Douglas T Arakawa, DDS

I saw this dentist for a long time starting when I was a kid, and at first I received good service for some time. After his former receptionist and one of his best dental hygienists retired, service really went downhill. Dr. Arakawa became apathetic and stopped checking my teeth after each dental cleaning, so that my concerns about my teeth were ignored and became expensive, painful problems. He eventually refused to fit my permanent crowns himself, insisting the dental hygienist could do it even though the same dental hygienist fitted my temporary crowns so poorly, they kept falling out. My new dentist insisted I needed deep cleaning because my teeth and gums were so neglected when I came to see him. Once I saw my new dentist, I realized that modern dentists have digital x-​rays with much less radiation and that it’s not normal for your dentist to rarely check your teeth after a dental cleaning. Save yourself a lot of pain, time, aggravation, and money by seeking dental care elsewhere!

Very capable Dentist. The major challenge is scheduling. Pick your next appointment 6 months to one year in advance but if you need to reschedule… good luck. He has very few openings out three months and if you’re a working professional on a tight schedule… too bad for you. Schedule changes two months out are very challenging unless you’re willing to reschedule your own work day. He has some new staff members who are not quite like the old ones; a bit less understanding and a tad abrasive.

On the recommendation of my friend’s father (who is an orthodontist), I started to see Dr. Arakawa for my dental care. At first he was friendly and considerate. As time went on, he became more and more negligent and indifferent. Sometimes the hygienist would clean my teeth and he wouldn’t even come in to examine me. She’d make excuses for him. That is a huge professional no-​no: I’m paying for the dentist to see me, not just his assistant.
As another reviewer mentioned, he won’t come into the current century. He wanted to do only amalgam fillings, and when I asked for composite fillings, he told me, «They don’t work! Every composite filling I’ve ever put in leaked and had to be replaced!» Well, why do you think that is? He also wanted to do a gold crown on my tooth because «gold wears the best,» and only very grudgingly agreed to do a metal-​lined ceramic crown (which didn’t look very good).
Worst of all, he neglected my dental health. I asked him why my gums were bleeding and receding, and he told me that was because «You’re getting older.» (I was in my mid-​30s!). One day he measured my gum «pockets» and called out numbers like 5, 6, and 7 to the hygienist. Then he let me go home. This is gross negligence. I didn’t understand it until I went to another dentist, but those numbers indicate serious periodontal disease, yet he did nothing.
Finally, because I wanted a cosmetic-​type filling, I went to another dentist. He was shocked at the condition of my mouth, and kept insisting that I must not have had any dental care for «two years.» He ordered a root planing in all four quadrants to clean up my gums, and I had to use a prescription antibiotic mouthwash for a month. I had advanced periodontal disease that had gone undiagnosed and untreated for possibly two years.
Dr. Arakawa is the worst dentist I’ve ever been too and I’d rather drill my own teeth than go back to him. He is negligent and indifferent. I would probably have a full set of dentures now if I had stayed with him another year.

Dr. Arakawa use to be a competent dentist, but in recent years, as someone else has mentioned, he has become negligent. I used him for years, and also used his father before him. Arakawa the son did not bother to even examine my teeth during my last three cleanings by a hygienist. I could hear him BSing about his golf game with the help out by the front desk, but he had no time to examine me. I switched dentists and discovered that up-​to-​date dentists have digital x-​ray machines that don’t use film and expose you to 80% less radiation than the ancient equipment Arakawa inherited from his father. Up-​to-​date dentists also have a pencil-​size video camera so that I can see what the dentist sees in my mouth, on a digital screen. Up-​to-​date dentists also have equipment and materials that reflect medical progress, unlike the frozen-​in-​time array of artifacts that the senior Dr. Arakawa bought in the 1970s and that the junior Dr. Arakawa still uses. He can be personable, but he stopped caring about you and your dental problems some time ago and now he is just trading time for money until he can go golfing full time.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Arakawa for several years, and have been very happy with the care I’ve received.
I’m always concerned that dentists will find problems that don’t exist, to help pay for their boats or whatever. Not the case here! And the work he has done has been first-​rate.
Highly recommended.

As the other reviewers say, he is the BEST! He is giving sound advice, not pushing for things that may not be the best for you in the long term, and his work is top notch.

ok here is a story for ya. Douglas Arakawa is the BEST… he actually put several crowns on my teeth on teeth that had fillings done by his FATHER. Thats right, his father! Another Arakawa! So I have been going there since I was a little kid with 20 cavities. What a legacy! LOVE it.

I grew up going to Dr. Arakawa for teeth cleanings, fillings, evereything teeth related. Even when I was in college I would still go to him during my breaks. Now that i am more permanently based in LA I tried other dentists, but haven’t been able to find anyone who does such excellent work, honestly, and efficiently. I love all of his staff and i trust him to do good work. I would recommend him to anyone in the bay area who is looking for a good dentist!!!

My wife and I have been going to see Dr Doug Arakawa for over a decade now. He has the cleanest office, nicest staff and the doctor himself is always personable and skilled. Never have come close to anything to complain about. Alright, maybe I –do– need to floss more. But that’s another matter! Thanks, Dr Doug and staff!
Oh, he is by appointment but there have been a couple of times over the last decade that I’ve been in pain from a toothache and he squeezed me in the same day. He’s great.

I’ve been going to this dentist for years but realize they are not very thorough.
The dentist is nice and everyone is friendly but the dental care is far from what you expect beyond getting your teeth cleaned. I had several cleanings where the dentist was not present in the office to check me out afterwards, I didn’t think much of this but others have pointed out that is not ok at all. The result is that several nagging problems that I mentioned to the hygenist turned out to be more serious but the there was never any followup from the dentist. Also, when I visited this office with specific issues they generally diagnosed it as teeth grinding which is not my issue. Net of this is when i went to another office for a 2^nd look, i had a filling needing repair and two cracked teeth … that were quite obviously where my discomfort was coming from. They are easy to see. I doubt the dentist ever looked at the x-​rays taken at this office, the hygenist took them and said the dentist would review later (because he wasn’t in the office).
I feel bad writing a bad review here — they are super nice — but we should all expect professionals to be doing a good job, not just getting by which is what I felt like this office was doing.

Dr. Arakawa is an awesome dentist. I’ve been going to him for more than 5 years. He is great at what he does and very knowledgeable. I referred my best friend to him and she really likes going there too. The receptionists and hygienists are all very nice and competent.
They all take care of my teeth really good!!!