For its size the specialist coverage is better than average, though two common specialties are missing. This guide covers what the registry records, how to choose between practices, where to go for the gaps, and what to check on cost and emergencies.
The listings and where they sit
Twenty six of the 36 listings are general dentistry and 2 are dental clinics. The specialist listings are four periodontics, three prosthodontics, two orthodontics, two oral and maxillofacial surgery and two orofacial pain. Practices can carry more than one registration, so those figures show what is available rather than counting separate offices.
Two streets hold nearly everything. Genesee Ave accounts for 19 listings and Balboa Ave for 14, with single listings on Mount Alifan Pl and on address variants of the same two roads. That means most of your options sit along a short stretch of two main roads.
Twenty nine listings are under an individual practitioner's name and only 7 under an organization. Twenty of the 36 were registered before 2010, and the oldest registration dates to 2006. Two of the 36 publish a website through the registry, and none publishes opening hours.
- 36 practices, 26 of them general dentistry
- 19 listings on Genesee Ave, 14 on Balboa Ave
- Two ZIP codes, 92117 and 92111
- 29 individual practitioners, 7 organizations
- 20 registered before 2010
How to choose
The high proportion of individual listings, 29 out of 36, suggests a lot of smaller practices where the dentist whose name is on the door is the one who treats you. That tends to be good for continuity, and worth confirming when you call. Ask whether you will always see the same dentist and who covers when they are away.
The specialist presence changes what you can plan locally. With periodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics and oral surgery all listed here, gum treatment, implants, dentures, braces and extractions can often be arranged without leaving the neighborhood. Ask any general practice you are considering who they refer to and whether those offices take your insurance, since a referral you cannot afford is not much use.
The two gaps and where to fill them
Pediatric dentistry and endodontics have no listing inside Clairemont. Both are nearest elsewhere in San Diego, about 2.0 miles away, where the registry records 116 pediatric practices and 78 endodontics practices. Those are big numbers and a short drive, so neither gap is a real obstacle.
For general care just outside the neighborhood, the Convoy District is 1.6 miles away with 57 listed practices, well over Clairemont's own total. University View has 15 at 1.0 miles, Clairemont East has 8 at 0.6 miles, North Clairemont has 7 at 1.2 miles, Bay Ho has 6 at 1.5 miles and North Mount Estates has 5 at 0.7 miles.
Paying, and what this page does not know
The registry holds no fees, no opening hours and no insurance information. Only two of the 36 Clairemont practices publish a website through it, none publishes hours, and none has claimed its listing. So treat this as a reliable list of who is registered where, and nothing more. Claimed listings are how a practice adds the detail that decides most bookings.
On the phone, ask whether they are in network for your specific plan rather than for your insurer as a whole. In network means agreed fees and a larger share paid by the plan, not better dentistry. Ask for a written estimate before treatment, with procedure codes, the fee, the expected plan payment and your part. Ask what is left of your annual maximum before agreeing to anything large.
- Check your exact plan, not just the insurance company
- Get a written estimate before treatment starts
- Ask about waiting periods on major work
- Ask what happens if more treatment is found partway through
Urgent problems
For same day care, call early and say you are in pain and need an emergency appointment. With 33 of the 36 listings on Genesee Ave and Balboa Ave, and 57 more practices 1.6 miles away in the Convoy District, a few calls usually finds someone. You can also sort by distance from your location at dentist directory.
Go to an emergency room, not a dental office, if swelling is spreading toward your eye or down into your neck, if breathing or swallowing is becoming difficult, if you have a fever with facial swelling, or if bleeding will not stop after a tooth is removed. For a knocked out adult tooth, hold it by the crown, keep it in milk or saliva, and try to be seen within the hour.
Questions patients ask
How many dentists are listed in Clairemont?
Thirty six dental practices are listed in Clairemont, across ZIP codes 92117 and 92111. Twenty six are general dentistry, and the specialist listings cover periodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery and orofacial pain. Nineteen of the listings are on Genesee Ave and 14 on Balboa Ave, so most sit along two roads.
Is there a pediatric dentist in Clairemont?
No pediatric dentistry practice is listed inside Clairemont. The nearest listings are elsewhere in San Diego, about 2.0 miles away, where the registry shows 116 pediatric practices. Many general dentists in Clairemont will also see children, so it is worth asking your own practice what ages they treat before traveling.
Can I get a root canal in Clairemont?
There is no endodontics listing in the neighborhood, but many general dentists carry out straightforward root canals themselves, so ask yours first. If the tooth needs a specialist, the nearest endodontics listings are about 2.0 miles away elsewhere in San Diego, where 78 practices are recorded in the registry.