Engella Mansour, DDS

My family has been coming to Dr. Mansour for years. I started bringing my son when he was practically a toddler and was very fearful. I had a pediatric dentist at Children’s Hospital actually tell me they were going to need to restrain my little guy if I didn’t calm him down! Dr. Mansour was amazing with him and he was never afraid again. This is a true story. He is now 19 and when he is back from college he goes in for his next check up. She and her staff are lovely. My husband will not see anyone else and we drive in from East County. Thank you Dr. Mansour!

I haven’t had much time for writing Unilocal reviews in quite some time. However, after my experience today I wanted to make sure I took the time to write a review for Dr. Mansour and her dental office.
I’ve seen a couple hacks over the last decade. For example: X dentist told me I had 9 cavities only to have Y dentist tell me 6 months later I had no cavities. Not to mention nearly every dentist I’ve seen in the last 10 years insists that the deep cleaning/​root scaling is necessary.
The other challenging element when it comes to dentist/​dentistry is the insurance. I fully concede nearly every HMO dental plan is crummy — but it’s the most affordable option for my family of 5. It has been next to impossible to find a good, honest dentist who accepts these crummy HMO dental plans. Dr. Mansour was a rare and pleasant discovery!
I was able to get an appointment immediately (called on Wednesday morning and was scheduled for the following day) for myself and my two oldest monsters (ages 9 and 7). Dr. Mansour greeted us personally in the waiting room and asked for her first volunteer (my oldest went first).
I was impressed she didn’t take xrays for my monsters. Yes, you heard me correctly. I know xrays are generally routine for check-​ups but there has been debate the last few years as to whether they’re truly necessary for children (especially if there are no complaints or dental complications — the radiation exposure, however minute, is just not warranted).
Unfortunately, however, many dentists are adamant about xrays and although I have no difficulties standing my ground — I don’t generally refuse a dentist taking xrays if that’s their standard practice. It was refreshing to see Dr. Mansour adopts a more knowledgeable approach to her dental practices.
Dr. Mansour was amazing with my monsters. Both were very nervous about this appointment because it’s the first time they’ve seen a general dentist in several years. They have always (willingly and happily) seen the pediatric dentist in the past — however, our aforementioned crummy HMO insurance doesn’t cover the pediatric dentist for children over 6 years of age. They came out with happy smiles and no cavities (which makes for one happy mama too)!
Then it was my turn. I did have xrays (as I did have a complaint of tooth pain) and then Dr. Mansour evaluated my teeth. She was gracefully honest — although I have excellent dental hygiene — I have ground my teeth for so many years it has taken a significant toll on my teeth.
We proceeded with a couple fillings that were necessary and everything was quick, easy and virtually painless.
The office staff were just as friendly and amazing!
Yes, the office is located in a fairly old building and it may not be fancy and have high-​tech gear and gizmos (they do have digital xrays) — what’s truly important is the quality of the dentist and staff — not the cosmetic details of the office or the building. Dr. Mansour is friendly, efficient, thorough — in a nutshell, I was delighted and would highly recommend her!

I won’t be going back! Went in for a cleaning and checkup. I knew either a filling was damaged or I broke a tooth. I was surprised to see they used digital X-​rays and very hopeful. Until the girl reached in the tray, grabbed the tool and rinsed it under the sink (why were they not sterile, I thought?) she tapes the part I bite on but the metal part with the X-​ray guide was on my face. No biggie, I thought. It was simple and painless. The dentist sits down and gets to work. Apparently she also does the cleanings. My first visit and not a word was said to me. She checks my teeth and says I need a deep cleaning. I said, no. I have never had to have that done before, she said, really? She wouldn’t clean my teeth because it was a waste of time. I needed to come back for the quadrant cleaning. $$ then we go to the dentist chair. She doesn’t look at my X-​rays (that I saw) she goes over each tooth plucking with her tool. Says I need something on an upper tooth. She gets to the problem tooth on the bottom and sticks that thing rite in there. Oh, does that hurt she says? She then claims there is a problem with the tooth next to it. She tells me the nurse will be back with the cost of each. 2 minutes later she is back with the rates. I agree to have my problem tooth fixed only. The nurse convinces me the tooth behind it could be causing the issue. Ok fix them both. She shoots the novocain in the lower corner of my jaw. I was numb. I get major anxiety at the dentist. It was not pleasant for me to say the least. The nurse dripped water in my eye when she wave the suction thing over my face. Blah, blah. I agreed to do the cleanings at a much later date and made the appointment for the first round. That night as I lay in bed I felt my ear fill with liquid. I got up and it was like I had been swimming. I cleaned it with a qtip and laid back down. Again, it filled up. I dried it again and went to sleep. The next morning my ear felt plugged and echoey. 2 days later I was on a heating pad with an ear ache and draining. It’s been 5 days and
I am still having the echoey clogged feeling, but the pressure is off my eardrum. To top it off, I woke up yesterday with what appears to be cold sores on my cheek, where that metal part laid on my face for the X-​rays. She fixed my tooth and I’m a mess now. Find another dentist!

Found this excellent dentist through a hairdresser! Since I don’t have dental insurance at the moment she billed me a bit less (since I’d be paying 100% out of pocket). I found her to be very thorough and everyone in office was nice. Don’t be fooled by old-​fashioned building! First rate attention and treatment.
Besides the fact that my old dentist didn’t have sliding scale billing for people without insurance, I decided to change dentists after my old dentist started putting iPods on all his patients and totally ignoring them! Very unprofessional and zero communication. I really appreciate Dr. Mansour now…