New & Returning Patients Welcome · Murrieta, CA

$20 Murrieta Dental Exam & Digital X-Rays

An honest look at your whole mouth — posted price, no insurance required, no upselling.

A Murrieta dental exam at Promenade Dental Care is $20, X-rays included. Dr. Bao Nguyen, DDS, checks every tooth, your gums, your bite, and screens for oral cancer, then hands you a written plan with real cash prices. That’s it. No surprise bill waiting at the front desk.

★★★★★ 200+ five-star Google reviews since 2010
Dr. Bao Nguyen performing a $20 dental exam and X-rays at Promenade Dental Care in Murrieta, CA
The Whole Exam, Not a Glance

What a $20 Dental Exam and X-Rays Actually Covers

A lot of Murrieta offices advertise a cheap exam, then the number quietly climbs once you’re in the chair. At Promenade Dental Care the $20 is the whole exam, and it’s a real one, not a thirty-second glance. Dr. Nguyen has been doing comprehensive exams since 2010, and he runs the same careful checklist whether you walked in for a cleaning or a second opinion.

Digital X-rays to find decay, bone loss, and infection the eye can’t see
A tooth-by-tooth check for cavities, cracks, and worn edges
Gum health assessment to catch early gum disease
Oral cancer screening of the tongue, cheeks, and throat
A review of your existing fillings, crowns, and old dental work
A bite and jaw evaluation for grinding and alignment issues
A plain-English summary of what’s healthy and what isn’t
Written cash prices before you agree to anything

Why the X-Rays Come Standard

Roughly half of all tooth decay hides between teeth or under existing fillings, where nothing is visible on the surface. That’s why the American Dental Association’s guidance on dental exams treats imaging as part of a proper checkup, not an add-on. Skipping X-rays to shave a few dollars means diagnosing blind — and the problems you miss are exactly the ones that turn into root canals later. Your affordable dental exam near me search should end at an office that includes the X-rays, not one that bills them separately.

Digital dental X-rays taken during a $20 dental exam and X-rays in Murrieta

Toothache, broken tooth, knocked-out tooth, dental abscess, or lost crown? Don’t wait for a routine slot. Call (951) 412-0127 — we hold same-day openings for our Murrieta emergency dentist line, including for patients with no insurance.

Doctor-Owned, Prices Posted

Why Our Dental Checkup in Murrieta Is Only $20

The short answer: Dr. Nguyen owns the practice. There’s no regional manager setting production quotas, no corporate script pushing treatment you don’t need. One dentist, one team, prices posted on purpose. A dental checkup Murrieta patients can actually afford is the front door to everything else — because the cavity we catch today at $20 is far cheaper than the crown it becomes in eighteen months.

$20
Exam + Digital X-Rays
Same price with or without insurance
$95
Ultrasonic Cleaning
Optional, gentler than old-school scaling
$0
Pressure to Say Yes
A plan, not a sales pitch

The exam and the $95 ultrasonic cleaning are separate line items on purpose. Keeping them apart is how the entry price stays at $20 — you only pay for the cleaning if and when you want it. Insured patients are welcome too: we accept all PPO plans and are in-network with Delta Dental PPO, Cigna, MetLife, Guardian, Aetna, and United Concordia, with CareCredit available for larger work.

The Cost of Waiting

What Skipping the Checkup Really Costs

Nobody puts off the dentist because they’re careless. Life gets busy, the tooth doesn’t hurt yet, and a checkup feels easy to postpone — until it isn’t. The CDC’s oral health data draws a straight line from delayed care to tooth loss, and we watch the local version of that line play out every month.

A filling becomes a root canal. A cavity caught at a $20 exam is a one-visit tooth-colored filling. Left for a year and a half, that same tooth often needs a root canal and a crown — several times the cost, and the kind of appointment nobody looks forward to. The whole point of a regular dental checkup in Murrieta is to keep small problems small.

An abscess is worse than a wallet problem. Infection from an untreated tooth can spread into the jaw and bloodstream, at which point it stops being a dental issue and becomes a medical one. If your face is swelling or you have a fever with tooth pain, call us now or head to urgent care tonight. Everything else on this page can wait; that can’t.

No Surprises

Your First Exam, Step by Step

Here’s the whole visit in advance, so nothing catches you off guard.

1. Book and tell us what’s going on

Call or book online. Mention any pain, sensitivity, or that it’s been a while — it helps us schedule the right amount of time and prep the room.

2. Digital X-rays, then the exam

Quick, low-radiation images first, then Dr. Nguyen checks each tooth, your gums, your bite, and screens for oral cancer. It’s a look, not a procedure — most first visits involve zero drilling.

3. You see what he sees

Your X-rays go up on the screen and he walks you through them in plain English — what’s urgent, what can wait, and what needs nothing at all.

4. An honest plan with prices

Every recommendation comes with its cash price in writing before you decide. Dr. Nguyen regularly tells patients not to treat something yet. You leave informed, not cornered.

Been years since your last visit? You won’t be lectured. A good share of the people who book this exam open with that exact worry. Dr. Nguyen cares about where your mouth is today and what it needs next — not how long it’s been.

The Same Dentist, Every Visit

The Dentist Doing Your Exam

Dr. Bao Nguyen, DDS, UCLA-trained Navy veteran dentist in Murrieta, CA

Your exam isn’t handed to a rotating associate. It’s done by Dr. Bao Nguyen, DDS, who has owned and run Promenade Dental Care in Murrieta since 2010 — the same dentist you’ll see at every visit after.

Doctor of Dental Surgery, UCLA School of Dentistry
Ten years as a U.S. Navy dentist, with deployments to Kuwait and Iraq
Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton
Member, American Dental Association and California Dental Association
Care in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese
Southwest Riverside County

Serving Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee & French Valley

The office sits at 26957 Date Street, Suite B4, on Murrieta’s east side where the 215 corridor meets the Temecula line. That puts a quality dental exam within a short drive for most of southwest Riverside County: straight up Winchester Road for French Valley and Winchester 92596, a quick hop off Clinton Keith for the neighborhoods west of the freeway, and an easy run for patients in Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, and Lake Elsinore.

French Valley in particular keeps adding households faster than it adds dentists. If you’ve moved into one of the new builds off Winchester and you’ve been putting off finding a dentist, the $20 exam is a low-stakes way to start.

Mon9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tue9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thu9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Fri9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
SatBy appointment & emergencies
SunClosed
Promenade Dental Care office near Aldi in Murrieta, CA
In Their Own Words

What Murrieta Patients Say

Dr. Nguyen has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews since 2010. A few, in their own words:

Read all Google reviews

Straight Answers

Murrieta Dental Exam Questions, Answered Straight

How much does a dental exam cost in Murrieta?
A comprehensive dental exam with digital X-rays is $20 at Promenade Dental Care. That price is posted for everyone, whether you have insurance or not, and it covers the full exam and the X-rays Dr. Nguyen needs to check what's happening below the surface. There's no obligation to schedule any treatment afterward.
What's included in the $20 dental exam and X-rays?
Your $20 covers digital X-rays, a tooth-by-tooth check for decay and cracks, a gum health assessment, a bite evaluation, an oral cancer screening, and a review of any existing fillings, crowns, or old dental work. You'll finish with a written summary of what's healthy, what needs attention, and the cash price for anything Dr. Nguyen recommends.
Do I need dental insurance to be seen?
No. Promenade Dental Care welcomes patients with and without insurance, and the $20 exam price is the same either way. We accept all PPO dental plans and are in-network with Delta Dental PPO, Cigna, MetLife, Guardian, Aetna, and United Concordia. For patients paying out of pocket, CareCredit financing is available and cash prices are quoted up front.
How often should I get a dental checkup?
For most adults, a dental checkup and cleaning every six months is the standard the American Dental Association recommends, because that's the window in which small problems are cheapest and easiest to fix. If you have gum disease, a history of frequent cavities, or other risk factors, Dr. Nguyen may suggest coming in more often.
Does the dental exam include a cleaning?
The $20 fee covers the exam and X-rays. A professional cleaning is a separate service, priced at $95 for our ultrasonic cleaning. Keeping the exam and cleaning as separate line items is how we keep the entry price low and honest, so you only pay for the cleaning if and when you want it.
Why do you take dental X-rays at the exam?
Roughly half of tooth decay hides between teeth and under existing fillings, where the naked eye can't see it. Digital X-rays let Dr. Nguyen catch cavities, bone loss, infections, and abscesses early, while they're still small and inexpensive to treat. Skipping X-rays means diagnosing blind.
Are digital dental X-rays safe?
Yes. Modern digital X-rays use a very small fraction of the radiation of older film systems, less than you'd absorb on a cross-country flight. We follow ADA and California guidelines on frequency and only take the images that are clinically useful for your care.
I haven't been to a dentist in years. Will I be lectured?
No. A good share of the new patients who book this exam open with that exact worry. Dr. Nguyen cares about where your mouth is today and what it needs next, not how long it's been. You'll get a plan, not a scolding.
Can you see me the same day if I have a toothache?
Usually, yes. We hold same-day slots for patients in pain, including people we've never met and people without insurance. Call (951) 412-0127 first thing and describe what's going on, and our emergency dentist page explains what counts as urgent.
Do you see children for dental exams?
Yes. Promenade Dental Care is a family practice, and Dr. Nguyen sees kids, teens, and adults. A child's early visits shape how they feel about the dentist for life, so we keep them gentle, unhurried, and free of surprises, with parents welcome chairside.
Where is your office and which areas do you serve?
We're at 26957 Date St, Suite B4, Murrieta, CA 92563, just off the 215 on Murrieta's east side. Patients come to us from Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, French Valley, Winchester, Wildomar, and Lake Elsinore, most within a short drive up Winchester Road or Clinton Keith.

Book Your $20 Dental Exam Today

An honest look at your whole mouth, X-rays included, for $20 — no insurance needed and no pressure to say yes to anything. Start here.

(951) 412-0127 Call Promenade Dental Care