Dental Center of Redondo Beach: Alen Gharibian, DDS

Dental Center of Redondo Beach is by far the best dental office I’ve ever been to! From their office staff to the dentist himself, I don’t think I’ve ever had a more professional and comprehensive dental service in my past. Dr. Alen Gharbian and his staff professionally greeted me and took care of all my dental needs, including my crowns, implants and veneers. I am so in love with my veneers; I get a compliment everyday from my beautiful smile! I am so happy with this office and staff!!!

**UPDATE: I understand that it is still limted coverage with dual PPO and that co-​pays cannot be waived but my concern was WHY THE AMOUNT I WAS BEING CHARGED WAS THE SAME AS THE SINGLE HMO COVERAGE THAT «DIDN’T COVER MUCH» THAN THE «TWO VERY GOOD PPO COVERAGES» according to YOUR STAFF! YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT THE ONE HMO COVERS THE SAME AS TWO PPOS AND I SHOULD BE CHARGED THE SAME! I FOUND IT RIDICULOUS THAT I WAS BEING CHARGED THE SAME AMOUNT BOTH TIMES DESPITE IMPROVEMENT OF INSURANCES! ALSO, regardless of the discrepancies of insurances it does NOT excuse the RUDENESS received from your biller!!**
I started to go to this dentist last year because my HMO insurance assigned me to them. My first impressions was that this was a good, clean facility with modern equipment and would be a good place to have my dental work done.
At my first visit, I was told extreme amounts of co-​pays starting at $ 350 and more. I was told that it was this expensive because I had HMO insurance and that it barely covered anything. I was told that I needed to be put in a «gum treatment» and that it would cost starting at $ 350 per visit. I told them that I will come back after I changed my insurance since I could not afford those extreme co-​pays they were charging.
Fast forward to this year. I finally got my PPO dental insurance not from just me but from my husband so we both are covered by TWO PPO dental insurances. I go and make my appointment, the whole time the person I’m talking to tells me that I shouldn’t have co-​pays because of my DUAL PPO coverage. I keep asking before I go in for my appointment because since I now have very good dental insurance the co-​pays should NOT be so high.
I arrive to my appointment yesterday 1÷26÷16 a half hour BEFORE my appointment time and that is when everything started to go bad. The receptionist was very nice and friendly and again before I get seen I ask if I will have co-​pays because of my DUAL PPO coverage, she says I shouldn’t because BOTH my insurances are very good.
I get brought to the back for x-​rays and a perio charting by the hygienist (who was also friendly but seemed like she was trying to «sell» me services). The hygienist then goes on to tell me again that I need «gum treatment» and calls the biller/​coder Zohran to tell me what is needed. Zohran then proceeds to tell me that WITH my insurance my co-​pay starts at $ 350!!! I was in disbelief that I would have to pay this much because it was the same co-​pays as my HMO insurance! She begins to tell me that the treatment program comes with an electric toothbrush that the insurance will not pay for. I ask if I really need an electric toothbrush and if it was medically necessary and she stated that it was part of the program. Then I proceed to tell her that I will need another opinion because this is ridiculous that I am being charged the same with DUAL PPO insurance as I am with HMO insurance. I declined the service and she said ok but started to get a bit of an attitude.
I then wait for the doctor who does NOT show up until 1 hour and a half AFTER my appointment time so I have already been at this office for close to TWO hours. Then he quickly checks my teeth and says yes you have these fillings but he wants to SPREAD OUT the treatment, at this point it is clear to me that this office is all about trying to squeeze money out of you NOT provide proper efficient care. At this point I am just trying to get out of there because I have had enough from these people and them trying to take advantage of me.
As I go to leave Zohran tells me I have more co-​pays for the fillings and that they will collect it on my next visit before I get the fillings done. She just throws out random pricing and it is clear that she just came up with that price because she felt like it, her demeanor and the fact that she didn’t look anything up OR didn’t even listen to what the doctor said needed to be done showed that she just came up with that pricing. Just to get out of there I make an appointment for my visit and as I drive home I cannot believe that a dentist office can behave in such a manner.
Today, I called the office to cancel my appointments and Zohran asks why and I tell her that it is ridiculous at how much of a co-​pay they are trying to get me to pay considering I have TWO PPO insurances that they will be billing for the work that needs to be done. Zohran becomes very rude and upset at me and hangs up on me.
I will NEVER go to this dentist again and I suggest no one else does also. This place tries to squeeze every last penny out of you regardless if you have insurance or not. My insurances was going to pay thousands of dollars for the work that needed to be done and this company could not help it but try to squeeze a few hundred more dollars from me. They lost all that my insurance would have paid them just so they could try to squeeze a few more bucks out of their patient. Bad business ethics and practices.

Don’t waste your time and money. The place is nice and clean. It’s easy to get an appointment with them. The doctor is always in a rush and showed no interested in my concerns.
I had white fillings from him about 6 months ago and 2 of them starting to cracked/​chipped. Will have to pay out of my pockets to fix them because insurance wouldn’t pay for same service on same tooth in a 2 years period. The color of the fillings don’t even match my natural teeth color. It’s patchy and unprofessional. He might know what he’s talking about but he can’t even do few simple fillings right. Imagine what else he can do wrong…
Like the other reviews, I feel like they always pressure me to spend money or they charged a lot for their services. They billed my insurance for things that I didn’t get done. The receptionist lady is nice but the billing lady is rude and doesn’t listen to what I had to said.
Not coming back.

STOP!!! STOP! Before you go here ~ Please read: I went in to get a filling repaired, I was told I needed a crown. I’ve never had a crown before, so it was all new to me. I was told I grind my teeth (which I don’t) and that I needed a special mouth guard. I was told I needed a tooth pulled. I was told my gums bleed, so I needed gum treatment. I didn’t know when they were going to stop. They kept throwing out made up problems that they could bill me for. I decided that I would start with the crown since that’s what I came in for. The Biller/​Coder, Zohreh, came into the room with unprofessional handwritten notes on a legal pad to quote me their prices. It made me wonder where they got these prices that seemed to be made up on the spot. She said that my crown was not covered by insurance and it will cost me $ 800. Now remember, I never needed a crown before and didn’t really know what the costs were and if it was covered so I just believed her. I paid for the crown right away, then I got a temporary crown put on. I was in such pain from the back of my face to the front of my face. During 3 more visits to this Dentist I was given a prescription for an antibiotic, 800mg Motrin, and a mouth rinse to try to stop the pain. While still in pain, he put on my permanent crown. I was sorry I ever went here in the first place. I could go on and on, but the worst thing about this experience was that I spent $ 800 for a top of the line crown and found out later that I could have gotten a porcelain crown. With insurance, I would have only paid $ 200 but I was never given any other options. To top every thing off, I was told that I should have never been given a permanent crown with all the pain I was feeling because what I really needed was a root canal. I went to a different Dentist who knew what he was doing and I did get that emergency root canal. They drilled a hole right into my $ 800 crown to get to the root. Please don’t go here — they are worse then used car salesmen!

The front desk lady is amazing! Always smiling and very polite. The dentist is also very nice. My biggest problem is that every time I go in they try to sell you on something. Oh, you need a mouth guard that’s not covered so it’s $ 600. Your gums are bad, you need this $ 150 toothbrush and treatments for $ 400. It really shows how much they’ve been gouging people because the tools and appliances have gotten extremely upgraded over the last 2 or 3 years. If you still choose to go here be prepared to be told (not asked) that you need something and that it will cost you a couple hundred of dollars.

Would never go back!!! Can’t stand Zohreh! My husband stopped going after first visit because he felt like they are «push you to spend money» he also felt that cleaning of his teeth was terrible! I went there few times after and was hoping to «like that place» after my last visit in changing dentists because now they want me to spend 650 dollars to just clean my teeth!!! Just hope one day someone will sue them so they will get punished for ripping ppl off! Oh and some work that doctor did on my husband and I we hated!!! Wish I never went there in a first place!

worst Dental office (or any office for that matter) that I have ever been to

Where to even start.
Dr. Gharibian is nice, he is professional and thorough and kind. His front desk receptionist is also very kind. The hygentists vary — some were some weren’t but since they are mostly new grads that’s to be expected.
My rating stems from my interactions with what I will call the Biller/​Coder, Zohreh. I work with billers and coders on a daily basis. I understand that the code submitted is to represent the service you received and why it was needed. In my personal opinion, Zohreh shouldn’t have any position with Dr. Gharibian; she is rude, condensending, doesn’t listen, and basically I would like to believe she doesn’t understand how to code. I say this only because if she does understand how to code she is intentially miss coding.
Why do I say this? I will use only one example although I do have multiple examples.
During a check up I am found to have an issue with my gums pulling away from my teeth. On one specific tooth the depth is 9mm — normal is maybe 3−4mm. The suggestion is made I try this new program that will help gum disease. Zohreh tells me my insurance will not cover the cost of this program so the full cost is my own; it totals $ 650 out of pocket.
My daughter goes to the same dentist. At her appointment my daugher is asked if she wants this program to help keep her gums healthy. Her cost is $ 450. When my daughter called to ask me what I thought about her paying $ 450 for this treatment I of course ask why it was only $ 450. She tells me it’s because she was told insurance would cover $ 200 of the cost.
Here are the simple points:
My daughter is covered under my dental insurance.
My daughter did not have any gum issues
My daughter’s cost was $ 450 for treatments
I do have gum issues
My cost was $ 650 for the treatments
When I ask Zohreh why she hasn’t billed my insurance for this treament plan, she tells me she did and continued to basically tell me I didn’t understand what she was doing. Well my guess Zohreh is you don’t understand what you are doing. Those simple points above make that extremely clear.
I am never returning to a great dentist because of this person. I have had this occur before and let it slide because it was 60 buck here and there. Now… can’t do it. This to to blatant. If you can’t trust the person who is submitting your insurance claim… it’s time to leave. Sorry Dr. Gharibian — if you ever consider getting rid of her, I would come back.

This place is awful, ripped
Off place. I could of hiring a lawyer to sue this place. I brought my sister for veneers they charged her for veneer price total almost $ 6,000 in cash. They end up made her all crowns and they look real fake. When we ask them just to fix them make them look real and thinner look they brought up all excuse. The lady that work on the teeth whitening is horrible always tried to fight doesn’t have any customer service at all. We end up walked out with unhappy result. I feel so sorry for my sister wasting money is ok but ruined 6 of her real front teeth and look real fake when she smile that’s break my heart.
Listen doctor douchebag don’t say it’s my sisters fault you told us everything we wanted to hear at the evaluation. If it wasn’t possible or other things needed to be done than don’t make false suggestions or promises.

Awesome dentist, insurance covers most cost. I like that they show me what is wrong on the photos ahead of doing work. I don’t know about the complaints I see in other reviews. I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to many things and Dr. Gharibian seems to verify and show me before we move before. The one thing that stands out to me is that Dr. Gharibian seems to always says please and thank you to his hygienists — a little thing, but respect for his people is a good indicator how one can expect him to respects his patients.

I am one of those that hate going to the dentist because I always associate it with pain. I want to thank Dr. Gharibian for giving me a pain free experience and changing my mindset on dental office visits.

I went for my annual checkup yesterday. The wait was only 5 minutes. The dentist and hygenist both remembered me from my last visit. The cleaning and buffing was pain free. I was in and out within 30 minutes.

I was in a bad place with my mouth. Hadn’t gone to the dentist in years. Then a buddy of mine recommended Dr. Gharibian and I’m so lucky they did. The Dental Center of Redondo Beach made me feel so comfortable with all that equipment. Yeah, maybe I should have taken care of my mouth a little bit better, but one learns with time. I was scared. What can you do? That’s not the case anymore. I go back twice a year for a teeth cleaning and other bits and bobs. They guy makes me feel at ease. He’s a chill doc. Really happy I made the right choice. If you need dental help give Dr. G a ring. Awesome guy.

I was hesitant when Blue Shield HMO assigned me to this practice… After today’s visit I am very happy. The front desk lady is super nice and friendly. The office is lovely and spotless.
Dr. Gharibian was very professional, thorough and kind. I did not feel ‘sold’ to at all, like some reviewers felt. He told me my gums were in great shape (unlike my last dentist who tried to get me to spend $ 600 filling them in). He filled a cavity I already knew I had. He was extremely perfectionistic about the filling and later told me he gave me some grooves, since I had ground my teeth flat. I really appreciate this extra touch. Next to the visible cavity was something that looked suspicious, so he took care of that at no extra cost.
He didn’t obnoxiously point any of this out, btw. I just deduced the work done vs. what I paid. I also very much like that. My last dentist made a big deal about every little thing she did and it was very annoying… especially since the work wasn’t impressive. Dr. G’s work seems very through.
My hygienist made me laugh the entire time and is very good at her job. I felt my teeth were cleaned and polished with great care. The only hiccup is that all my x-​rays that I had taken were not able to be saved because of some computer error. They had to take a screen shot of my x-​rays and print it out on paper. Oh well, I am not that concerned about it. The doctor thought everything was fine.
I felt very comfortable and most importantly, I feel like my teeth were cleaned perfectly. This was a very pleasant trip to the dentist. I am soooooo happy I switched practices.

I recommend Dental Center of Redondo Beach. They were friendly and affordable.

Friendly staff. Fast service. Prices are decent as well.

I used their deal on dental cleaning x-​ray and exam for $ 120. I am happy with the results. Will recommend to others.

Just wanted to say how much I appreciated the Dental Center of Redondo Beach. I have to say I was a bit skeptical based on reviews but really had not choice as it was an emergency and I was out of the area from my regular dentist.
Very nice and comfortable atmosphere and reasonably priced as well. Thanks guys

I absolutely love this place! I just moved here from Reseda, Ca and I needed to find a local dentist (a friend of mine recommended them, so I gave it a shot) I walked in and before I could sit they called me in, which is great because the previous dentist had us waiting for 30 min or so in a crowded waiting area with crying children… Even though we had an appointment! They took my x-​rays and the doc did my exam. The staff was very curteous very professional and the doctor is NOT pushy. He gets straight to the point, gives you options and lets you know what is most important and should be treated first. I cant wait to bring the rest of my family here. Great experience!

Update: after going to another dentist, it turns out I did not need this «deep cleaning» they told me I absolutely needed. did have to pay for a cleaning (which is pretty common in LA even with insurance I hear) but it was no where near the $ 400 quoted by Dental Center of Redondo Beach. I also didn’t necessarily grind my teeth (which they also mentioned). My new dentist said it was very hard to tell if someone grinds their teeth, unlike Dental Center of Redondo Beach which was absolutely convinced I grinded and needed about 1,000 accessories to stop the madness.