Ala Moana Dental Care

Haven’t gone to the dentist in years. Traumatic experience with another dentist. I went through Unilocal and found this establishment with great reviews. I had a bad tooth ache and needed a dentist right away. I walked in, so welcoming and relaxing. I went to get my xrays done; I was nervous as heck. After that I went to another room and waited for the dentist Dr. Komenaka. He explained everything to me and told me they would take care of me. Shortly a dental technician came in told me what she was going to do to help ease the pain. I was nervous, when she first started, I panicked and stopped her and told her I needed water. After that she started working on my teeth. Before you know it I was done! She told me I would have pain for a few days, eat soft foods for couple days. I do need to go back to have my wisdom extracted in a week. I love this place! They explained everything to me and the hours of operation fits in my schedule! I’m a lot calmer now; I couldn’t stop talking about this place to my husband and I recommended he change his dentist!

First of all i want to say the dr and the dental assistants are very helpful and professional. My complaint is with the front desk receptionist, i did not get her name because she was not wearing a name tag (I wonder why). The receptionist is the asian girl with blond highlighted hair and seemed to sit in the middle of the the three computers. Her attitude was nasty and she was either rude or just didn’t care to help at all. Twice I’ve been there with my wife and both times her attitude was atrocious. No smile no greeting she made it seem like you’re causing her great inconvenience to have her do her job. Your office seems to be a reputable place and my overall impression of your dental facility is positive but it is very important to have pleasant and competent front desk staff as they’re the first to see the patient and first impressions are very important. They can help make the decision between if one chooses to use your service or not. This particular girl is definitely not an asset and does not present your company in a positive way. I hope the office manager can have a conversation with her to have her trained on customer service and learn the meaning of aloha.

I just have to say today is the first time I’ve been to a dentist here in Hawaii and I had such a wonderful experience. I called last night because I chipped my tooth and looked hideous well when I called at around 6−7pm I was told I could come in tomorrow (today) needless to say I was shocked you would be open on a Saturday! The staff at the front desk were so pleasant and friendly, I got called back right at 6am to get seen (another plus) and the staff made me feel so comfortable. Dr. Nguyen is a fantastic dentist he was very down to earth and I actually felt like he cared about my concerns! He told me what options I had and what he thought would be the best plan of action would be. Unlike other dentists I’ve visited he didn’t tell me I had to go with the most expensive option, I never once felt pressured or pressed like I have done in other dental offices. I even got a cleaning after he fixed my teeth and Chris was so gentle. I have never had a cleaning and felt pain and discomfort free after. I am usually a very nervous patient at the dentist but your staff never made me feel any of that. I think the fact it doesn’t have that dentist smell is a good thing! It was most definitely worth the drive from Schofield Barracks.

On vacation, I chipped a crown during my third night in Hawaii, I contacted Ala Moana Dental Care the following morning and was graciously accepted to be seen early that morning! I saw
Dr. Komenaka who provided me with all my options. He was very professional and kind.
I told them if my dream of moving to Hawaii ever came true, they would be my go to dentist. Phenomal service! Mahalo anui loa Dr. Komenaka!

Dr. Devereux was amazing. Even the staff was very polite and comforting. I’m really grateful for him and his staff staying an hour after they were closed to finish extracting my tooth. I think her name is Leanne that was assisting him. I’m sorry if I got your name wrong. Plus she was so comforting and helped me thru this visit. I’m so happy with my result and I can’t wait to finish my work to see my final product. Mahalo to the entire staff and Drs there!

This is my first time with AMDC and I can honestly say that they are most definitely willing to work with you and your situation. I had to take my daughter in for her bottom left gum/​tooth she was complaining about the night before. I called around to about 10 dental offices and AMDC was the only office available on a Saturday with «SUPER COOL» hours and were able to take my daughter in. It was a bit of a drive from Makakilo but the friendly staff at AMDC made it all worth the drive with their professional communication throughout the whole process from beginning to end.
When we got in, which we were about 30 minutes late, we went through the small paperwork for insurance and my daughter was immediately seen by Dr. Inoue. I thought it was just cavities and she will need cleaning only to find out that my daughter needed a root canal due to a dead nerve around the area she was complaining about.
I was already nervous about the cost of such procedure but Dr. Inoue seemed more concerned about relieving the pain my daughter was going through — which was my main concern despite the cost. As I was trying to calculate the numbers in my head, Dr. Inoue referred me to Chad. When I was transferred over to see Chad who was in charge of the billing, I almost fainted when we went over my portion of the bill.
It definitely was around the ballpark that I was thinking off. After going through options with Chad, he said that he will be back as he has to discuss with Dr. Inoue. As I was sitting there trying to figure out how I’m going to pay for the bill ensuring my daughter gets the best treatment, Chad walks in with the best news in the world. He said, «we will accept any payment you can make today but Dr. Inoue will proceed with the procedure including crown and we’ll just collect the insurance portion». I almost didn’t believe what he said until he replied that your «thank you is enough». I reassured Chad that I will send in another payment the following week because I didn’t want to just not pay them.
Before going to AMDC, I was having a horrible day until Dr. Inoue and Chad along with the beautiful ladies in the front desk made it all ‘smiles’. I would most definitely recommend this wonderful place to anyone who is looking for convenience and professionalism in terms of dental care. The environment is also very clean with free WiFi and a lot of parking around the area and in the building.
Thank you Dr. Inoue and Chad for the best experience ever at a dental office and for relieving my daughter of the pain she was going through. You guys are awesome and God bless you all.

I heard about Ala Moana Dental Care when they co-​hosted a Unilocal elite party at Chai’s. They recently saved me since I needed to get my cleaning done prior to the end of the year. I was lucky to get an appointment on December 31. Two days prior to my scheduled appointment, I received a call confirming my cleaning.
They are located on the ground floor across the street from Shokodu. The waiting area is spacious and has ample seats for those whom wanted to relax prior to having their teeth worked on. If you check in on Unilocal,you get a 16oz bottle of BreathRx. Lori, my dental hygienist, was very friendly. Not only did she do a great job cleaning my teeth, she took pictures and showed me on the monitor areas where I needed to brush more. Dr. Komenaka gave my cleaned teeth a final look and I was good to go until my next annual checkup.
After this experience, I would definitely repeat and give them my business.

I decided to make an appointment for a WAY overdue teeth cleaning as a Christmas gift to thyself.
Most «normal» people wouldn’t treat themselves to a dental office visit. But, then there’s me. :)
The beautiful ladies in the front made me feel welcomed with their smiles &’ were also very sweet &’ soft spoken. Can’t say how many times I’ve met receptionist with no smile, stink attitude, &’ a nose in the sky.
Anyways, I was given the form to fill out &’ was actually quite happy it was straight to the point type of questions. I like that.
Filled it out, gave it back, &’ waited for my name to be called. &’ I must admit, I wouldn’t mind waiting for hours. the seating is comfortable &’ the office itself is just welcoming. :)
As far as the teeth cleaning went. The one who did it took her time, was very informative, &’ I definitely didn’t feel rushed out of there.
I’m actually looking forward to my next visits! Lol.

These are the best dentists ever! Not just that either, the front staff is always warm and inviting. The dental assistants are sweetest kindest people who actually care. I can’t imagine this group ever getting a complaint, they just care to much to do the best they can for their clients.
By the way they are open Monday to Sunday with extended hours every day till 8 p.m. I believe. In my three appointments so far I have waited for a combined 10 minutes. Awesome!
Did I mention before how much I hate going to the dentist! Honestly not anymore, this entire group has changed that for me!
Thank you,
Andre

This dentist office is super convenient for me. They are now open early in the morning until later at night, as well as Saturday and Sunday! I almost feel bad for the staff that they have retail-​type hours but I appreciate the service SO much! Because they have a lot of hygienists, if my schedule changes and I need to re-​schedule, it’s easy to find a convenient time.
The only word of caution I have is that if you do go to an early morning appointment, their parking garage may not be open so you may have to find street parking or park in Ala Moana and walk over. Still not a big deal for me if it means I can save myself a trip of having to drive into town on a day off so I recommend them.

Love my dentist! I am never waiting. They are always smiling and super helpful! Love them!

This place is fantastic! The staff is very friendly and accommodating. They have great hours, 6am-​8pm most days so you can work around your work or school schedules.
They actually comped my first teeth cleaning here because I didn’t have health insurance. They have their own insurance you can buy that’s $ 96 a year and covers two cleanings and emergency visits like the one in doing today. My tooth broke last night and they were able to fit me in immediately but I took the next morning appointment instead.
The offices are very clean and I feel comfortable here! It’s a great option especially for those without dental insurance!

Typed «Dentist» into Unilocal and this was the first item up, and with excellent reviews from a few Unilocal friends, I decided to give them a call to get a minor gum infection looked at.
They were able to take me in at around 6:30p, which was weird to be at a dentist in the dark, but definitely grateful that they were able to make in that day.
Staff was very friendly and communicated well. After a short form to get my medical info, I was seated by one of the assistants. After a couple of x-​rays and inspections, I was told by one of the dentists that I had a small gum infection and recommended a cleaning.
Dinging this place one star for really pushing for me to get a full cleaning because my insurance covered it. I explained multiple times that I had got a cleaning only 2 months prior and didn’t need it. I simply needed to get the area around the infection cleaned. But after going back and forth about it, I decided to just get the cleaning. Not a big deal, but I really didn’t like being pressured into doing the cleaning.
Another thing that kind of turned me off was that I was helped by 2 different dentists throughout the appointment. One in the beginning and one at the end. They were both very professional, but I figured, the original dentist that diagnosed me, should have seen it all the way through. I come from a small town where there was only one dentist for the office, so I’m not sure if this is a normal thing or not.
Overall, pretty good experience. They’re also open 7 days a week and even nights, definitely a plus for the working professional and I’d recommend this place to most people

If you need to have a wisdom tooth or any tooth extracted Dr. Mandich is a masterful ninja!
As with most people, I was nervous but Doc talked me through the process and before you knew it he was done. Didn’t feel a thing!

From entrance to leaving, this dentist is great. The receptionist are very nice & properly trained to help and accommodate your needs. You don’t wait too long to see a doctor, and they are very high qualified dental physicians. Not only that, but make sure you’re very comfortable when in their care & to me that’s the most important thing. especially with the noises the machines make. Lol. Thank you very much for always taking so good care of me & my other half when it comes to dental service. We both appreciate you all & definitely recommend others to come here.

I will start off by saying I hate the dentist. I have had a few dental procedures and they all have been traumatic, which in turn has made it easy for me to neglect my dental care.
Since moving to Hawaii 4 years ago I have seen 3 different dentists. The first 2 tried to sell me some extra dental procedures telling me I needed them done. I went to Ala Moana Dental Care and they were so honest and caring. I believe they are minimalists in their approach, they do not try to force anyone into getting extra work done.
They are always up front about the cost of any procedures and they are open to my need to take anxiety medication for procedures. I have never felt so relaxed and have been so happy with my dentist until now.
Plus they have Saturday and Sunday hours! I would refer them to anyone!

All of my friends have gotten their wisdom teeth removed upon graduating high school, which was over five years ago. BUT NOT ME. Why? Because going to the dentist freaks me out. I would avoid them as much as possible. I had a previous wisdom extraction (bottom right wisdom) at a different dentist and ended up with dry socket; missed school and work for an entire week because of the pain.
I had a second emergency wisdom extraction (bottom left wisdom) done here last minute (because I was dumb and waited till my teeth started hurting to get it pulled). At that time Dr. Matto got that tooth out with virtually no pain and no problems. I was deathly afraid but it was over so quickly I didn’t even have time to whine about being at the dentist. I did have a mild reaction to the pain killers BUT I was eating normal food the next day without any complications.
After a year of avoiding the dentist for the top two wisdom extractions, I finally decided to suck it up and make my appointment for the removal and to do a filling at the same time before I start law school in the fall (avoiding=more suffering). They quoted me almost $ 900 for two wisdom removals and a filling with the option to pre-​pay for a bit less. The total came out to around $ 800. THIS IS SO EXPENSIVE, I know (I don’t have dental coverage since I’m just a student).
I felt really bad because my parents had to pay for this expensive procedure (s) whereas if I had just not been deathly afraid of the dentist, I could have gotten my teeth worked on somewhere else for cheaper. They assured me it was okay to spend the extra money as long as I felt comfortable going there.
I had my appointment at 1pm and I was out of there by 1:35pm. TWO wisdom extractions and a filling done in 35 minutes. I literally felt no pain and discomfort. NONE WHATSOEVER. Was it worth it? HECK YEAH IT WAS. Shout out to Dr. Devereux for taking care of me and understanding the struggles of being afraid of the dentist. I ate soba later that evening and started eating regular food around 24 hours after the removal. Again, no pain, no problems.
I have officially overcome my fears after coming here and having appointments with both Dr. Matto and Dr. Devereux. I’ve also gotten my teeth cleaned here by the dental hygienists and have had little discomfort. I mean, getting your teeth cleaned isn’t exactly pleasant but it’s tolerable enough for me to be OK with going twice a year. I have mad love for Alamoana Dental. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST.

I feel bad writing this review because at first we had what appeared to be positive experiences, at least when it came to our routine cleanings. However, over a few months of being clients and needing to go in for more major work, we became quite disappointed. I am writing this review to steer people away from using Dr. Eric Muraoka who has been one of the more unprofessional dentists that we have come across during our lifetime.
I used to work in the same building as AMDC and many of my colleagues raved about Ala Moana Dental Care. Due to the convenience and good recommendations, I made an emergency appointment one day when I had an abscess caused by a piece of popcorn being lodged under my gum. The dentist promptly addressed it and within a couple of hours I was pain free. I scheduled my routine cleaning for a week later, and had another one 6 months later. My cleanings were very easy and pain free and the dental hygienists were knowledgeable and good.
My first issue was when I had my abscess drained and had difficulties with the billing process. Turns out that Ala Moana Dental Care billed me wrong and I was asked to pay $ 200+ of which my insurance should have covered (but because of the way that AMDC billed me, insurance did not cover it. Could have been easily prevented). I spent weeks trying to contact someone to sort out the issue, wrote letters (which were lost), and finally 3 months later, when my bill is way past-​due, I hear back from someone that there was turnover within the admin department and that they will just dismiss the bill since it’s been so long and since no one has communicated with me. Good outcome, but frustrating and unnecessary process!
My second, more major issue was when my boyfriend went in for a filling in 2014. His doctor was Dr. Eric Muraoka, mentioned above. He left the dentist only to have pain for the next few days. He made an emergency appointment a few days later, to address the pain, and another dentist (not Dr. Muraoka, luckily!) had admitted that the filling was not done properly and needed to be fixed. So he fixed it. The pain went away. A bit disappointing but the sting didn’t come until much later.
My boyfriend left this negative experience with not much regard for Dr. Muraoka, only to find out that about 9 months later, when we have moved to California and see our trusted dentist, that the filling needed to be re-​done, again. The dentist said that the filling wasn’t properly done, and when she was performing the work she said that there was decay under the filling and that it most likely wasn’t properly cleaned or dried, and that it was a good thing that we were addressing it now before much time had passed. We had to pay another $ 150+ to address the same filling that supposedly Ala Moana Dental Care had fixed! I literally wasted my money at AMDC. And when reading other 1 and 2 star reviews for AMDC, I see that other people had to get their fillings re-​done, too! I have never heard of that before, and if it has happened to multiple people, that is a BIG PROBLEM!
Ala Moana has cost us unnecessary money and time; I would never recommend Dr. Muraoka to anyone. The hygienists are great, I am sure that the other dentists aren’t as bad, and would like to believe that the billing administration has gotten their act together, but I would never return to AMDC due to multiple negative experiences and the fact that others have experienced what my boyfriend went through.

I have been going here for the past year and as much as I want to love this place I’ve just been turned off by the front office staff during my last couple of experiences.
I’ve met the owner a couple times and he really is great. He’s very professional and runs a good business. The location is great for me as it’s right next to Ala Moana Mall, and their hours of service are very convenient for people like me who work long hours during the day. I think their appts begin around 6am and they offer appts into the evening time, around 7pm. The dental hygienists that cleaned my teeth have also been great… very gentle, professional, and informative.
Now on to the bad… while on my way to my dental appt I got stuck in a little traffic on Kapiolani so I called the clinic to let them know I may be 5 minutes late. The receptionist informed me that I can’t be more than 10 – 15 min late bc the dental hygienist has an MD appt that she needs to get to and can’t be late. Anyway, I got to my appointment just a couple minutes late, and then I got rushed to the back with the dental hygienist. When I asked her where her MD appt was (I was concerned because I didn’t want her to be late because of me) she says «Huh? I don’t have an MD appt.» And I was like, ohh, that’s what the receptionist told me. And she replied «omg she told you that?!? I don’t know why she said that… Sorry about that. I told her not to say that…» Like OMG, did the receptionist blatantly lie to me? Why would she do that? What kind of professional does that?!? All she had to do was just tell me the policy, which I understand clearly, and not make up some story about the dental hygienist. Not very professional at all.
Also, this may be a bit critical but the last time I called to make an appt, the receptionist answered the phone and was laughing so hard before she even said hello, and as she was greeting me she was still laughing on the phone. Yes, I understand that maybe someone made a hilariously funny joke right before she answered the phone, but at least get it together before answering. It just sounded so unprofessional, like she was very distracted not attentive to my needs.
Anyway, this is a great company but they really need to teach their office staff professionalism and to NOT LIE to their customers. I can’t stand people who lie.

I thought I’d give this place another shot. … So … I tried the online appointment making thingy. Really I should’ve called but eh …
I sent the request on Tuesday or Wednesday can’t remember … Anyway I asked about an appointment for THIS Saturday … Ahh. I know there was a holiday … But your open today … And tomorrow is Saturday.
No reply to my appointment request. I swear I must be on some ‘Do not schedule’ list with them for the first review I gave them :|
As much as I would’ve loved to have had the great experience everyone else has had with this dental group … I sadly can’t say the same. Two strikes already … You were just so convenient for me with your hours … It’s really the only reason I gave it a second shot.
I took my business somewhere else like the last time. It’s actually with that same doctor I chose over this place …