Richard P Mclaughlin, DDS and Paul K Upatham, DDS, MS

My wife and I own Omni Dental. We have referred hundreds of patients over the past 6 years with amazing results everytime! They are truly THE BEST ORTHODONTIC TEAM in San Diego! Every patient comes back with beautiful teeth and wonderful stories about everyone on their staff! We are extremely lucky to have these orthodontic masters here at Liberty Station!

Dr. Upatham is a super nice orthodontist! I remember how I hated getting my braces as a kid and both of my boys love him. He connects with my kids, has a gentle touch and the office staff is wonderful. We always get in and out with no delays, particularly since we go during school hours. I may also get Invisalign once the kids are finished with their treatments too!
Before leaving, make sure to grab a bite at the yummy Thai restaurant across the street as well!

Clean, organized, well mannered. Kind, helpful. Quality and care. Dr. Upetham and the dental assistant (technician) Hailey (or Hailee) were awesome with our 10 year old daughter and are almost done turning her smile into a work of art. Best in the business in the San Diego area.

I have had TMJ syndrome since 1970. I have had to wear a night guard since 1971. About 2010, my jaw was getting so bad, that I could hardly bite without pain. Luckily, my dentist referred my to the right orthodontist that knew my situation was special and that I needed to go to the best in the SD area: Dr. McLaughlin. While I was not sure, I did go and after listening what the Dr. was going to do, I knew he knew what he was doing. I was in treatment for almost 3 years but am so happy. I have been sleeping without a night guard for almost over a year and my jaw feels great. I could not be happier with the results. And the people in the office are sooooo great, that every visit was a delight and I always felt like I was the most important person in their practice. I would recommend these dentists and office with no reservation.

Best in the business… Kind… More than reasonable… Clean
Doctor McLaughlin is a Hidden gem

This is the greatest orthodontist office!!! The doctors are really great and everyone that works there is so kind and patient!!!

Sunset Cliff Ortho was recommended to both my husband and I years ago from separate doctors and for separate reasons. Small world? Not really. Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham are just that good.
Almost 2 years ago, I found out that I had bad joints and needed double jaw surgery for my overbite. I live in San Diego but my surgeon, Dr. Michael Gunson, is based in Santa Barbara. He and his partner, Dr. Arnett, are top of their field. I figured that if you’re going to have your face reconstructed, you should be in the best hands. They’ve worked closely with Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham on patients for years and recommended that I do the orthodontic side of the surgery with them; moreover, Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham parallel the surgeons in their expertise. It was a no-​brainer.
I got my braces on about a year and a half ago, had the surgery 7 months ago and got the braces off last week (best. day. ever.). It’s been a long journey that isn’t over yet but everything has gone SO smoothly and that’s due to the detailed attention I’ve gotten from these three phenomenal doctors and their staff.
I’ve been to countless offices that just want to churn through patients. It’s rare to find doctors that truly take the time to talk to you, know your case, communicate with other doctors and – most importantly – care. They care about their patients and it shows in their work. Even when every seat in the office is full and the doctors are swamped, when they come to your chair, they take their time to focus on YOU and are never flustered or rush.
Surgery and orthodontics aside, as an office, Sunset Cliffs Ortho is like a well-​oiled machine. I’ve never waited more than 5-​minutes for an appointment (and, as a jaw surgery patient, I’ve had a lot of appointments). From the receptionists (thank you Lindsay for your perpetual patience) to the orthodontic assistants (rock stars), the entire staff is professional, gentle, super friendly and genuinely cares about the patients. I’m on a first name basis with everyone and look forward to coming in; not because I enjoy dental work (ha!), but because it’s a happy, comfortable environment. When you go through something as extreme as jaw surgery, having an orthodontic team that you can count on means everything.
I continually tell my surgeon and Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham that they’re the «dream team,» and they laugh, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Without such phenomenal doctors, I wouldn’t have had this success. Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham are world-​class and I’ll forever be grateful for what they’ve done for me.

Our family experience with Dr. McLaughlin and Dr. Upatham has been outstanding. We were referred to them by my oral surgeon, Dr. Joel Berger, as being the best on the west coast for my needs. My teeth had to repositioned with braces in preparation for upper and lower Jaw surgery, followed by more braces while implants were put in. I now have amazing teeth and my jaws and teeth are all aligned correctly. I always felt comfortable and at ease with all the procedures I underwent at Dr. McLaughlins office.
We have continued to make the well worth it drive from North County to Ocean Beach for many years as my two children also received their orthodontic treatment from Dr. McLaughlin and Dr. Upatham. Gabriella (16 yrs) is now finished with all her treatment and my son (14 yrs) is almost done.
I am always amazed at how seamlessly the office is run, they really are a phenomenal team from the doctors to Mary (the powerhouse behind the scenes) and all the staff.
Thank for such great care!
Suzanne Baracchini

Over the past year I have had a case of UOM: unfortunate orthodontist maladies. I got my braces of 15 years ago and have had a permanent retainer since then. Last year it broke and I went to an orthodontist off Laurel St. I was worried because I had some movement in my teeth. He told me he could fix my retainer but could not do much about the alignment. However, how he «fixed» my retainer prevented me from flossing fully in between the teeth and plaque began to build up. Then. my retainer broke again!
Sad that my teeth were shifting and my smile changing I walked apprehensively into Dr. Upatham’s office. Everyone from the front desk to the dental assistants were super sweet, smiley, helpful, and educated with the questions I asked.
Not only was Dr. Upatham all of the above I also appreciated his honesty. I was considering the Invisalign removable retainers or the permanent retainer. He explained the pros and cons of both without bias and left the decision up to me which I was incredibly grateful for! Autonomy in health decisions without bias is incredibly important to individuals and families.
I ended up going with the removable retainer because a.) I can floss fully and b.) Dr. Upatham can work on my alignment issues!
Most importantly… it was super clean!
Thank you Dr. Upatham and staff you made all my smile’s day!

Great staff!!!

My son had a terrible overbite and we were referred to Drs. Mclaughlin and Upatham for braces several years ago. He also had a lot of gum tissue as his teeth had a lot of big spaces. After gum surgery and a full round of braces, his retainers didn’t seem to be doing the job (or my son wasn’t wearing them as much as he needed to…) I was never so surprised as when we returned to Dr Upatham months later and he said that we should put the braces back on again to make them right. He wasn’t willing to settle for anything less than perfection. He was patient and forgiving even when my son didn’t follow instructions very well. Because of Dr. Upathams exhaustive efforts, my sons teeth are beautiful. Every detail was attended from patient education to family involvement. It is a rewarding family experience at this practice and I recommend Dr Upatham to young and old alike.

My 7 year old’s overbite is causing her lower jaw to grow incorrectly and her dentist recommended orthodontic correction ASAP. We were hesitant as a terrible dental experience at age 5 made her very apprehensive.
Dr. Upatham really is a compassionate and caring man who has made this experience very easy to handle for the whole family. The staff is so friendly and extra gentle with her. They made impressions with little discomfort and lots of patience. Dr. Upatham explained the phases of treatment over years in a way that we could understand and value.
The spacers went in today with such a caring hand, though my little one had slight pain, she was skipping through the office on the way out. She is actually looking forward to getting braces — this from a girl whose eyes would well up at the slightest mention of an upcoming dental appointment.
The level of care and loving treatment we have experienced with both Dr’s Upatham and McLaughlin and their staff have virtually eliminated what was turning into a major dental phobia. They have eased us into this experience with love and compassion beyond our wildest expectations. We are now all looking forward to this multiple year experience which will result in a smile for our daughter as beautiful as her heart.
Thanks very much to the entire staff!

I have 2 children getting braces here. Staff is great as well as both dentists. They are always on time and never make you wait. They are very good at going over every detail with you. My children are very comfortable and leave understanding how to care for their mouth. I highly recommend coming here!

Hi, my name is Christopher Jong and I’m 33 years old, and only up until now I was able to have insurance coverage for the extensive work that needed to be done in coordination with my surgeon Dr. Londo at Kaiser and my orthodontics Dr. Mclaughlin and Upatham. I had this serious under bite and crooked teeth since I was 11 years old. For all my life I have lived with problems trying to chew and bite but because of them, I have a story to tell you.. .
It all started when I visited Kaiser to get an evaluation maybe 4 years ago in 2007. I had a serious under bite in which my lower jaw protruded out and almost every tooth was very crooked. I also had all 4 wisdom teeth still in that were pointed all toward my teeth. I couldn’t chew properly as only 2 – 3 back teeth would match up and I could not BITE at all… I always had to cut my food, even pizza. Many people thought I was weird and I looked different from the everyday person. Kaiser recommended that I go see Dr. Mclaughlin to get a consultation and see if he can work with Dr. Londo at kaiser, my surgeon. After a week or two of discussions, x-​rays, and diagrams, they accepted the task and my story begins here.
The road for the perfect teeth was long, painful, but worth every trip that I made to Dr. Mclaughlin. The entire staff was always friendly and concerned about making sure that I felt the least pain as I can. My process was hard to get all my crooked teeth straight after all my four wisdom teeth were removed. I went through series of upper expanders. I think a total of 4 had to be placed in and removed. It was the hardest thing I had to go through but I have to thank Dr. Upatham for coming in on Saturdays on his time to help me turn the expander because it was too hard to turn. He even accommodated my 12 hour a day work schedule to fit me in to see another orthodontic in Santee because I couldn’t make it in Point Loma because of my work hours. Dr. Upatham went above and beyond customer service to ensure that I received the perfect care even when I couldn’t make it in to the office.
After my upper jaw was expanded enough, I had Dr. Londo at Kaiser perform upper jaw surgery so that it can be expanded even further. Thereafter, I had braces placed on and waited for about close to 2 years for the teeth to be moved where they had to be for the final surgery. During this time everybody at Dr. Mclaughlin were always so gentle with all the work that had to be done and treated me like family. The day finally came for my surgery and I was recovering for over a month. It was not an easy road recovering and I will be honest, it was challenging with my teeth wired shut for 2 – 3 weeks and placed on a liquid diet. I looked like a blowfish, my entire face was swollen when I went to see Dr. Mclaughlin again so they can make more adjustments to the braces.
When I first walked in to Dr. Mclaughlin’s office, everybody gave me a warm welcome and was very surprised on how good I looked after the surgery (despite my swollen blow fish face), and I seriously felt so touched that I had to stop myself from tearing up. It was such a good feeling to be noticed for something so long that I waited for to be corrected by professionals and family orientated members of Dr. Richard P Mclaughlin and Paul K Upatham.
I have photos of the before and after, but I will leave it up to them to post it on their website. I believe they want to show my case and I’m honored to let them use me as a transformed patient from what I have gone through in my life for the past 20 years. My teeth are as straight as they can be and my jaw is perfectly lined up where it should be. And yes, I can bite into an apple now :)
* * * You guys are the best ever and have improved my life in which I wasn’t able to enjoy for the past 20 years. I thank you for putting this awesome smile on my face * * *

Dr Mclaughlin and Upatham are great! I am an adult who went to an orthodontist as a child for over 10 years. He was never able to get my bite or smile perfect. I was referred to Dr. Mclaughlin by my dentist, and was impressed. What a great experience. I had braces on for roughly two years (bringing my life total to 6 years) and they still provide check ups and help maintaining my great new smile. They are the best.

Ok I’ll admit it, I have a great smile as is. But I am a dentist, so I guess that makes me a little pickier than the average Joe when it comes to teeth! So you might ask, who does a dentist go to when she needs ortho?
I am new to SD and didn’t have any references. I did a lot of internet searching and chose this practice for several reasons. I loved that Dr. McLaughlin also teaches, researches, and is very active in an ever-​evolving profession. He has many years of experience and is associated with good organizations, universities, and has been published in reputable journals. On the other hand, I loved that Dr. Upatham, a more recent ortho grad, would bring fresh perspective and the most current ideas to the practice. Pairing the experience of one Dr. with the modern knowledge of a newer Dr. is usually a great combination in practice!
First impression can be everything– I made a call to the office and within minutes, easily had an appointment for my exam, even in that same week! Upon checking into the office I filled out a couple standard forms and was seen right on time. They got my pictures and x-​ray films done easily, and the young assistant was personable and professional. I was then ushered to the office where we discussed my expectations, but ended up chatting about everything :) Dr. McLaughlin then came in to do the exam. The exam was quick, thorough, and professional.
After the exam, Dr. M went over my proposed treatment plan with me. Funny, but he actually recommended that I DIDN’T have treatment! Even though I am a dentist and I understood it anyway, he took the time to explain different options and why each would or wouldn’t be beneficial. Though we won’t be moving my teeth, we did decide to make an appliance to help me from grinding and clenching my teeth. He then brought in Dr. Upatham for me to meet, who was also very nice and personable. Great all around team at this office!
I hope that my future visits at this practice are as good as the first.

Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham have made the orthodontic experience for my 8-​year old son really pleasant — I would’ve never thought of an orthodontist as a pleasant experience!
From the front desk staff who are very organized and pleasant to the billing/​treatment coordinator to the orthodontic assists — the office is very receptive and responsive to the individual patient needs.
Drs. McLaughlin and Upatham are concerned about their patients and the experiences that they have in their care and can manage the little ups and downs that each individual patient may have. I received a call-​back after leaving an after-​hours message on the emergency voice mail within 5 minutes.
I highly recommend the office to anyone who is looking into orthodontics for their child who expects high-​quality care in a caring environment with receptive and responsive staff.
Many thanks for the high quality care that you provide!
The Aiem Family

This is one of the most professional offices I have had the pleasure of associating with! Truly top-​notch, from the receptionists to the technicians (all wonderful!) and the doctors, all of whom make going to the orthodontist actually fun. They make getting appointments that work with my schedule extremely easy. I am in my mid-​40s with braces, and I am treated as an adult in a very modern, clean, and pleasant office, and not the juvenile surroundings I anticipated. Merry in accounting made the payment plan process easy, and I loved Dr. McLaughlin’s presentation of how the whole thing works and their ability to help you envision the results. The free water pik was a nice bonus too. I would highly recommend them for adults or kids orthodontia!

My 12 & 13 year olds have been patients of Dr. McLaughlin & Upatham since 2005. From your first visit with Merry, you are taken care of and explained the entire process your child will be going though. Their offices are clean and beautiful, their staff is always efficient, accomodating and very nice! I love how the personnel are always coordinated with their uniforms and how quick they are to get you in when you have a broken appliance. I would recommend Dr. McLaughlin & Upatham to everyone young and old.

People usually have no way of comparing orthodontists, because you choose one, go through the process once and you’re done.
I, however, have this tendency to moving around the country… so I’ve seen umpteen dentists, three orthodontic specialists, and half a dozen orthodontic surgeons. And although each orthodontist I’ve been treated by was incredibly competent and at the top of their field, I have to say that Dr. McLaughlin is by far the very best.
Dr. McLaughlin /​Uptham’s practice is extremely friendly, uses state of the art technology and both doctors are extremely knowledgeable. I’m one of those patients that have a complex case and asks a lot of questions, and each question was thoroughly answered. Dr. McLaughlin is also a teaching orthodontist, so he is always on top of the latest methodologies and literature.
The treatment coordinator isn’t always available when I called, but she always works with me to schedule flexible payments, and is very responsive to my requests. There are no hidden fees, the treatment fee is everything you pay, no extra surgical overlays or exam fees.
I love Dr. McLaughlin and Dr. Uptham and trusts their opinions without doubt. I would highly recommend them to ANYONE, including the most complex surgical cases.