him to look at my teeth about 2 hours later. He said it was NOT a thorough cleaning and showed me some areas with his camera. (Of course, it was it was in his interest to criticize Jaksha's cleaning. But I believe I got an honest opinion.) So, bottom line, I believe the 3 cleanings I had at Dr. Jaksha's office in 2013 - 2015 were hurried and not good thorough cleanings. - - Original review (5-stars) - - I'm a new patient, and my wife has been using Dr. Jaksha for about 2 years. He seems very honest, and non-pushy. He seems to favor "conservative" options at every step, which is refreshing. He pointed out that technology is always improving, so it's often better to "watch and wait" if possible. Very funny, and no BS. He told me I had a very boring mouth. Reading between all the lines, it appears that he is a very smart guy, honest, and up on the latest technology. His rates are much more reasonable than my previous dentist, if you get a dental discount plan, which they told us about. I paid $110 for a cleaning and exam, with the plan. High-res pics were quite useful in discussing various issues. Cleaning was with an ultrasonic tool that was very fast. The cleaning took a ridiculously short amount of time. It seemed like he did not really obsess over every nook and cranny, but maybe the ultrasonic tool is that efficient. My wife feels he was pretty detail oriented and thoughtful when doing filling and crown work . read more

Got a referral from a good friend of mine. I've a HUGE phobia of dentist from a traumatic childhood experience with a dentist and Dr. Jaksha knew exactly what to do and say to make me totally comfortable. I recommend him for an dental procedure, and the entire staff was super nice and cheerful! read more

I love Dr. Jaksha and his staff! I've been going to him for more than 15 years and even though I now live out of San Diego, I will drive down just for a dentist appointment. I've tried other dentists in my area and no one is as quick, efficient and trustworthy as Dr. Jaksha and his staff. I feel he never tries to sell me on anything...although he will remind me to brush four times a day and waterpik at least twice :) I do the best I can... I love that I can get in and out for routine appointments in less than an hour and they use high tech tools to make sure your teeth are in great shape. Everyone is really nice, the office is clean and it makes going to the dentist not as scary. read more

Dr. Jacksha has been my dentist since the 90s. Despite my fear of dentist, it's actually fun to go to see him! He has a great sense of humor and a terrific staff. There's never any waiting or over booking so I know I can get there and get back to work. He uses the latest technology, and is careful to let me know what's necessary and what would be nice, but leaves it to me with no pressure. I trust him implicitly and I'd recommend him highly. read more

Dr. Jaksha's office is efficient, and he is very punctual with the appointments. I have never sat in the waiting room for more than 5 minutes in the 30 or so appointments I have had there. Customer service: excellent. Once I had come in for a crown. At the time I was unaware that my insurance plan no longer had his office in my insurance group. Their office called me to inform me of this fact. They wrote off the substantial balance that was not covered by my insurance. He reciprocated my loyalty to him as a customer. I proceeded to return to him the next year as he re-joined my insurance group. With dental work, he is proactive, but only performs work where necessary. He's a big fan of dental health in a preventive way. Recommended. read more

I've been a client Dr Jaksha since 1993 and I'm very pleased with the quality of work. I have to admit, about 1-2 years ago I tried another dentist much closer to our home. The "new" dentist was awful. Recommended everything under the sun, even though I was seeing Dr Jaksha 4 times a year for cleaning, x rays, etc. Dr Jaksha no longer accepts Smile Saver but he does accept another dental plan. I do not care at this point driving further to see him and pay a bit more $ for his services. Though his right-wing political leanings is not my cup of tea, his work is superb. All the staff is polite and friendly. I recommend him as your primary dentist. read more

Like another commenter wrote "I hate dentists", but was pleased about my appt and overall experience. I was dreading going in, knowing that I need some work done, but he treated me well and gave me the confidence to get back on "the horse" after have been disappointed with other dentist. I was surprised at a couple bad reviews here, but will continue going to Jaksha's office until I experience otherwise. I will definitely share my experiences for those of you who have a fear of the dentist like me. read more

As a first time patient, I have been meaning to post feedback on Dr Jaksha for a few months because I felt compelled to share after a previous Yelp review led me originally to him, but life has been very busy and I hadn't got a chance until now. I had not seen a dentist in a few years, love chocolates and sugar, and have had a pretty awful year of 2 root canals and multiple fillings. In the course of a year I have seen possibly 5 different dentists because after trying each one I was disappointed with the technical ability of the work that was conducted, or with the hygiene standards/billing issues related to each practice. Dr Jaksha exceeded my expectations in all regards. He is quite funny which relaxes you, explains what he is doing (important to me), doesn't sell to you while you are trapped in the chair while wielding drills and pointy instruments like injections towards you, and he is the ONLY dentist who didn't leave me with a rough surface on and around my teeth after doing a filling. With the previous 2 dentists in Sorrento Valley and Carmel Mountain, I had to go back for second appointments, and request from BOTH previous dentists to smooth the obvious multiple rough tooth surface, and residual filling material on the side of the tooth structure that they left me with. They obviously didn't use magnification to view the integrity of the filling post "production"... And when you are numb you cannot feel much to point that out. This man automatically smoothed my tooth surface IMMEDIATELY after performing the filling WITHOUT me asking him. Old school professional. The younger doc's I saw could learn a thing from this method of technical methods, and work ethic. Sigh.... well this is the man me and my family will be seeing from now on. Dr Jaksha has restored my faith in dentists. read more

A friend referred me to Dr. Jaksha. His office was close to my house. His office is nice and the staff and Dr. Jaksha is very nice with a good sense of humor. I went in for a cleaning and he told me that flossing was overrated and to get the water pik. I never heard a dentist that tells you not to floss. At the same time they took x-rays and told me I had 4 silver fillings that needed to be changed out. Even though I wasn't having any problems with the fillings, I followed his recommendations and had him replace the fillings. One of the fillings was not done right and food was constantly getting caught in the tooth. I went back he tried to fix it, but nothing changed. Then he told me I needed a root canal done on the tooth. I was capped out of what the insurance company would pay for the year, so I told him I would have to wait. In the meantime I went to another dentist from a groupon I purchased and this dentist told me I had 4 fillings that needed to be changed out. I also asked the dentist if I needed a root canal like Steven Jaksha had recommended and he told me NO, but the tooth contact was done incorrectly and that's why food was getting caught in between the teeth. I was soooo confused and told the dentist this was impossible because I had just had 4 fillings done a few weeks earlier. He gave me the xray results and I took them back to Dr. Jaksha's office and he confirmed that what the 2nd dentist told me was correct. When I asked him about what he did a few weeks earlier, he told me he only did the filling on half of each tooth because he didn't want to compromise the tooth by taking out the entire filling. I've never heard of anything so ridiculous. I told Dr. Jaksha that I had loss confidence and wanted a refund. He did not refund the insurance company but credited my account $300, which is what the insurance company did not pay. I would not recommend using this dentist office. read more

Best dentist ever. Steven is awesome and really seams to care about his patients. I highly recommend this place.

He's a charming guy. I went to see him with a sore/bad filling and chipped tooth. I left with clean teeth, a sore/bad filling, a chipped tooth, a bill for a cleaning and checkup, and a brochure for Invisalign (I have naturally well-aligned teeth). It was bizarre. I think I'll find a dentist that performs the services I request, rather than shoehorning me into a business model that apparently helps fund a very well-appointed office. read more

I went to Dr. Jaksha based on the reviews here and I am totally impressed. His office is so efficient, clean, high tech and friendly, it's really a pleasure to go there. Further, in my last two visits (and my husband's) I really feel he's a dentist with integrity, and they aren't all this way. I used to work in insurance and I know there are dentists out there that recommend unnecessary procedures to make money. read more

We LOVE Dr. Jaksha. I've been seeing him since I was 14 or so, along with my brother & mother, and now my husband & daughter (5) sees him as well. He does a great job, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. He's great at giving you your options and letting you make your own plan of treatment. There is never a wait. We've been to a few other dentists as we've moved, but we quickly learn why the drive to La Jolla is worth it. read more

Been here for a few years now. Grest 730am appointments. He is honest and a grest doc. Knows his stuff and will get you in and out fast.

Best dentist I've ever had. Won't tell you that you have cavities you don't have and they get you in and out in no time!

This office is run by a charming guy who loves God and the military and he lets you know about it every minute. I went there for dental cleaning. It took less than 5 minutes and most of the time went by hearing about the experiences of the cleaning lady in her bible studies. After astoundingly little action, they turned on their imaging system and took photos of every single tooth and explained that I needed this and that and the other repair done. I happily passed. If they can't properly clean your teeth, I doubt they can actually do something significant. read more

Dr jaksha has ended my wife's 50 years of dental fears, I am indebted to him and his staff.

Love this office been going there for years. Yes honest and doesn't recommended work unless you really need it. He makes visiting the dentist fun believe it or not. read more

I had a very similar experience described by A l. and Mimi. I've been to the office several times for general cleaning. The first time the cleaning, x-rays and chatter took 20 min. at most. Wanted to give this place another chance because they are close by and are open early mornings so went the second time and received the same barely-cleaning treatment that was over before I knew it. All ready to go (told that I have perfect teeth) when Dr. says I need x-rays done. At that point I reminded him that I just had them done at his office 4 months ago. He left to check paperwork, realized that now I have brand-spanking-NEW insurance, and came back saying I need PANORAMIC x-rays because he needs to see the back of one tooth (that he can't see on regular x-rays). Reluctantly I agreed. He barely looked at the results and told me to have a great day. Doing some research later on I learned that the panoramic x-rays are super expensive and can only be done every 3 years when serious structural issues are in question, and that they DO NOT show the information for individual teeth! Fun and personable this doctor may be, honorable and honest he is not... read more

I am regretting my visit 3 months since I walked waked in there. I went for a low teeth capping. I was not given the paperwork or information that they planned to do my upper jaw filling first and not do my capping. I was taken aback, but I let Dr , Jaksha go ahead. The fillings done ... I came back home , shaken since I was not prepared at all that my upper teeth would be worked on. five days later.... My lower teeth that urgently needed capping, and the main reason for me to go to dentist --broke. 15 DAYS.... 30 DAYS... TODAY THREE MONTHS... , The filling that was done is so painful, that drinking tap water sends a shrill pain to my upper jaw. My experience may not be the same for everyone... but I went with the feeling that the best would happen and I was in knowledgeable hands. Nothing in the office... or the service ...reflected that. My loss... broken tooth, painful upper filled tooth gum ... loss of faith .. and some hundred dollars. read more

Update as of July 2012: I had another visit with Melissa Mason, R.D.H. After I left my teeth felt clean and healthy. Melissa spends the time to properly clean my teeth and it shows. Three different people asked me what I did to keep my teeth so white and bright. My answer: Get a fantastic dental hygienist. Melissa has improved my dental health and my teeth have never looked better. Dr. Jacksha continues to give me honest feedback about my dental health and does not push services that are not necessary. A great dentist! read more

I highly recommend Dr. Jaksha. I have been a patient of his for about 3 years now. I won't go anywhere else. I feel very comfortable there. The staff is verrrry friendly and sincere. He does an excellent job on your teeth and makes you laugh while you're in the chair. He's quick but efficient at the same time. You'll be in and out in no time. Also, I've never had to wait more then 5 mins in the waiting room. He also does invisalign if you're interested in that....I did it and my teeth look great! As the previous reviewer stated, he's not pushy at all and always lets you know it's your decision on what you want to do. Overall, I am happy w/ him and so is everyone else I recommend to him. You will be in great hands and won't be dissapointed. I guarantee you will get a few laughs while you're there too! read more

Dr. Jaksha is my family dentist. We have gone to him since my daughter was 4. She is 21 now and while most people of my generation have nightmare memories of childhood visits to the dentist, my daughter has only good ones. She has never been afraid of dental visits and actually looks forward to them because you can always count on Dr Jaksha to make you laugh while he efficiently goes about the business of fixing your teeth! His staff is friendly and there is a warm "family" feeling about the office. Thanks Dr. Jaksha and staff. read more

After moving to San Diego from NH, I came to Dr. Jaksha for a filling. Finding a new dentist is hard enough, but it's even more terrifying putting your trust in someone's hand for the first time for a filling rather than an ordinary cleaning. I sat down in the chair and was injected with novocaine. About 5 minutes later Dr. Jaksha said he was unable to perform the filling unless I signed off to pay the full amount as they were unable to pull up my insurance. While drooling over myself, I had to call my insurance company and eventually just passed the phone off to the receptionist to talk to the representative. In the mean time, Dr. Jaksha filled me in about his his belief in God and kept pushing me to purchase a water flosser. About 45 minutes later, my insurance was finally approved and the filling began. The filling came out great, but his stern demeanor, pushy personality and the lack of competency dealing with insurance ensures that I will never be back again. read more

I accompanied my mother-in-law during her visit with Dr. Jaksha . She is one of the "nervous types" (at doctor appt's, especially the dentist!) Dr. Jaksha and his staff are very friendly, timely, thorough, and caring. Her comfort was their primary concern while she was being treated which meant a lot to her. If we could give Dr. Jaksha and his staff 10 stars we would. They are without a doubt one of the best dentists anyone in our family has ever been to! read more

I hate dentists, and I love Dr. Jaksha. Appointments are quick, easy and painless. The staff is all great, and the office is beautiful.

Very knowledgeable, very professional, and very honest. Best dentist I've ever had.

Dr. Jaksha spent about 5 minutes with me then ecommended a deep cleaning without even doing a full exam ie. probing depths). Never had a deep cleaning done and don't intend to remain a patient with this dentist. read more

Although I have checked the reviews (the bad ones too) before I went to his office, I still believed what the good ones said: he is a honest and good dentist. Well I ended up with the same experience as those people who gave one star. I did not find him "charming", rather annoying - as he kept telling his repertoire of jokes - but that would not have mattered if I had been happy with him as a dentist. I have got my cleaning literally in 5 minutes then I was called back for changing of an old amalgam filling and although I did not have any problem with this tooth I ended up having a root canal treatment which after I went back to his office for a permanent filling. After he placed the filling he instructed the assistant to take an imprint for a crown. That was the first time I have heard him saying that this tooth needs a crown! I have never ever had this experience with any dentist, I was always told upfront what my options are and I had a chance to decide. As now I nearly exhausted my insurance limit I should pay for the crown (over $700) from my pocket. All of my previous dentist had worked with me to be able to use my insurance copay on these procedures but dr. Jaksha's office just does not seem to care. I don't know how honest dr. Jaksha with his other patients (reading the reviews he is very selective) but I definitely don't think he was honest with me. I would not recommend him to anybody. read more

I have been a patient for 3 years, and I highly recommend Dr. Jaksa and his staff. I have never had to wait, and the emphasis is on preventative care, not on unnecessary interventions. When a family member from europe came for a visit recently and needed emergency dental care, they did not only see him the same day, but did not charge us for the consultation and x-rays! read more

I saw this dentist approximately a year ago and have been meaning to write a review but never got to it. I hadn't seen a dentist for about 3 years before him so I was excited to finally get a check up and teeth cleaning. I was surprised and slightly disappointed that my teeth cleaning only took about 5-10 minutes! She did a basic scrub and that was it! But maybe I just take great care of my teeth. The one thing that did annoy me was when I finally met Dr. Jaksha, he spent the majority of the time trying to sell a water flosser and then repeated at least three times to me that he had a teeth whitening service even though I had not expressed any interest. I think he talked about the teeth whitening longer than my teeth were being cleaned. And I don't think my teeth are that yellow. I would rather see a dentist who does a proper and thorough cleaning and one that doesn't push advertisements on you. He is very charismatic which almost makes you forget that nothing was done during your appointment. I won't be coming back to him. read more

I was really impressed by Dr. Jaksha's office during my first few visits. It runs very efficiently, the wait times are short, and everyone is nice. However, since then I've been very disappointed by the dental work. During a preventative procedure Dr. Jaksha nicked a tiny point off of one of my teeth causing me tooth sensitivity for several weeks. I thought it was just a one-time accident, but then I went to have a (very tiny) cavity filled and had another bad experience. After the filling, the tooth was so sensitive that I couldn't eat anything on that side of my mouth for over 6 months. I've never had this happen before with previous tooth fillings, and Dr. Jaksha just kind of waved it off like it was common and said nonchalantly that I might have to get a crown. A crown sounds a bit drastic for something that was only a "tiny cavity" to start with. I'm going to get a second opinion from a different dentist, and if I do get a crown, it definitely won't be from Dr. Jaksha. I was also disappointed that this possibility wasn't explained to me prior to the procedure. read more

wow, all these 5 stars! i wanted a dentist who could do a morning appointment and had an availability quickly. well he did, but there's a reason. i was in and out in a half hour for my first appointment. this included a teeth cleaning, polishing and x-ray! true, he seems like he is a good guy with a good sense of humor, sounded like he knew what he was talking about (though his advice was different from my old dentist's)... but my teeth were not clean after i visited. isn't a hygenist supposed to clean your teeth? i mean, there's only so much we can do brushing 3 times a day and flossing... and to comment on his integrity, he may have some integrity, but charging insurance for a full cleaning in 20 minutes is how his office makes money - they probably get a ton of clients in with the amount of time they spend for each appointment. sorry guys, one star for me, and i quickly found another dentist. do dentists not check for oral cancer these days? hmm. read more