Rancho Dental Group

Love this place. Been going here for years. Always welcoming and sweet. I’ve never felt ripped off. They always worked with what schedule is best for me and worked with me as far as payments go. I would totally recommend this place to anyone. Big thumbs up.

I am a very happy patient of Dr Richey. I have never waited more than five minutes before being seen. He does great work and the cost is reasonable. He doesn’t try to add on more work than you need and explains everything to you. My 12 year old is also a patient who just had a cavity filled. I was worried since he has never had anything more than a cleaning. He came out and said it was fun and he hardly felt the needle. If that’s not a compliment to Dr Richey, I don’t know what is. His staff is also friendly and helpful. They are accommodating for appointments. It’s true Dr Richey is not very talkative, but I don’t go there for conversation. Thank you Dr Richey and staff.

Was a patient a few years ago and never happy with the work or cleanings. Cleanings barely get the surface… only spend about 10 – 15 mins total to complete. I thought maybe this was a one time occurrence so I went back a couple times but unfortunately this is routine. Pretty useless. I always had regular check ups as well but when I finally switched dentists after being unsatisfied, I was told I had multiple cavities just months later! This shocked me since I had only one cavity in my life before, and my exam 6 months before with Dr Richey nothing was found.
I also went on one occasion because a tooth was sensitive and hurting when I drank any cold liquids or with air exposure, Dr Richey did an xray and said nothing was wrong… I followed up with another dentist the next week because clearly something was wrong due to the pain and sure enough there was really something wrong.
No reason to ever go to a place like this with so many great dentists in SD.
My current dentist does a proper cleaning taking at least 30mins and inspecting everything to perfection; the actual dentist checks my teeth afterwards, this is what a cleaning should be!

I am almost 68 years old and have been to many dentists over the years. I also worked for the State’s Medical Examiner’s Board and know a professional Dentist when I’ve had one! This Dentist is VERY professional!!! In fact, one of the BEST in San Diego County! He does not need to spend forever with a patient for he is highly experienced! In addition, his staff are very attentive to your needs, are professional and kind to their patients. I would not hesitate to refer Dr. Ritchey to anyone and he earns a five star rating! I have referred patients to my Dentist and they too agree!!! Lea Lynette Walker

I am a fan of Dr. Ritchey. I agree he doesn’t spend much time with the patients so I went to a very well respected dentist in San Diego for a second opinion. THERE ISN’T ANYTHING WRONG WITH MY TEETH! I am over 60 years old so I expected there to be some trouble that I wasn’t addressing and there was none.
The hygienist is wonderfully friendly and takes the time to explain what she is doing and why. The staff is very helpful and I appreciate there getting me an appointment when I had a problem with one of my crowns.
Jeri L.

This is a long overdue review. I had been going here for years and never had a problem… that is until my last appointment. I went in on a Friday morning (which I had to take off work for) and the front door was locked. Ok… so I waited, and waited and waited. Finally someone came to the front door and let me in I explained I had an appt and the girl promptly said no you don’t and that the dr was not in today. She looked at the appt book and said they called me to reschedule. I never got a phone call. She insisted I did. She said you are Dora right??? Um no, my name is Dana. She said they called a Dora and left a message. We’ll obviously that isn’t me. So I had to call my work and take another morning off the reschedule this appointment. Soooo I came back on Monday and was blown away by what I saw next. I work in the medical field and know they symbol that people use for ass@&$e. They had drawn that next to my name in their appointment book. I checked in and promptly told the receptionist that she may want to block the appointment book from clients view because I know what that means. She was so embarrassed. I told dr Ritchie about it and he said he would look into it and be in touch. Never an apology or a follow up call like he said he would.
Horrible customer service. I wish I knew this girls name. All I know is she was unprofessional and had a dog running around the office.

Will NEVER go back!
I had my very first visit at this dental office today. The ladies at the front desk were super nice so that made me feel at ease. All that changed when I met the dentist. He was not very pleasant or helpful. He walked into the exam room and barely said 5 words to me before he started the exam. To make matters worse he did not wear a mask or gloves (and no he did not wash his hands in the exam room) while doing my exam!!! After he was finished (and I fought back my urge to vomit) I explained that I was having pain in a particular tooth. Instead of helping me to figure out what was wrong, he told me there was no cavity and that was the end of it. I guess to him a cavity is the only reason someones tooth can hurt. Then he tells me he won’t fix the cavity that I do have until he does a cleaning even though I explained that I wasn’t due for one. A patient tells you they are in pain and your response is seriously that you won’t fix it until you do something completely unrelated to it. What kind of sense does that make?
So to sum it all up the doctor is RUDE, UNSANITARY, and only looking to make money off of you.
Do yourself a favor and find a different dentist!

Pros: Not ripping me off
Cons: No cons but I haven’t gotten anything from him but a routine cleaning. I can’t attest to the quality of the dentist’s other procedures.
Mostly, I like this office because they’ve been honest and I’ve saved money for it. At the previous office I went to, the dentists and staff were extremely nice. But eventually I figured out that I was being ripped off: they were up-​selling me on expensive deep cleanings that I didn’t need.
By contrast, the dentist here, Dr. Richey, is very straightforward. I come in for a routine cleaning, he checks my teeth quickly and gives me a routine cleaning. Simple as that, no BS. Granted, he’s not very friendly. But after the phony friendliness of my previous dentist, I’m not exactly mad about that.
ALSO: I saved a ton of money and convenience removing my wisdom tooth, thanks to this office. My previous, crappy dentist had referred me to an oral surgeon in Mission Valley. The procedure itself was covered under my insurance. But the expensive drugs were not and the surgeon wouldn’t do the procedure without putting me under. I passed.
Fast forward a few months later: I’ve switched to Rancho Dental Group. They refer me to an oral surgeon who did not take my insurance. But I went there anyway. And I was pleasantly surprised to learn they did not need to put me under. So even though I paid for the procedure out-​of-​pocket, it actually ended up costing much less than what the Mission Valley office tried to charge me because I didn’t need to pay for expensive anesthesia. And it was more convenient because I didn’t need to ask a friend to drive me back home. So kudos to Rancho Dental for the excellent referral.

Went in for my first appointment today, great experience. Staff were helpful and polite. They got my xrays done quickly and even fit me in for a cleaning. I was in and out in under an hour. My wife had a similar experience.

I just started seeing dr. Richey and am very happy with the service I received. I loved the receptionist and the hygienist!!!

My husband and I have been going to this dental group for a number of years and have always been totally satisfied with doctor and the assistants and office staff. We have always been treated with respect and have procedures and payments explained to us in detail which is important to us. Everyone is always very caring and friendly and help you relax. We are very delighted with the Rancho Dental Group. Thank you all.

I’m not sure what all the negative reviews are about. I have to wonder if it’s a grass is greener type of thing or not.
I started going here somewhere around 2005 after a series of dental nightmares. While I never found Dr. Richey to be warm and fuzzy exactly I never found him to be off putting either.
All this negative talk about not spending enough time looking at your teeth — maybe he just knows what he’s doing and he doesn’t have to dawdle? Maybe he’s not into recommending expensive and unnecessary treatments. Maybe he recommends more preventative lower cost techniques (like deep cleaning) so that you don’t end up having extractions later?
It has always been a challenge to find a worthwhile health practitioner that takes my insurance because frankly my insurance sucks. When I finally found Dr. Richey I was really pleased with the level of care, availability and price for services. We kept going to him for years!
When I moved from the area I tried to find another dentist closer to my house. After going to three different places and having horrible experiences (The last practitioner actually told me I needed about $ 14 000.00 worth of dental work, after keeping me in the office for over 2 hours just for a CLEANING. Not sure why all these folks want to spend MORE time at the dentist office, but I sure don’t. If you are one of them I will recommend the last place I just mentioned, it’s in East County), my 15 year old son asked me why the heck we couldn’t go to Dr. Richey. I realized that I wasn’t saving any time at all by not taking the 30 minute commute to see him and we switched back again just recently.
It was like going home. The staff is super friendly and was accommodating about urgent appointments and our needs. Dr. Richey didn’t chastise me for cheating on him and just said welcome back. We were in and out quickly, he provided professional service, and my wallet didn’t need CPR when we were done.
No one likes going to the dentist so how often is someone going to say it’s a pleasant experience — Never! But I’m planning on staying with this office until he stops taking my insurance, or retires.

NOPE. I am not one to make unfounded accusations, but I have a whole panel of unbiased dentists telling me to RUN from this guy.
I had to switch to an DMO recently so I ended up here. First time I came in, I didn’t need a cleaning, just a referral to an oral surgeon. I was very concerned that after checking my teeth, Dr. Richey refused to offer me a standard cleaning INSISTED I pay for a «deep cleaning.» (My last dentist specifically told me I do not need a deep cleaning.)
So, keeping an open mind, I went on the dentistry subreddit and relayed all the details of my interactions with him and his office. The dentists on reddit unanimously told me that what is doing is NOT the standard of care for dentistry. They also told me, «RUN.» You can read the details here:
At this point you couldn’t pay me to let this guy near my mouth. I don’t mind shelling out for dentistry, but I want my dentist to follow the generally accepted standards of care, not his own made-​up treatment plans.

Finally found an HONEST dental office that won’t rip you off and add a bunch on non-​co-​pay procedures to your treatment plan just to get more money out of you. Dr. Richey and his staff are awesome! I felt good about going there as soon as I walked into the office. I’m already referring my co-​workers with the same dental insurance to go to Rancho for all of their dental needs.

Ummm GET A SECOND OPINION! It will save you hundreds, and your teeth.
I am stuck under an HMO and so I have limited choices. I went in and he said I only had three cavities. BS. I went to a DDS a year ago (then fell out of work, no insurance, I know, judge away, my teeth were last on my list) and they said I had at least four cavities (yikes). He was IN and OUT didn’t explain anything to me, not to mention when being X-​rayed my mouth started bleeding from the guy shoving the plastic in my mouth.
Anyway, so my HMO covers a cleaning and they said that they wouldn’t do ANYTHING on my teeth until I paid (out of pocket) for a «deep pocket cleaning». Not to mention they never call, follow up, nothing. They just want you in and out, no costumer service as far as I am concerned.
So I went to another DDS and didn’t mention to them about my gums, didn’t even mention I wanted a second opinion. They said my gums were fine and they actually took me through my X-​rays and explained everything to me. I have MORE than three cavities (to be expected), and one of my teeth needs a legit cap.
I hate, hate, hate, blasting people on this. BUT maybe it was just MY experience, I just know this stuff is important/​expensive so I would highly suggest just getting a second opinion before you pay out of your pocket in addition to your insurance.

I can get away with rating Dr. Richey with five stars. Want to know why?
Because he pulled a wisdom tooth in FIVE MINUTES FLAT and there was QUITE HONESTLY no pain! Can you believe it?! I was ready to be like on death’s door for 3 days and it was completely painless.
The only thing that hurt was when he stuck me with the anesthesia! That’s it! Seriously.
It did cost me $ 145… but I wonder if that’s cuz my insurance blows balls. They told me that the original cost w/​out insurance is $ 200. There was no oral surgery/​cutting, etc. So if you need to know a ballpark for a straight wisdom tooth extraction, it’s $ 200 here.
Dr. Richey is really nice, and yes like the others said just a straight shooter, no bullshit no small talk. One of the hygienists is super talkative though, and kept saying that she liked me because I was a «challenge» since it was difficult to get my x-​rays.
I am so impressed by the dental work here. I am almost willing to go for cleanings more than once every 5 years!

I don’t know what some people look for in a dentist, but after my many years of dental work I would say my criteria is:
1. Do quality work
2. Don’t rip me off
3. Don’t hurt me
I think these guys satisfy all 3. I would give them the fifth star if the office was a modern palace with state of the art equipment a la La Jolla, but if it was I am sure they wouldn’t satisfy criterion 2.
The front staff is pleasant and helpful and the assistants are wonderful. Dr. Richey is no great conversationalist, but hey, I don’t really want to try to chit chat with the dentist when my mouth is numb and full of tools. He doesn’t make idle conversation because he is concentrating — fine by me.
Don’t be dissuaded by the negs… no one wants to go to the dentist, but if I have to, I want to go here.

Wow I don’t know what some of the negative reviewers expect from their dentists but it seems a little much. The staff here isfriendly and the office manager has gone out of her way to save me as much money as possible for the dentistry I’ve needed. I needed periodontal cleanings for about a year and a bite-​plate fitted for TMJ, and I think the service I rec’d was top notch. The dentist is a little on the quiet side, but I’m not thrown by his lack of small talk since he knows what hes talking about. Under-​the-​gums cleanings can be very painful, and he has a very gentle touch.
I’ve been going there for years, but yeah if you’re the type who needs a doctor or dentist to be your buddy, this probably isn’t the place for you. If you’re looking for a great dentist who won’t charge you an arm and a leg, hes for you.

I think this office is great! Sure there are some personality things that you may have to learn to live with, or just get over (if you allow things like that bother you), but that aside, this practice is far better than most that I experienced in San Diego.
I can really appreciate Dr. Ritchie for being fair to his Smile Saver patients, he will not create an excess of costs, will honestly recommend what you really need and get you the BEST crowns you could ever want! I think as a medic he has a talent & exceeds his ethical duties to his patients.
If you make the decision to go elsewhere… GOOD LUCK!
btw…the job of the hygienist is to do ALL the talking, the dentist just skims for decay and abnormalities. Unless you have have cavities or other issues, don’t expect any dentist to talk your ear off… that isn’t their job…

I miss my old dentist in Encinitas more than I miss Razzles. You know, «first it’s a candy, then it’s a gum?» Anyway, Rancho Dental Group is about the closest I’ve been able to come to my dearest Dr. Fink.
The head receptionist, Angela is a complete and total doll. She’ll tell it like it is, call insurance and fight her little tooshie off for you, and make sure that you’re taken care of both by the Dentist and by your insurance company.
***Update: Given the awesome front desk staff, the actual dentist at this place is crap. Honest-​to-​God he looked at my teeth for about 4 seconds before declaring «see you in six months.» I know it echoes a few of the reviews before, but I was appalled! Not that I love being poked, prodded, stuck, and stabbed by those little picks and gagged by those little mirrors, but I do expect my dentist to do a thorough cleaning. That’s it… I’m going back to Dr. Fink in Encinitas!