Founded September 20, 2021 as the seventh location of a San Diego dental group built around walk-in availability and same-visit emergency appointments, the Hillcrest branch of Dental Express operates from 1060 University Ave under lead dentist Dr. Rachel Ryu. The University Ave clinic handles emergency dental visits, walk-in restorative work, and patients without dental insurance, while routing complex root canal cases to specialists such as Brian T. Quesnell, DDS - Mission Hills Endodontics. Pediatric services include caries-risk assessments for children ages zero to five, dental sealants, and fluoride varnish in addition to general adult restorative care. Surgical extraction cases requiring IV sedation or impacted-tooth removal go to oral and maxillofacial surgeons such as Dr. Jacob Taylor, DMD, MD rather than being attempted in the general operatory. Implant-retained dentures — the practice's most extensive multi-visit treatment — combine surgical implant placement coordination with custom-milled hybrid prostheses to replace full upper or lower arches for edentulous patients.