Adams E Stephen, DDS

Found this dental office on Unilocal… a huge plus they took my insurance and were open on Saturday! I arrived early enough for paperwork and waited all of 30 minutes. I had a broken tooth the dentist pulled it so fast I thought he wasn’t done… great job! I was happy about that so I made an appointment for my daughter… we finally found a dentist we can both go to…

One of the best Offices I have ever been to. They don’t rush you in and out they actually do the most thorough cleanings and check ups I have experienced.

Let me just start off by saying that I am probably the most complicated patient at this office. I suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, and have strong fear of gagging/​vomiting. It makes it extremely difficult for anyone to work on me. I isually only see Dr. Gutierrez, but I’ve also seen Dr. Adams and they are both great! However, Dr. Gutierrez has so much patience with me and is always so sweet and understanding! I don’t know how i will ever repay him for his kindness.
I love all the staff here; Rashida (his assistant), Ruby (my dental hygienist) and all the front office!
I highly recommend this office. Trust me you will not be disappointed!

My experience with Dr. Adams, goes back to 1999. I had a complicated dental situation, multi-​abscess prior, Dr. Adams has his own Lab, and recommended full dentures. I had the best experience with Dr. Adams, Only two re-​lines, and one recent lower only re-​line (re-​coat). Incredible dentist, really knows what he’s doing, and his Lab is fantastic. Courteous, and friendly. I recommend Dr. Stephen Adams to anyone. He’s the BEST!
Jazz Musician Keith A. Hoffmann
now in Redondo Beach, CA.

I used to avoid going to the dentist until i started coming here. I have been seeing Trang (dental hygienist) every 3 months for regular cleaning and i also got a deep clean earlier this year. She was very gentle and great about explaining the procedure and why it’s important. I also got a porcelain crown with Dr. Stephen Adams, the appointment was quick, smooth and painless.
Update**
My husband had a horrible toothache this past Friday which required a wisdom teeth to get removed. Dr. Adams took him in the same day and extracted his tooth and made everything better and the price wasn’t too shabby either.
I definitely recommend Dr. Adams and Trang. They are gentle, honest and truly theeee BEST in Long Beach!

Personally, best one in Long Beach! I’ll even argue its one of the best in SoCal!

2 years and 1 move to San Diego later, I’m still going to this dentist.
I came in with a bad toothache and my usual dentist, Dr. Gutierrez, was on vacation. So I got a chance to see the man himself, Dr. Stephen Adams. Still nothing but positive reviews about this practice. Patient, helpful, and professional.

This place underwhelmed me. Maybe my expectations were too high from my last dentists, who spent more time with you and was very through. Here, dentists spend very little time with you and try to convince you it’s better to hand off the work to dental hygienists. But wait, even then you must wait at least 3 months out if you want to get in on the weekend or when they work late.
Also, the waiting room décor was horrendous. The good thing about this place is the extant machine is great.

I’ve always been very leery of dentists. The last time I went to a dentist, she told me I needed extensive work. She also pushed me to do a deep cleaning, which my insurance later refused to pay for as they felt I did not need it. Needless to say, I did not do the work this dentist recommended.
This year, I decided to go see Dr. Adams based on all the wonderful reviews. I made the appointment and was prepared to have a lot of work done. He checked me out and told me that all I needed was a cleaning. He was very nice and made me feel at ease and his staff was very accommodating. :)

One word: wow!!! I have been taking my son to Dr. Arby Gutierrez since he was three, and I couldn’t have asked for a better doctor who works extremely well with children. He is very patient and even though the inevitable happens, my son’s tooth pains, my son STILL tells me that he wants to come back soon. And he’s only for years old, with 4 fillings from this doctor! It says a lot for a child to go through drilling and filling and still like this doctor :) He is the best I can ask for!

dr. adams is very accommodating. the whole staff is great from the start. im very happy to say, my whole family goes there.

I do not like getting dental work but I love Dr Adams and his staff! I felt relaxed the first time I walked through the door. I love the warm fireplace, which is the focal point the waiting room. I feel like I’m sitting in a living room. His receptionists made me feel at ease, but then all of his staff does.
When I retired and no longer had dental insurance, I searched the internet for a new dental office, as my dentist of 28 years would not give me a break in price on a crown. When I found Dr Adams online, his prices were lower than all I researched, plus he is in Bixby Knolls and down the street, walking distance from my home. Dr. Adams gives 10% discount for cash customers in addition to lower prices.
Jerome, my hygienist, is the best. He’s one of many hygienists available in the office. He always remembers what we discussed at the last visit, which gives the visit a personal touch. He never runs out of a topic for conversation, but can still get my teeth very clean.
Dr. Adams is low key and down to earth and Dr Gutierrez is just about the same. Dr. Adams was very gentle with my crown and fillings. My son now goes to Dr. Adams, as well, and is very happy that he can get an appointment on a Saturday. My only regret is that I did not find this dental office sooner.

My family has gone to Dr. Adams for years. Last year, he gave me a filling that permanently damaged my tooth. The tooth was not bothering me before he worked on it and for all I know, I didn’t even need the filling. A year later and I still can’t chew food on that side of my mouth. Dr. Gutierrez tried fixing it, but couldn’t. After this bad experience with Dr. Adams, I decided to see Dr. Gutierrez going forward. He immediately recommended I get 2 more fillings. I have always had healthy teeth and gums and rarely needed fillings. I began to lose trust in these two dentists, so I decided to get a second opinion. Turns out I do NOT need these fillings after all. I would NOT recommend Dr. Adams or Dr. Gutierrez unless you want unnecessary fillings that cause permanent mouth pain. Yes, it’s that bad. Go someplace else!

I absolutely hate going to the dentist and I am sure I am not alone, but this dentist office is so serene that I almost forgot about my fears. Almost.
That being said, Dr. Arby Gutierrez is the dentist I went to and I do not regret it. He is nice and professional. He and his assistants made me feel at ease the entire time. The place is somewhat hidden and the interior is extremely clean :)
Overall, best dentist, best dental assistants, and best dentist office.
I still do not enjoy the dentist, but the staff makes me feel a little better.
Now I just have to gain the courage to make another appointment for my 6 month check up…

Ever since I started coming to this dentist, I actually have somewhat looked forward to my appointments… all thanks to my wonderful hygenist, Toni! My husband and I both come to her for our cleanings and we really love listening to her up to date knowledge on products and techniques. My gums used to bleed so easily and I flossed daily, etc. She has recommended certain regimes and products (who knew some floss was better for certain types of teeth/​gums!) that have really improved the health of my gums! To be honest I think Dr. Adams has only seen me once or twice for a quick review so I really dont have any comments regarding his services. The office staff is friendly as well!

Been coming on and off since i was 12… as of 24 ive been coming every 6 months to get my cleaning. Ive only had 1 bad experience with a cleaning back ⁸⁄₁₁ the dentist that cleaned my teeth made me bleed more then i ever had before super rough. But last week i had her again and it was fine just as i had before. she maybe had a bad day and took it out on my mouth.

They always take care of me here! Reciptionist are great and the staff is pretty awesome. Dr adams has been working on my teeth seems like forever and He is a big baseball fan which is also cool. Dr. Guiterrez is great with my daughter. Prices are always low, and service is top tier. Patient for life.
#thumbsUp

I hate the DENTIST! But this office makes it painless.
Had a ton of work done to fix an emergency. The crown ended up being a big problem since I have had it. Dr Adams did not do the work, so I still have faith in him, but have moved on to someone closer.

I started going to Dr. Adams’ office in 2004 and never looked back! Everyone here is so nice and so willing to explain what’s going on inside your mouth that I’m actually excited to go! Well… maybe «excited» is an overstatement but you get my point.
I especially like my dentist, Dr. Arby Gutierrez. He’s very laid back and doesn’t have that dentist-​y attitude. I had to get a filling a while ago and he made me feel so comfortable that I didn’t mind a needle being stuck into my gums. Trang, the girl that usually does my cleanings, is really nice too. She’s friendly, informative and tries to be as gentle as she can be while cleaning my teeth.
They’re also great about working with you as far as payment is concerned. In 2004 I had to get 4 teeth pulled before I could get braces put on and, at the time, I didn’t have Dental Insurance so they gave me a discount on the procedure! I don’t know if they still continue that practice today but I was very appreciative and happy that they were willing to help me out.
I really like it here and would definitely, HIGHLY recommend them to anyone I know. I’ve heard horror stories about other dentists trying to do procedures that the patient doesn’t really need just to pad their own bank accounts. Dr. Adams’ office would never stoop to such a low level because they actually care about their patient’s oral health.

This rating is more based on the customer service issues I’ve recently encountered. Sucha shame too, because I really did like Dr Adams. Now that I see he’d rather turn away a good and faithful customer instead of attempting to work something out, I’m over that happy fun time feeling.
So with the economy in the crapper, my company (a small business. 30ish employees) is cutting back on what they offer as far as medical/​dental. This means my PPO medical/​dental is going the way of the do do, and I’m left with this lovely Blue Shield HMO dental plan. Never even heard of it but what a project trying to find a place that’ll take it now!
I called Dr Adams office first. Figuring that I’m a long time patient, I was sure he would work with me. NOPE! And I obviously can’t afford to pay out of pocket like they so smugly suggested, so screw them!
What ever happened to working with people? I don’t get it. the economy is in the shit and this guy doesn’t feel compelled to give the public a break?! I know there’s a lot of red tape that comes with accepting HMO’s of any kind, but get with the times, man! Maybe that’s why I’m so disappointed. I am shocked that my long history of patronage didn’t make a bit of difference with Dr Adams. It was a simple, straight forward, ‘no if’s/and’s/but’s’ sorta NO too. Guess it’s every man for himself at this point.
Food for thought.