Lisa Ho Guinan, DDS

Dr Lisa and Team set the bar very, very high. Not only is their facility clean and professional, their approach to dental is welcoming and non-​judgmental.
Like most, I was terrified of the dentist and constantly canceled appointments due to the dreaded drill; NOT the case with Dr Lisa and Team. They don’t make you feel bad because you have a cavity and stink at flossing. Instead, they correct the issue and show you how you how to avoid dental work in future.
Beyond the incredible people, you get a set of wireless headphones and can select any movie/​show you want to watch on NetFlix during your appointment.

I am afraid of the dentist– but Dr. Guinan is so nice and comforting, that I am less afraid of going to this office. She has great bed side manner, and will make you feel totally at ease while in her dental chair. Her staff is also great– efficient scheduling, no long hold time, and great follow up. I also love that this office is open on Saturday.

Love this office, have been going for years. Decided to write a review based solely on my last visit for a FILLING. It had been awhile since I had had a cavity. I admit that I am lazy when it comes to flossing. I kind of just do it when it feels like I need it. That was until Dr. Guinan filled my recent cavity and showed me the entire process with a mirror along the way. She wanted me to really grasp what is happening to a tooth when it’s getting a filling. And let me tell you, it’s pretty horrifying! We think of cavities as no big deal but seeing her do the step by step process of drilling a hole in my tooth, pulling out decayed matter, and filling it back up was eye opening. I take much better care of my teeth now. Dr. Guinan is great in the no BS «I’m going to show you what your rotten tooth looks like» kind of way. And I love that about her.

When I showed up at Dr. Guinan’s office I was in bad shape. I hadn’t been to a dentist in 4 years and I was dreading the visit. Not only was Dr. Guinan and her FABULOUS staff non-​judgmental, but they made me feel so at ease that I seriously forgot I was at the dentist. Since then I have been back half a dozen times for cleanings and services and I have been thrilled every single time. It’s rare to get excited about a dental appointment — but I feel giddy when I get to visit the gals at Dr. Guinan’s. Dental insurance or not, I am a patient FOR LIFE!!!

I love Dr. Guinan and the entire staff — the receptionist, the hygienists, everyone. The only downside is that they are so popular that you have to schedule a cleaning a month+ in advance. If you need to squeeze in a cleaning before a super busy project starts up at work or if you are traveling somewhere, you might have to look elsewhere.

They’ve gotten too popular and forgot their values.
Lisa is no where to be found. They told me I had a cavity. I had my doubts an had a second dentist look. No cavity.
The second star is only bc the dentist was cute. But never again will I go back.

I am a dental baby. I avoided going to the dentist until I just couldn’t anymore. Then I went to Dr Guinan. She and her staff are so pleasant and professional that I don’t hesitate to recommend them.
The Doc herself chatted warmly with me while the anesthesia set in and helped keep me calm when I was nervous (I said I was a baby.)
You’ll be in good hands here.

I had to switch dentists. I know people who have had great experiences and referred me here. Sadly this is not my experience. First off, my appointments have been messed up or I’ve been scheduled for wrong services since I started going here. The women are nice, but you have to be VERY specific and repeat things at least 2 – 3 times. I schedule a cavity filling and got a teeth cleaning once. The last time I had an appointment with Dr. Lisa Ho Guinan a girl, I’m assuming her daughter, ran in crying. Dr. left me with my mouth open waiting while she consoled the upset girl. She returned very upset a while later and I wish we would have rescheduled because I would prefer someone not be emotionally distressed while drilling on my teeth. I’m sympathetic and gave it a few more times before I called it quits. I had two appointments after that and there was a young dentist that was very rude and made me feel uncomfortable. She claimed I had cavities that were noted by Dr. Guinan I never had fixed because the receptionists messed up. I eventually switched dentists and the cavities Dr. Guinan and her associate claimed I needed filled are no where to be found. Bottom line, I think Dr. Guinan is going through or went through some personal issues and her office is struggling. I liked her, but I like my teeth more! I don’t want unnecessary drilling, confusion, or drama while my mouth is numb and I’m paying top dollar for dental work!

Lisa Ho Guinan is the probably the best dentist I’ve ever had. She is warm, friendly, professional, and competent. She sincerely cares about her patients and doggedly fights the never-​ending battle against tooth decay, gum recession and poor dental hygiene. Straightforward but never rude, she’s the only dentist I know who can jam a needle in your mouth without pain. Now THAT is a skill I can understand!
Many dentists keep such tight schedules that they don’t even have time to talk to you. Lisa always finds time to talk to her patients and keeps them informed and on track.
Her office seems entirely staffed by women, mostly young, and some almost absurdly pretty, but all are both competent and friendly. I especially like the fact that they text you appointment reminders! Awesome! Now I never forget an appointment!
Her offices are located in a mini-​mall dominated by a large building under construction. Despite all the debris and scaffolding, there is ample parking, and… they validate!

I’m having the same issue Charles D. I’m sure Dr. Guinan is great from the reviews… So make sure you see her. If you get assigned «the other doctor» (Dr. Weng) get ready for a bit of a up and down experience. I feel that she might have been used to get people to tell government secrets at some point… All I can say is I’m sure she’s a talented Dentist but she wasn’t gentle with me or my teeth at all. So if you go please insist on seeing Dr. Guinan sounds like she is awesome.

Dr. Guinan is how I would imagine Amy Chua, the famous asian «tiger mother» who raised two successful and charming children. She’s professional, friendly, kind and firm. I was even more impressed when she changed her mind about a procedure, showing what is in my opinion great maturity and professionalism.
Beyond that her office is tidy with plenty of entertainment while you’re there. Her staff is kind, and almost mysteriously cute. I’ll certainly be flossing more!

I really like this Dentist!
I moved from Germany to LA some month ago, so my English isn’t the best and especially not my Dentist English :) But the staff is very patient and nice!!! I was very afraid when I came here for the first time (you never know what you have to expect in other countries), but they take care of me and this very good! I mean you can watch movies :)
In comparison to Germany this dentist is sooo great! (I have never thought that I would ever say this about a dentist :)) I have never felt any pain during a treatment (just once and Dr. Guinan gave me an other anesthesia and it was over) and I haven’t had problems after a treatment.
Since I am a patient of Mr. Guinan I can go to the dentist without being afraid and nervous.
The only thing I don’t like is that sometimes they don’t talk to me. But I am not sure if it just in my case so. (Once Dr. Guinan had an emergency and I had the young dentist, without any comments– but she was good, too!)
And another thing is amazing– I had problems with 3 teeth, and my German Dentist said– no they are fine, if you have problems try to change your toothbrush or toothpaste… Dr. Guinan took a look over the X-​ray and found the problems (I didn’t tell her that I had problems at these teeth… She is amazing!

I stopped by this place because it was close to work and the reviews were ok on Unilocal.Big mistake. Let me break it down for ya
1. I scheduled the appointment over the phone 2 weeks before and made clearly told the receptionist to get all my dental x-​rays and charts from my previous dentist (I already called my previous dentist a heads up and gave them permission to release my charts). Gathering this information was important because I was in the midst of a dental operation and had just moved. When I went in, I found out that they didn’t even bother calling them and just tried to rush me through taking a bunch of x-​rays. They clearly didn’t do their homework. I mean, new x-​rays are fine. But the fact they didn’t even TRY to call my last dentist to gather all the information available really annoyed me.
2. The listed office’s name is for Lisa Ho Guinan, but when I went in, they assigned me to a new, young dentist that was fresh out of school. Which I totally understand but they normally give you a heads up over the phone when you’re making the appointment to let you know that you’re getting someone different.
Selecting a dentist is an extremely important, long term decision that we all have to make. I hope this office does a better job of meeting their patients’ expectations in the future.

This was by far the worst experience I have ever had with any dentist.
I have a tooth pain that started last night and I opted in researching a dentist using Unilocal as I thought reading positive reviews would help me in finding a dentist I would be comfortable with.
I called today and was told that a cancellation had occured and that a spot was open for 3 PM.
When I arrived it was 2:45 PM and by the time I was taken to an exam room it was over 3:15 PM.
The moment I sat on the exam chair it was sell, sell, sell… the dental assistant started to ask me if I had thought about getting braces, etc.
Than the incompentent and seriously rude dentist Dr. Jenny Weng arrived.
She completely insulted me when after checking my teeth and she had the nerve to ask me if my parents had cavities. Why would any dentist want to talk down to her patient that way? That’s so unprofessional. Learn professionalism Dr. Weng.
Why ask me about my parents? Because I am Latina you assume my parents don’t know how to brush their teeth and didn’t teach me? I am a grown woman and take responsibility for my downfalls but if I was at your office it was because I do care about my teeth and was there for your help not your insults.
She also used a tool to remove some calculus, which was extremely painful.
When I told her that increased the pain in my mouth, in lieu of being more gentle she does it more harshly and ignores my pain.
Than she had xrays taken for what? To show me where the cavities are and than she leaves.
What about my tooth pain? The reason for my visit… She gives me a Colgate toothpaste. I am speechless. Here I am feeling like all they wanted was to get a few bucks out of my insurance without trying to resolve the reason why I went there in the first place.
All I got out of this visit was an insult and toothpaste. They got money from Aetna for the xrays. First thing tomorrow morning will be to call Aetna and ask why would they allow these people to be in their network?
I wasted 3 hours from my busy corporate life to go to a dentist that needs to go back to dental school. Now I need to find a new dentist and waste time complaining about this one.
Oh by the way, for those of you waiting to see a dentist at this office you should see how Yolanda, the front desk person writes down the names of people waiting to see a dentist at this office… they are all scattered on two pieces of paper with phone numbers all over the place. Get organized.
Update: I called 12÷15÷11 to request a copy of my xrays to be emailed to a new dentist in the morning (9 AM) and they were not emailed until past 7:30 PM. You want quality customer service definitely go elsewhere!

First impressions:
1) the receptionist tells you you’ll be seeing someone other than the doctor
2) and makes you wait 30 minutes after your appointment time begins
My spidey sense tells me stars will start falling .
But then fate took a turn for the better .
1) Cute doc (Miss Weng) assigned to my teeth cleaning
2) Couples Retreat playing on the TV (I like the movie)
3) Awesome and friendly receptionist
4) Free goodie bag with toothbrush and toothpaste (as a cheap Asian anything FREE makes me salivate)
5) Validated parking for up to 2 hours. THANK GOD
General suggestion for teeth cleaning: Rather than using the water jet to clean the patients mouth after each phase of the cleaning and polishing (and spraying water everywhere) just let them get up and rinse their mouth. Worked very well with my Bay Area dentist of 10+ years.
Teeth felt clean and happy afterwards. until I went straight across the street and grabbed a 960 calorie Chicken Fajita Burrito from Chipotle =).

The hygienist, Katarina, is… well, let’s say she must be inexperienced. Every time I’ve been assigned to her, I wind up completely soaked from the water jet. She also doesn’t place the x-​ray film holders correctly, so my mouth hurts. Cleanings hurt way more than they should for someone who’s never had a cavity… I could go on.
I’ve talked to a few coworkers who have had similar experiences, so I specify when I make the appointment that I prefer the dentist do the cleaning. Since avoiding her, I’ve been very happy. The dentists I’ve seen have been great; their reminder system is easy (you basically write postcards to yourself in the future); they work perfectly with insurance.
As I keep going and not seeing that hygienist, the rating will go up.

I have had a lot of dental work done in my life, so I’ve been to many dentists. I’ve never been to a better dentist. Everyone’s friendly and great. They’re genuine, caring, honest, diligent, thorough, and more than anything else, they’re just good people doing something they care about.
You won’t be treated like you’re just a bunch of dollar signs. There’s definitely no hard sell of any kind, and they try to actually save you money when they can. Once I had a cleaning due in late November, and they noticed that I had maxed out my dental insurance for that year (remember I said I’ve had a lot of work done?) and suggested that I reschedule for the beginning of the year.
The only downside is that sometimes they can be quite busy and it might take a bit to get an appointment.
I’ve since moved to SF and am in need to find a new dentist (which is why I’m currently on Unilocal searching). Second thought, I might just take a trip down to visit some friends/​family and try to schedule an appointment. If you live in the area and need a dentist, I can wholeheartedly say that you won’t find a better dentist.

I love this place. Everyone (literally everyone) in my office goes to Dr. Guinan because we used to work a building in the same lot. After a dozen coworker recommendations, I decided give Dr. Guinan a try. That was nearly three years ago.
Each time I visit the office, the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. They’ve been able to handle all of the insurance billing and I’ve never had to worry about them recommending treatments or procedures that I don’t need (which has happened at a lot of places I’ve checked out in the past).
The staff here always makes sure that I understand what’s going on with my teeth, and carefully explains any treatment plans – as well as when I should call them for further consultation. Highly recommend.

BEST dental experience of my life! I actually found this dentist through Unilocal,and I would like to thank my fellow Unilocalers for pointing me in this direction because I likely wouldn’t have found the office otherwise.
I am 27 and so far only have 1 filling in my entire mouth, so I think it’s fair to say that I have pretty decent teeth. After my recent visit to another Marina del Rey dentist, who was very creepy and tried to max out my insurance by ordering 10 fillings !!! I Unilocaled to find another dentist I could go to for a second opinion.
The co-​dentist at Dr. Guinan’s office (Jennifer, I think) saw me today and checked out all of the teeth that the previous dentist had included in my mega treatment plan… she found only 3 fillings that needed to be completed for preventative purposes. She was very friendly, had an excellent demeanor in dealing with her fellow staff and the patient (me). She also was very knowledgeable, addressing issues with my teeth that I didn’t tell her I had and I had always wondered about. It was almost like going to a tooth psychic! ;-)
Anyway, the quality of care is excellent here… they clearly show concern for thoroughly examining your teeth and gums to ensure complete dental health, but unlike any dentist I’ve gone to for the past 10 years, they don’t try to get you to buy supplemental items like night guards, tooth sealant, excessive dental work or anything. For the first time in a long time I feel that I went to a real dentist, not a shady tooth mechanic!

Listen to your fellow Unilocalers!
I love, love, love Dr. Guinan and her staff: they’re friendly, knowledgeable and really look out for the best interest of the patient.
When I changed jobs (and dental insurance), I so sad to discover she was out of network, I didn’t go the dentist for four years. (Yes, I know: gross, and it was totally my fault)
When I finally went to see the HMO-​designated dentist, they recommended a deep clean + copious amounts of Arestin, a supplemental drug treatment that would have cost more than $ 1000 out of pocket.
I immediately called Dr. Guinan’s office for a second opinion. Dr. Guinan’s staff was incredibly accommodating, and got me in for a consultation within a few days.
Dr. Guinan confirmed that the dose was, for the most part, aggressive and I would be better served to find someone else for the more important dental work.
Her staff also suggested a new cost-​effective service provided by the drug manufacturer to help make it more affordable.
This kind of service and expertise is miles away from that dreck of a dental practice provided by my HMO. Dr. Guinan and her people really care about you, and I would recommend them in a heartbeat.
Rest assured, the minute I get better dental insurance (or can afford to pay out of pocket), I’m going back for good.