Terrence Lau, DDS

We’ve moved quite a few times and Dr. Lau is the 4^th dentist in 8 years. He is hands-​down the best! He is amazing with the kids. My oldest has been seeing the dentist for years, but my twins first experience was with Dr. Lau. They can be quite apprehensive of new experiences, Dr. Lau spent a lot of time talking to them and explaining all his equipment before he got started. The entire staff is very friendly and welcoming.
Besides his manner with the kids I have found him to be the most practical dentist out there. He’s in no hurry to fix your child’s teeth or push treatments like many other dentists. We know my oldest child’s mouth is going to need some major work, but Dr. Lau is simply giving us a head’s up for what’s to come, but not insisting I put braces on my 8yo or pull teeth, like some other dentists have insisted on.
And, I will say, it’s pretty crappy when clients bash a business bc they are irresponsibly delinquent in their payment of service. Also, anyone sensible will get an upfront estimate of charges before agreeing to have work done. Given the state of insurance companies these days, that’s just practical sense… again, bashing a business because you were billed for a service is ridiculous.

Review is mainly for billing.
In most cases, businesses will reverse a finance charge for a late payment if that was the first time. In this case, the billing department was unwilling to do that. This is especially the case with dental and medical offices since it takes awhile to get a bill because insurance needs to process it. In this case, Dr. Lau’s office was unwilling to do so.
I explained that we tried to call to pay the bill ON TIME but since no one picked up we overlooked the bill and that this was the first finance charge. Despite all of this, the office was willing to lose multiple patients over a measly $ 2.18.
This is very short sighted and unprofessional. Unfortunately, the billing staff does not understand that sometimes you need to be flexible to gain good, loyal customers and that will benefit the business in the long run.

Dr. Terrence Lau is a genius. His way with kids is fantastic. The surgery is unreal. It is purpose built for a kids dentist from the moment you enter the waiting room. It’s more of a living room with a non functioning fire place, a train table and two large bright red comfy couches.
The staff are super friendly and allow your child to play and get comfortable in the surroundings. Cannot say enough good things about Dr. Lau.

I know he already has a bunch of 5 star reviews but feel like i can’t not give him another great review. My 4 year old is actually exited to go to the dentist. He is incredibly patient and willing to take his time to build trust. Plus great facility (besides the USC shwag — Go Bears!).

Yes, the office looks fancy and the kids are extremely happy with the DVD and small toys. That’s why parents rate him 5 stars if they have 100% coverage by insurrance. I was pretty happy before until my husband becomes self-​employed and we have to pay almost every pennies out of our own pocket (insurance covers only a tiny bit). I was shocked when I received the bill of my 2 kids regular visit: $ 1022. I am not kidding! When I call the office and ask about it and the front desk told me Dr. Lau did the cavity treatment. Wait a minute! He didn’t even tell me before he did it! This is not OK. DONT GO if you don’t have good insurance coverage and they tell you nothing beforehand. Be prepared for the unrealistic billing.

This review is long over due. My kids have been seeing Dr. Lau for 3 years now and love him and his staff. Dr. Lau is very professional and knows how to work with children. My kids have no anxiety about their visit. They like the place and for me there is never waiting. We get seen on time.
Thanks for taking care of my kids.

This review is mostly regarding billing and lack of understanding by the front office. The office charges high prices ($ 300 for a routine checkup and cleaning for one child! New patient charges will probably be more since it’ll be a comprehensive charge). They don’t tell you how much it will be ahead of time, and very conveniently tell you they will just help you bill insurance. As for as the help and understanding after they’ve billed your insurance is a completely different story. routine checkups are covered by my insurance at 100%, but they failed to tell me they added flouride for my children, and that insurance doesn’t cover it.
My issue isn’t so much because of my insurance coverage, but with the lack of understanding and communication from the front office. They never informed me ahead of time I would have to pay an extra $ 100 out of pocket before performing services that should have been covered with a routing cleaning. It is the principle of clear communication and informing parents ahead of time that is very dissapointing, they never even told me each child would be charged $ 300 for a routine checkup! This way of doing business is NOT ok.
Full review is yet to be determined as I am awaiting speaking to the owner of the office, Dr. Terrance Lau. He is a good dentist, and I hope he can carry his great manner of handling children throughout the rest of his practice. But as it stands, the uncompromising and unprofessional front office outweighs the treatments themselves.

I took my 3.5 year old here for his first dentist appointment last week and we loved it! After filling out the standard forms my son got to pick what movie he wanted to watch from a huge list of current, age appropriate movies. They showed the movie on a flat screen mounted on the ceiling above the chair. The office is set up to accommodate the kids well and make them feel comfortable, even the bathroom had a mini toilet for my mini man. Dr. Lau was very thorough while explaining everything I could do to help prevent cavities and the inner working of my toddlers mouth. He explained everything he was going to do to my son before he did it and let my son touch all the utensils before using them to ensure he was comfortable. Plus at the end, my son got to pick two toys from a large box. I was so worried that if the first dental appointment did not go well my son would have a fear of the dentist for life, Dr. Lau helped my son love the dentist and he cannot wait to go back. Highly recommended!

What an amazing pediatric dentist! My daughter has been seeing Dr. Lau for a couple of years now and (I can’t believe I am actually going to say this but…) she asks me to make sure I have made the appointment every six months — she likes going! In what world does that happen!
One thing to note is that he is not in network for any insurance plans — so you will have to pay the out of network costs. His office does complete the insurance billing for you, however. You just pay the difference between his fees and what your insurance plan pays.
He is very thorough in his examination, answers questions seriously and completely, and takes a long term view of your child’s dental health.
I will not take my daughter anywhere else!

Brought my 8 & 9 year old boys to see Dr. Lau for the first time today. Not only is his office gorgeous and welcoming– but he was all about making everyone feel comfortable and relaxed. What a great trip to the dentist– such a relief. Yay for us.

All you need to know is my kids both call him Dr. WOW — he’s the best!

Just came back from his office. We moved to Burlingame a year ago and took quite a long time to find the right pediatric dentist for my two toddler boys. Interviewing and calling all possible pediatric offices for months totally paid off. All staffs from the receptionist and nurses were very friendly. Most of all, Dr. Lau took time to educate mommy how to prevent cavity and what we can help our kids’ health in daily life. He has a great passion for his job as well as a unique but great philosophy. And boys giggled and were very comfortable during the procedure.
Plus, beautiful + extra kid friendly office. I can see our kids grow up with Dr. Lau.

My two boys have never had a cavity. Perfect gums. They LOVE going to see Dr.Lau.
So do I!

My husband and I are very pleased with the attention and service that our daughter receives. In addition to the bells and whistles of toys and movies to watch, his office and staff are very warm and all have a natural rapport with kids. Dr. Lau has given great tips on how to prevent cavities as well as the importance of flossing for our daughter’s overlapping teeth.
Because of Dr. Lau and his staff’s great chairside manner, my daughter has no fear of the dentist and actually looks forward to her appointments.

I was referred to Dr. Lau by a close friend who has two kids. Dr. Lau is amazing with toddlers! I brought my daughter here at the age of two. At that appointment, he did the initial consultation with me and took a look at what was going on inside her mouth. At this appointment, she was very hesitant and did some crying. Today we went back for her second appointment, she is now 33 months old. Dr. Lau made her feel so easy. He counted her teeth, polished them and talked to me about what was going on. She was excited and had no problems.
My daughter gives me a hard time daily when I help her brush her teeth! To see how easy it was today was astonishing. Dr. Lau is truly in tune with kids and pediatric dentistry. She can not wait to go back! The office is totally kid friendly… trains, basketball court style hardwood floors, flat screen TV on the ceilings. Your child gets to pick a movie to watch when they get there. Makes them feel like they are super special. A++ to Dr. Lau and his staff.

This guy was horrible! The first initial appointment was a consultation, well it’s really a consultation with the parent and it should be with the child. He did not try to make my child feel comfortable in any way possible form. Dr. Lau only scared him.
The one thing that really urked me about Dr. Lau was that he tried to get my son (almost 4) to hold the mirror that goes into his teeth. When my son did not want to hold the mirror, Dr. Lau grabbed my son’s hand and tried to pry his fingers open.

Just called to see how much an initial exam is – $ 235 not including x-​rays? Seriously???

5 stars — as good as it gets! I was pleasantly surprised with our first visit to Dr. Lau’s practice. My 10yo daughter was overdue for a cleaning and a friend recommended Dr. Lau. I was concerned that his focus was towards a much younger age, but he related well to my pre-​teen. I liked that the waiting room was so pristine like a page from a Pottery Barn Kids catalog. I felt very comfortable on the banquette seating, and my pre-​teen found her inner toddler again by playing with the train table and foam building blocks along with Groovy Girl dolls — all stored in rolling drawers underneath the train table.
What I think sets Dr. Lau apart from others is his ability to relate to both child and parent and his ability to educate about dental health in layman’s terms — not condescending at all, not too clinical or cold. Ask him how cavities are formed and have him illustrate it on his magna doodle :)
He’s very personable and explains everything before he does anything to your child — showing the tool, what it does, how it feels. During the procedure, my 10yo watched a movie of her choice on a TV mounted on the ceiling. At the end she got to choose 2 prizes from a treasure chest. The check-​out went smooth as well — next 6month cleaning scheduled and pre-​addressed postcard they will mail to my daughter as a reminder. Other pluses include mailed new patient forms to complete prior to your appointment, parking garage underneath (limited spaces though), and they file your insurance forms for you. From today’s experience, I highly recommend Dr. Lau.
When we left, my 10yo turned to me and said, «I LIKE my new doctor!» She’s NEVER said that about any doctor. Later in the day, she told me that she couldn’t wait for her next appointment. Say what?! A kid actually looking forward to a DENTIST appointment?! For realz.
Now here’s what got Dr. Lau the 5^th star: he changed my flat tire! He’s not only a good dentist but a good Samaritan.

I’ve taken both my 6 and 4 year old here (my 6 year old for some fillings) and it’s been a fantastic experience. Dr. Lau’s chair-​side manner is fantastic, and he really relates well with kids. Not just for a dentist, but really well. Made both of them feel very comfortable with what was going on and, more importantly, made both me and my wife feel comfortable (which, as he explained, is more important than how he handles the kids … if Mom or Dad is nervous, the kid will be).
As you’d expect for a pediatric dentist, he has a good setup for kids — TV in the ceiling, a selection of movies for your kid to choose from. I like, though, that his office isn’t overblown with videogames and other super-​intense kid stuff. The balance of stuff allows Dr. Lau to build a relationship with your kid and educate them, instead of just sneaking in some dental work while the kid’s distracted.

My 5 year old son has already had to have some fillings and Dr. Lau and his staff were wonderful. I had bad experiences at the dentist as a child so I was extremely apprehensive. Dr. Lau explains what he is doing at every turn. The environment is open and kid friendly.
If you are looking for a dentist for your young child – he’s the one!