Alan Rubenstein, DDS

I have been with Alan Rubenstein, DDS since 1998 and have never had any problems. Everyone is professional and I highly recommend him. Not to mention I have not always been the happiest camper when visiting them because of tooth aches and Alan Rubenstein and all his staff have always been compassionate and supportive. Thanks Alan & Staff for taking such excellent care of me and especially my teeth.

I discovered Dr. Rubenstein and Santa Monica Family Dentistry circa 2002 after a series of bad westside dental experiences as a new resident. Since then I have moved downtown, yet I continue to fight traffic for this high level of service and «workmanship.»
Quite honestly, if you hate going to the dentist as much as I do then this is your place. (Thank you childhood Dentist for those dental «scars.») I have had pain free, positive and friendly experiences for 14 years. It’s my pleasure to be a long standing patron here. I always get honest direction for my dental health and forthright pricing, not just services to up sell. There is nothing worse than getting hustled from a Dentist, of all people. (Yes, it happens.)
While I’m always surprised at what going to the dentist can cost, it’s expensive everywhere. Here you get what you pay for and then some.

I’ve been coming here for years. I love the friendly office staff. They are great about scheduling appointments and the hygienists are always very professional. I don’t have insurance but their rates are still manageable. Also they honored the deal on Unilocal!Jennifer is the absolute best!

ABSOLUTELY HATED my visit, I almost cried leaving that place because I was so mad. I went to see him as an emergency visit because my gums were hurting (my previous dental visit was only 2 months ago with my regular dentist). I waited 40 minutes for my appointment and the whole thing took over 2 hours ONLY FOR CHECKING MY GUMS. I was forced into doing complete sets of X-​Rays and they probably asked me 5 times if I wanted to get a cleaning, only so they can charge my insurance. When Dr Rubenstein sees me, he informs me after 30 seconds that I have 4 minor cavities (I havent had cavities in over 15 years) and I have to go see an oral surgeon (even if he retakes the X-​Rays 3 times and he says its probably nothing). Funny how I saw my dentist 2 months ago and she didnt see anything.
After quoting me 600 $ in procedures, I REMIND HIM to check my gums and he tells me «OH dont worry all is good.» He still managed to bill my insurance for 80 $.Impressive.

They filled 7 cavities. I was young, naïve and didn’t get a second opinion. When my boyfriend went to see them they told him the same thing and that he needed a root canal. He went to another dentist that said he only had one cavity. It really just breaks my heart that this happened to me because I now have unnecessary dental work that will have to be redone over the years. I probably had 1 – 2 cavities. From what I can tell the work is fine but that really doesn’t matter when it shouldn’t be there in the first place. Don’t go here or at least get a second opinion before you agree to use Rubenstein. Makes me so upset to this day and I went there maybe 3 years ago.

I love Dr. Rubenstein and his staff! I have been going to him for the last 10 years. I never have to wait. The quality of the care his excellent. I have had a little bit of everything done: from root canal, crown, bonding of broken front tooth made to look natural again and unnoticeable, fillings, Invisalign, and routine cleaning and X-​rays. And never any pain or discomfort. Dr. Rubenstein is the best dentist I have ever had and I am 53 years old — so I have been to many others in my lifetime.

I’ve gone to Dr. Rubenstein a few times over the years. I actually have several dentists that I deal with. A year or two ago a crown fell off my tooth and one dentist said pull it, however the Master Dr. Rubenstein saved it.
So a few weeks ago I go through something similar with another crown and one dentist said pull so I go to Dr. R to see what he can do. He checked it and said maybe I can save it… So I go back to see what could be done… bottom line he said he couldn’t save it and of course I’m not feeling that because it’s a molar… and I don’t want to pay for an expensive implant…
The whole point is this man worked with me. I have a cheap HMO and they are PPO. Also this man could have did the work and charged me a lot of cash… his ethics prevailed and I appreciate that…
I haven’t decided what to do with my tooth but I will be going back again to Dr. Rubenstein… I think I wrote him up in one of my previous reviews…
The staff are very cool too very friendly with great attitudes!
He’s work checking out!

OK LETS TRY THIS AGAIN,
WORST DENTIST EVER!
ADVERTISING!!! THE MINUTE YOU WALK IN!
Like a slap in the face! His office’s strategy of upselling and overcharging, while also not informing the patient beforehand is a sneaky, greedy tactic.
Dr Rubenstein also patronized me for my long time gaps between dental visits, which tells me he doesn’t realize the crisis today where people can’t afford health insurance let alone pay for any dental issues.
His office told me I needed a deep root cleaning, made me sign the forms while i was half medicated and in the chair, and failed to tell me it wasn’t covered till after it was done.
Plus they still tried to upsell me on the way out the door!
«Dont forget, you have perfectly good fillings that we want to replace because… MONEY!!»
Ive never seen such a blatant @#%& scheme wrapped in so much marketing.
In addition, i got a text message from his office, asking for personal info and that i should come back! LOL When i tried to respond and tell them to STOP so i would get no more text spam, i was informed that i would be CHARGED FOR MY RESPONSE??? @#%&??? Can you say SCAM? Greed is all this he is interested in.
PLUS THE GUY IS A JERK!
Save yourself the trouble of writing an angry Unilocal review. Steer clear of this place.
IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH Unilocal?

I had an awful experience with his associate years ago — over drilling, a crown (that was most likely unnecessary) which while functional is so awfully done that my current dentist wants to redo it as soon as insurance will cover. I never posted a review since it was a one and done. However, after years of not being a patient I received a text message from his office requesting an email address!
Look at the history of your patients before you start re-​soliciting business.

My experience couldn’t have been more positive. After my first visit, I was a little shocked at just how much trips to the dentist cost (especially as I’m English and am not used to medical prices in America) but after a candid conversation with Dr. Leland, she told me that she’d work within my budget and do everything they could to keep the prices managable, while providing me with the best possible care. That is exactly what I received. First class service at an affordable price. Thank you Dr. Leland and to all of the staff.

Dr Rubenstein is an awesome, caring dentist and the office staff is profession, and overall wonderful. In this office — my heart doesn’t beat like a puppy going to the vet. In my last visit, I needed some gum work.
Dr. Mark Cohen, the resident periodontist, is a technologically advanced periodontist; his work on receding gums is truly amazing. I went from daily pain and agony to pain free, good looking gums. He even fixed things that I didn’t know could be fixed. Whether you need overall dentistry or refined periodontal work (laser, gum graphs or implants)… This is the place to go.

I needed a new dentist, a friend recommended him, so I went.
1^st visit: I went in for a cleaning and exam. Everyone was nice. They suggested I get Invisilign MULTIPLE times in the first visit, and that there are payment plans. I didn’t even ask about it. My teeth aren’t even crooked. Post-​exam I was told I had several minor cavities. Mind you, I had no pain when I went in. ZERO pain. ZILCH. Not even a tiny bit.
I agreed to getting the cavities filled and they started them that day.
And THAT’S when the pain began.
2^nd visit, 7 days later: I returned in serious pain. Dr. Rubenstein didn’t really hear me when I explained the pain I was in. He completely, albeit nicely, glossed over my complaint of pain, saying I was probably just grinding my teeth. I said I have NEVER, EVER, EVER done that before. Don’t think he heard that either. He just stuck to his diagnosis, saying I just needed to take ibuprofen for the pain.
At this point I realized the assistants were all ‘Stepford Wives’ nice, like robots. Once i complained of pain, the shiny, happy faux niceties began fading.
3^rd visit, 4 days later: I returned again because of the pain. At this point I had been taking a few ibuprofen every few hours, and resorted to digging out leftover pain pills from a surgery I’d had last year. (Btw, my laparoscopic surgery and the recovery process hurt 100 times less than the pain I was in after the dentist. I didn’t even come close to taking ¼ of the pills my surgeon had prescribed.) I was actually in tears in Dr. Rubenstein’s office. A dental assistant even asked if I needed a root canal. SHE asked ME. I agreed that that the only other time I’d had pain like that was over a decade before when I’d had a root canal. And what did Alan Rubenstein say? Nah, I just needed a night guard because I was probably just grinding my teeth. Then he had one made for me, saying they weren’t going to charge me for it since he felt bad about the pain. And don’t you know the night guards are REALLY EXPENSIVE? So really we’re giving you a deal! Guess what? He still didn’t want to give me anything for the pain, but did prescribe SLEEPING PILLS! I took one that night, and never took another. They were useless.
Three more days of excruciating pain, missed work (without pay btw), and barely any sleep. I couldn’t sleep more than 2 – 3 hours because of the pain. After the laparoscopic surgery, a single pain pill made me nauseous because they’re too strong. I was now taking at least 2 – 3 at a time out of sheer desperation, and the pain would barely subside for more than a few hours. At this point my boyfriend insisted on calling Dr. Rubenstein to complain. The person who answered the phone at the office said, well if you really want to, you can get a second opinion, and then gave him the number for Dr. Eddie Harouni’s office.
We called Dr. Harouni’s office and Dr. Andrea Holstein saw me immediately. Within a few minutes and a few simple tests with basic dental tools, she confirmed that I needed a root canal IMMEDIATELY. At this point, I had been in pain for over 9 days. She performed the root canal, and my pain disappeared. As we were driving away she called to ask if Dr. Rubenstein had prescribed any pain pills or antibiotics and was extremely surprised to discover that he had done nothing of the sort. She instantly called in both prescriptions.
I still had to return to Dr. Rubenstein to get the onlay. He didn’t apologize for the 9 days of excruciating pain, and still acted shocked that I needed a root canal.
And then I was presented with a bill that was $ 50+ more than what I had originally been quoted and paid.
The lesson here? At Dr. Rubenstein’s, for every three misdiagnosed visits, you’ll get a free (oh so expensive) night guard and more charges than you’d agreed to!

I had my first appointment with Dr. Alan today. I found him through my insurance and then from reading his good reviews on Unilocal.I think he might be my all time favorite dentist. He is so nice, personable, and knowledgeable. I am a little tight with my funds right now but he helped me with the best options for my situation. Everyone else in his office was great too!

I’ve been going to Dr. Rubenstein for about 8 years now, maybe longer. My friend, her daughter, and even my spouse all became patients on the strength of my recommendation. I am such a dental chicken. It literally terrifies me. But, Dr. Rubenstein is kind, personable, and knowledgeable. That puts my fears at ease.
I never felt the hard sell that you get from many dentists. He was always able to explain, to my satisfaction, why a particular procedure was needed. The office does not over book. There are lots of good things about this practice.
However, my last few visits have been disappointing. The new hygienist and the new dentist, I really find them off putting.
The new dentist that I have seen the last few times, hasn’t bothered to introduce herself to me at all. I do not know her name.
The newer staff seem to implement the hard sell tactics and the catastrophizing of diagnoses that really just do not work for the dental chicken /​train wreck of a dental patient that I am.
I’m up in the air on my decision about this one.

Great office !! The staff is very professional and welcoming. Dr. Rubenstein has been my dentist for more than 3 yrs, I’m very happy and definitely recommend him to everyone.

I’ve been a longtime patient at Dr. Rubenstein’s office for nearly 20 years now, and have had nothing but a positive experience with him during that entire run, as well as with the various hygienists I’ve seen there, dental assistants, and office team. In fact, the entire group as a whole has always consistently worked well for me to keep my teeth healthy, white, and strong over all the many years I’ve been going, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier with how my teeth currently look and feel.
Dr. Rubenstein’s group has always made it incredibly easy to visit their office even during more difficult and stressful appointments when the thought of going to the dentist traditionally keeps you up the night before an appointment. I have now had many experiences with them where I felt absolutely no pain whatsoever from start to finish during a procedure, largely because this group is always willing to go the extra distance, and do everything they can to help patients through the more traumatic aspects of dentistry – something that has kept me coming back to this one particular practice over and over again. And as I’m someone who is largely terrified of going to the dentist (I don’t want it to sound like it’s actually easy for me to go to the dentist), there’s a certain comfort I find I always have knowing I can get through anything with them that comes up. Because of the inherent safety level I get there, I have been consistent in visiting every six months, which not only maintains my teeth, but also helps to spot any potential problems long before they cause pain or damage. Overall, I really like this group, and have felt that way right from the beginning.
Like many of the other reviewers of this practice, I too have been asked by them many times about whether I wanted this service or that one – whether it’s a fluoride treatment or Invisalign, many of which I know I don’t need or want, and simply say no thank you. I’ve had braces three times, and don’t need or want Invisalign, and don’t need many of the services they offer, but I’m glad to know they are available in case at some point I do want them.
Whether it’s for general cleanings or repeated cosmetic onlays (which I have done, and don’t think I could have accomplished anywhere else quite as confidently), they have been accommodating, patient, understanding, and helpful. My own personal goal is to keep all of my teeth healthy, attractive, and functional for the rest of my life, and I know that with their attention to detail, with all the services they offer, and how easy they make it to go to the dentist, I will confidently reach that goal.
While I don’t have any complaints about this practice to offer, I do find parking somewhat difficult in that area in Santa Monica. Since you can’t park on the street anymore without a permit, you can either park in the building’s garage that you’ll then want to take the ticket and get it validated for. Or you can do what I do, and park in the lot near the corner of 14^th and Wilshire. You can use cash or your ATM/​credit card to pay for the parking, and it’s both cheap and conveniently right around the corner from the dental office.
And lastly, my one piece of advice to anyone going in for a cleaning, whether here or elsewhere, if you happen to have any «hot spots» or sensitive areas on your teeth where the ultrasound causes you any pain, take an Advil about thirty-​minutes before your cleaning, and I can promise that you will have a far better experience during your appointment than you probably have in the past.

Sitting in my back yard when suddenly at 4:30 on a random Thursday, a molar explodes. I call Dr. Rubenstein’s office and they say «come on by immediately.» Much to my sadness, the molar exploded due to a bunch of decay underneath an old filling (NOT by Dr. Rubenstein) and I have to have a root canal. My last root canal (again, NOT by Dr. Rubenstein) was a terrible painful long ordeal.
So imagine my surprise when the entire procedure was completed quickly and painlessly! I have now been a patient of Dr. Rubenstein’s since July and I have to tell you, if you’re in the area and you need a dentist, this is clearly the way to go.

I can hardly say enough nice things about the staff here. I’m from out of town but they went out if their way to get me taken care of around my crazy schedule. Everyone was incredibly kind and knowledgeable about what they were doing.

I don’t want to make this review too wordy but I hope it is helpful to anyone in search of a dentist in the LA area.
The average person, like myself, is not typically educated on all that is offered to you at a simple teeth cleaning appointment. After speaking to two different dentists after seeing Dr. Rubenstein I have been advised that for my age and records a «deep cleaning» should not have been recommended or advised.
Flash back to my teeth cleaning appointment with Rubenstein — After being reprimanded like a toddler from the hygienist about flossing, they came back with a laundry list of procedures they recommended totaling more then $ 1,000!
Included procedures? Fillings for numerous cavities and a deep cleaning! I figured since I didn’t know how good or bad my gums really were, I would check the prices. They then brought back an itemized list of what my insurance would cover and what I would be responsible for. I was told my insurance would cover $ 463 and I was responsible for $ 199. I went against my husband’s wishes, who had been to Rubenstein weeks before and sold him on the same deep cleaning deal, and I accepted.
Months later I received a bill from Rubenstein saying that my insurance has decided not to cover the procedure and I would be responsible for the remaining $ 463!
Flash forward a few months. I recently went to have my teeth cleaned and checked by a different dentist. I warned the dentist ahead of time that I was told I had cavities I needed to take care of. When he came back with the x-​rays he was confused with what I had told him. He said I was a «Dentist’s dream»!! No cavities and my gums looked perfect. He told me someone my age should never have been suggested a deep cleaning procedure. Go figure.
After getting my lawyer involved, who sent many letters explaining I would not be responsible for the remainder of the bill, I received a letter from Dr. Rubenstein stating, «once a patient gives their verbal consent and proceeds with treatment that they assume certain financial obligations.» So not only was I suggested and ultimately duped into accepting a treatment that was unnecessary, he’s not backing down and wants me to pay half of the $ 463!
I regret ever going to Dr. Rubenstein and would highly recommend anyone looking for a dentist to do their research.

I have gone to Dr. Rubenstein for years now and everything has been just fine but today was above and beyond. I won’t go into too much but I had a really bad experience at another dentist (see my review for El Segundo Dental Arts) who I chose to go to because they were closer to my house. Bad idea. When I called Dr. Rubenstein to get the situation fixed and told me what was really wrong.
The other doctor was trying to charge me $ 1200 for various things and told me I had seven cavities. Turns out I just had a broken filling that was a super quick fix.
No wonder I’m terrified of dentists but Dr. Rubenstein and staff always make me feel better.
Thanks, Dr. Rubenstein!