George D. Lim, DMD Inc. – Echo Park

I have an appt on Friday, I’m looking forward to my deep cleaning. It was my first time seeing a dentist in a long time and I felt comfortable, the staff was very nice and the dentist is nice too.

I got 1 root canal and 2 crowns done by Dr. Lim. One in 2011 and one in 2012. both of the crowns are not satisfactory.
The first crown moved within a few days of putting it on so there was a gap where food always gets stuck between the teeth and so it was (and still is) constantly infected and he refused to redo it after he already redid it twice because he clearly couldn’t seem to get it right and that’s somehow my fault… I should have gotten a lawyer involved right away.
I had already paid 1000 $ for the crown and I was told to that REDO it would be $ 650 just a few days later. CLASSY
Then that same crown actually chipped a few weeks later so he agreed to redo it but it’s still getting food stuck in the gap between the crown and next tooth. Clearly he is not able to get it right even after the 3^rd try. and how much pain I had to go through for nothing.
Now the OTHER crown has also chipped and broken and so I went into the office today. Well I got a big NO from the front office when I went in because it’s from ²⁰¹¹⁄₁₂. I asked my other dentist who I now go to and they said industry standard is 5 yrs to redo a crown if it breaks. it’s been 3 – 4 years.
3000 $ for 1 root canal and 2 crowns should last longer than 3 – 4 years. Both my crowns and my root canal (which is now infected) will need to be redone. $ 3000 down the drain. I will be lawyering up after their response of simply turning me away today.
*ALSO I took out a Care Credit account here to make payments on the $ 3000 and was a victim of fraud due to opening that account. There was a second mystery care credit account opened in my name after the real one I opened. The second one had someone charging 700 $ to an animal hospital in Rowland Height CA. An inside job of some kind either at this office or the Rowland heights office because there is no record at the animal hospital of the charges ever being made. Finally my credit is cleared up.

Super friendly. Wait time is not too long. And they do an awesome job cleaning your teeth. They have a really cute kids room too. So your little ones aren’t terrified when they go to the dentist.

What a great experience and great staff. I love to be back again.
I will see you soon.
THANK YOU.

This rating is coming from someone who is terrified of the dentist… TERRIFIED!!! But I have been coming to Dr Lim’s office for a few years now, and they are beyond amazing with the nervous adult type (yes, I am a complete whimp) and they are just as wonderful as they can be. I have gone to them for an extraction (a tooth casualty from a terrible dentist in Silverlake), a bridge (another repair from aforementioned horrible dentist), a cavity, and I will be returning soon to have my wisdom teeth extracted. While I am not looking forward to this, I know I am in good hands, and trust them completely do what needs to be done for a healthy set of choppers. No more, no less, and absolutely no price gouging. Always reasonable, and willing to work with you. I’ve been so satisfied with Dr Lim, I even bring my young daughter to the office to keep her on the right track of dental hygiene. Thanks guys :)

I wish I would have read the reviews on here before going to these crooks. The staff is unorganized and have tried to charge me for work that was not done or had already been paid for. I am in the middle of multi-​month headache trying to get money back from them for work I did not have done. Their account manager, Theresa, is absolutely awful. When explaining things to you she does in a manner that is intentionally confusing. I am a smart, educated professional but I am not a dentist or insurance broker so DO NOT talk to me like one. Once this ordeal is over I will never go to them again. I suggest you do the same. This has been an utter nightmare and I am a second away from getting my lawyer involved.

Just a follow up, went to my dentist that I’ve had for years back east and he looked at the same xrays Lim gave me, he saw one cavity whereas «DMD» George D. Lim said I had 9… Nice try, pal! scam scam scam scam scam

I’m about 99% certain that this guy scams his patients. I wish I had done some research before choosing a dentist, but I’ve always had great/​trustworthy dentists so I went with one who was close to my home without much thought.
I’ve had three total cavities in my entire life (I’m 26), had braces, and zero dental problems otherwise. I brush and floss regularly, drink no soda/​juice, not much candy, etc. The last checkup was with my family dentist a little over 6 months ago and there were zero problems and they even said I do a great job brushing, which is the usual checkup for me.
I went to Dr. Lim a few weeks ago for a checkup. First they did X-​rays, which was normal, as expected. Then, without cleaning my teeth first, Dr. Lim proceeded to glance in my mouth with nothing but an air syringe (to dry the tooth) and call out cavities. He used no probing tool or any other instrument throughout the entire appointment. The usual method is to use tools to examine normal trouble spots and check them for soft spots that indicate tooth decay. This did not happen and I was immediately weirded out by his diagnosis that I had 4 cavities. I have no tooth pain, but I know that small cavities can be detected with the probing tool, however this did not happen. There is no way that he found any cavities by glancing in my mouth for all of 30 seconds with nothing but air.
Dr. Lim’s assistant took photos of the alleged 4 cavities and showed them to me on a screen. This seems to be the method by which he convinces his patients that he is telling the truth. I questioned him, because all I saw were coffee/​tea stains and the normal grooves in my molars, which would disappear after the polishing. He brushed off my questions and immediately tried to get me to pay for fillings that day. He also demanded that I purchase a nighttime bit guard to prevent tooth grinding. I do not grind my teeth. I have never had any jaw discomfort or headaches, and my teeth all have sharp edges. Plus, my regular dentist never had any concerns about this, so this was a very strange diagnosis coming from Dr. Lim, who barely even looked in my mouth. I declined to have the fillings or the night guard because I felt extremely uncomfortable with his diagnosis. I got my teeth polished, which went fine, and now there are no visible stains, as expected.
I paid for the services and immediately looked him up on Unilocal and saw multiple people had experiences very similar to mine. To be frank, I think that this guy takes advantage of his main clientele, who, given the location, tend to be lower on the income and education scale and may not have much experience with an honest dentist. He gives them bogus diagnoses and gets them to pay for procedures they don’t need. Unfortunately, my insurance only covers two visits per year so it may be a while before I get a second opinion. When that happens, I’ll update this post. Until then, I’m going with my gut. This guy is a crook, please look elsewhere.
**1/​27/​16 Followup**
FYI, my teeth look/​feel great and I still don’t have any cavities or grind my teeth. I hope someone with more time on their hands reports this guy to the ADA so he gets his license taken away.

I been here several times and the dentists are really nice, they explain every procedure and the cost before moving forward. Which your dental insurance tells you to ask before signing any paperwork and moving forward with any procedure. I also bring my two daughters and they make them feel conferrable. Will recommend to others. And staff is very friendly. No sales women every approached me :)

Ok, So I have been to this location on more than one occasion, Let me just say that The staff are very knowledgeable and polite. I have never had a issue with waiting here. There waiting room is big bright and filled with magazines to occupy your time that goes by quickly. My Daughter was at a previous Child Dentist and moving to this place has been a stress free experience.

I had tooth that needed a root canal. Got an emergency root pulled out and they left a big hole in my tooth and told me to come back to finish if, then when I came back to actually get it finished I was under the impression that is was being finished without the crown. Then came to find out they were only gonna do the root canal and no post for the price they told me, I’m walked out. Cuz it was gonna be another $ 275. All they care about is the money these dentists. Looking for an honest dentist now.

BEFORE I WENT FOR A SECOND OPINION
In a previous visit at another dentist, I had a thorough cleaning and examination which indicated no issues. Fast forward to Dr. Lim’s office, and I’m told I have several cavities that required a couple thousand dollars of work!
I’m going to reserve judgement on Dr. Lim’s office until I get a second opinion.
All too suspicious. I floss, rinse with Scope, and am very careful with my teeth. I left the office with no further work done.
There was other suspicious behavior. E.g., Why did they make me sign a waiver when I refused to do an x-​ray, and then later absolutely insist that I get an x-​ray done when I already had one done within the year? Why does the hygienist also answer phones at the front desk? Why was another administrator acting like such a sales woman? She became increasingly curt as I asked more questions. Why wasn’t Dr. Lim himself doing the procedure? In fact, why wasn’t he in the office? And this was the first time ever I’ve seen a «consultation room» at a dentist office that acts like a sales office.
One monitor facing the patient, and a second monitor facing the sales woman. She points out all the areas that seem to justify fillings and root canals. I refused to let them do more. And when I said I’d get second opinion, the woman seemed to backtrack and said, «Well, if you go elsewhere, they may tell you something different. It may be less (or more) than what we’re saying you need to do.» So they went from being so sure I was in dire need of help, to now saying it was a subjective opinion? Hmmmm.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
AFTER I WENT FOR A SECOND OPINION
They’re a scam for sure. I went to another dentist in the west side for a second opinion. My so-​called 13 cavities were in fact stains. I asked him if he was sure. He showed me photos, pointed out the stains, and even explained that if they were truly cavities, they would be «sticky» to the dentist tool. After the cleaning, he showed me the photos again. The dark lines were gone.
At first, I gave 2 – 3 stars to give Dr. Lim’s office the benefit of a doubt. But their exaggerated assessment is so outrageous, I’m angry that they wasted 2 hours of my time away from work, billed my health plan for x-​rays I didn’t need, and gave me attitude when I said I was going for a 2^nd opinion. I have a stellar health plan through my company, which is a very well-​known one. That must’ve made me a prime target.
Dr. Lim himself did call me, seemed like a pleasant and affable guy, and offered to do the check-​up himself. Apparently, he had heard about my leaving their office for a 2^nd opinion. But it’s hard for me to be so forgiving. My time was wasted, and the money-​making operation here seems to cross ethics boundaries. His partner, Arlene Alcala, who runs the Eco Park office should be closely looked at. I haven’t had time to verify her credentials in the U.S. outside of her education overseas.

Please, please read before going to this dentist.
Por favor, traducir y leer antes de usar este dentista.
I bought a Groupon to get x-​rays and a cleaning done at this office. It had been 12 months since my last dental checkup and cleaning; the results of that visit in 2012 were that I had no new cavities or any other problems. During my visit to Dr. Lim’s, everything seemed normal until after my x-​rays were taken and a camera was used to check my mouth:
I was told to get out of the chair and head to an office, where I was seated and then had a brief meeting with a young girl who I perceived to be either an accounts manager or secretary (or both). She proceeded to tell me about my current dental health state, even though she wasn’t a dentist. She pointed to pictures of my teeth on a computer screen, telling me assuredly things like «see, this right here? See how it’s like, darker in color? That’s a cavity.» I’m not a dentist either, funny enough, so no, I don’t know how to read a picture or diagram like that. After pointing out everything that was wrong with my teeth (and there’s a lot, apparently), she told me I had FIFTEEN cavities. Fifteen. I told her, «isn’t that strange, since one year ago I had none?» She didn’t really have an answer for that. Then she handed me a treatment pricing plan, where my fifteen «cavities» totaled over $ 2500. Obviously skeptical, I passed on scheduling any further appointments.
I headed back to the dentist chair, where a seemingly nervous hygienist hurriedly cleaned my teeth. He kept looking behind him. Very odd.
PART 2:
A few weeks later, I was in DC and scheduled a check-​up with my father’s dentist who he’s been going to for thirty years. After x-​rays, an exam, and a cleaning (note: he said whoever cleaned my teeth at Dr. Lim’s did a horrible job)… I was told I have ZERO cavities, just like my dentist a year ago told me. Zero.
Don’t go here. Stay away.

Ok. So came here twice in the last week. I waited more than 1hr in the waiting room and another 2 hrs in the chair. This is the worst service ive ever experienced i will never come back here. Ever. All they keep telling u is 20 more minutes. 20 more minutes.

This office uses technology that I haven’t seen at many other offices. Everything is computerized so it is easy for them to look back at your records and such as x-​rays.
The office is cozy and all the staff are very friendly! Dr. Lim is a great doctor and he definitely knows what he is doing and also assistant Jonathan.
«Excellent office staff and professional services.»
One thing I don’t like is parking. There is no parking lot so, need to park at the street but there was a lot of parking spaces on street.

Dr. Lim has been my dentist for over 2 years. He is very knowledgeable, meticulous, & professional. He answers all of my questions & sets me at ease every time he has to do a dental procedure. His staff is very kind & helpful, & his office manager clearly explains all of the fees so there are no surprises. They always make me feel welcomed-It’s like being part of one, big extended family. Thanks Dr. Lim & staff!

I’ve been going to Dr. Lim for almost 4yrs and he is great! Trust me, I am someone who usually waits until I’m in extreme pain to go see a dentist but Dr. Lim always puts me at ease. He is very caring and really FUNNY, that helps. In fact everyone in his office is really nice and helpful. He did my veneers 2yrs ago and they look so amazing I could not be happier! No one really likes going to the dentist but honestly Dr. Lim is really great.

I was referred to Dr. Lim by a friend when I developed a problem with a tooth that I had had a root canal on. Every single person that I spoke with was SO nice, genuinely friendly, and very helpful.
Dr. Lim is by far the best dentist that I have ever been to. He was funny, comforting, and did a great job on the procedure. I didn’t feel like he was rushing to see other patients. He took his time and was just absolutely wonderful. Everyone on my way out was making sure that I was okay and that I had everything I needed. I truly felt as if I was in good hands and that the staff really cared about me and my well being.

Parents stop and don’t look any further.
Want a dentist that understands and is awesome with young one’s and adults.
Dr. George Lim is that doctor, my son as a toddler to present time (now 9 years old) looks forward to seeing Dr. Lim and along side is my teenager, my husband and I; as we won’t see any other dentist except Dr. Lim or one of his associates. I also highly recommend their orthodontics –Dr. Rozheh Babaan– that works within the same company and has the same high standards.
My daughter as a young one had a terrible experience with a dentist, yet when she was introduced to Dr. Lim, he took that fear away with simply communicating with my child and empowering her with positive words and explaining what he is going to do.
The waiting room, kids play area and the patient’s rooms are clean and decorated in a serene welcoming taste. The staff is courteous and informative, many thanks to Walter, Dr. Lim, Maribel, Jonathan, Patty and Allen.
And then we get that sincere special bonus…
on our Birthday’s you will also receive a direct call from Dr. George Lim wishing us a thoughtful greeting.
So what are you waiting for come and schedule an appointment, you will be presented with top, caring, quality service.
Best parking location if you do not find parking on the street, is across from Bank of America on Echo Park Ave. there is public parking.
Happy patients,
Betanzos Family

It was horrible, and it was not cheap!!! $ 500 and they said it was a discount. After 3 days my mouth is still bleeding from deep cleaning. I was numb before I could get out the chair and run. I was there 5 hours and had to stay in bed two days when I got home. I should have taken a hint when the dentist complained about wanting to be home. They took x-​rays. All she kept saying to the assistant looking at the x-​rays was Extraction, extraction, extraction… etc…etc…etc…you would have thought with all these «extractions» I would have been walking around with at least a little pain, which I wasn’t. …not even a little. save your $ 500 and/​or insurance and go some place else… You’re being warned here… stay away!!!