Dental Center of West LA

I was a little worried when I read some of the other reviews about this doctor but don’t let them scare you! Dr. Jacob may be a bit rough around the edges, but he is very honest and does fantastic work. He answered all of my questions, explained what was wrong, went over my options, and finally explained what he recommended and why. I followed his advice, and while the treatment was more expensive than some of the suggestions that alternative dentists recommended, it saved my tooth from the dreaded root canal (knock on wood!!), which I know would’ve cost me even more. I am very happy with the work I’ve had done at this office and would definitely recommend Dr. Jacob and his entire practice! I was treated with the utmost respect from everyone involved in my case!

Waiting so long for everything. They should be more respectful to the patients’ time. One doctor is seeing two patients at the same time. Unbelievable.

Great Dr. Great staff. No wait, took me in 5 min. Great prices lex payments

AVOID AT ALL COSTS or it will cost YOU!
First time at this office. Made appointment for cleaning and routine exam with x-​rays. Front desk person, Madelyn, scheduled appointment incorrectly. No cleaning was scheduled. Dr. Slutsky commented that no hygienist was there that day then attempted to hold me accountable for their error.
Wanted to charge me $
receive MY x-​rays.
Told me I had 3 cavities which have never showed up with my previous dentist. (My previous dentist is excellent just too far away).
Was told the cavities would cost a few hundred dollars. When I asked why (my insurance should cover), was THEN told they only do composites which of course are more expensive. I had to ask before they offered that information (about composites only vs. amalgam).
Paid my copay; did not get my cleaning; have no access to my xrays.
Tom, administrative person, was kind and apologetic.
Dr. was not accountable & rude.
Horrible experience.

Let me start by saying I hate writing negative reviews and had held up on writing this one for a while but after another failed tooth that he worked on, I just couldnt hold back.
I used to be a patient of Dr. Jacob several years ago because he took my HMO. I should have trusted my intuition and ran far away. But I“ll start with the positives:
Pros’s
1. Tom, at the front desk was always very nice and approachable and made me feel comfortable
2. The hygienist, I believe her name was Diana, was great!
3. The female root canal specialist, Dr, S, that they have to do root canals was also great
4. The female dental assistants were great! Very kind and apologetic for Dr. Jacob’s ways
But the general doctor, Dr. Jacob was probably the worst dentist I have ever had.
1. Terrible bedside manner towards me and the dental assistant (he would shout at them in front of me).
2. He would never discuss options; if I had questions about a procedure, he would brush me off and say there was no other option and that was that
3. His work was very rough. I had an extraction done on one visit and I felt like he was pulling my head off.
4. Every tooth that he worked on for me (and charged an arm and leg) has since had to have had either an implant or a re-​treatment of some kind. Even during my time with him, work that he did had to be redone. I should have realized at that point, but sometimes you feel stuck when you have an HMO. So I also blame myself for staying for so many years
Luckily I have found another dentist now and see the difference between a knowledge, professional, and kind dentist and Dr. Jacob.

I was visiting LA for a few weeks and broke a tooth. I chose Dental Center of West LA primarily due to convenience since it was close to where I was staying. The doctor saw me right away and I think he even stayed a little late to treat me since the office looked like it was closing. I know he’s getting paid or his time, but I appreciated it all the same.
I was very happy with the work I had done. The temporary crown they put on felt great. When I came back to get the permanent crown, I was in and out in a matter of minutes. Everything fit and looked great. Thanks doc!

The only reason I’m giving this place one star is because the hygentist, Maggie, is awesome! She’s the sweetest person ever and great at her job.
The reason I left this office was because the man at the front desk is so rude. I called to get a copy of my X-​rays and he wouldn’t give them to me. He was so mean and interrogated me. He asked what I even needed them for and said he didn’t have to give them to me. Then he finally agreed to mail them only but for a charge. I will never go back to this office again. It’s a shame because they have the best hygentist ever. But he ruined it for me and probably lots of other people.
Don’t go here ever!

Dr. Jacobs did an extraction on a troublesome wisdom tooth for me yesterday. I had a couple others before by different dentists and this was the most painless and fast experience ever. He was finished before I even knew it. The staff was friendly and answered all questions. I would definitely recommend this place to my friends and family.

We were traveling in LA, and, unfortunately, I had a strong toothache, so I have to visit the dentist. Our friends recommended for us Jacob.
To be honest, I was so nervous and afraid of a dentist my whole life, but Jacob surprised me. He is not only a great professional, but he is also an easygoing person, has a great sense of humor, so it helps you feel more confident and relax in his chair.
When I came, he carefully listened my complains, when first examined my mouth and after took a picture of my mouth. It turned out that I had a plot of problems with cavity in my mouth.
He explained me very well about all possible variants that I could have and, (I was surprised!); he had never been pushy about my treatment exactly in his cabinet. He just gave me options. Anyway I decided to fill all of my tooth in this place.
I was not disappointed.
I spent about three days in his office, and he was able to cure all my problems. He told me that it could sometimes hurt during the treatment, but it didn’t. He gave me an injection and after I felt nothing. During all this time, Jacob asked me about my feelings, about my general condition and always tried to support me. I can definitely say that he is a very attention dentist.
When all of my procedure were finished, I felt some discomfort couple days, but Jacob gave a warning about that. And it was expected too. Expect put in a filling, he also pulled my wisdom tooth out.
In conclusion, I want to say that I was absolutely satisfied my experience with Dr. Jacob and can strongly recommend his professionalism for everyone

Just left this dental office from my 1^st visit with them and wow I’m happy! I finally found a great dentist and an honest dentist! I say this because when I went to a previous dentist in LA they told me I had 5 cavities. I didn’t believe them so decided to get a second opinion. I didn’t say anything to Dr Slutsky and once he looked at my X-​rays he said my teeth looked very healthy and I only had 1 small cavity to fix. ONE AS OPPOSE TO FIVE! That tells me how honest this office is and not lying to me like the other office!!!
My husband had the same thing happen where the previous office said he had NINE cavities but Dr Slutsky told him he only had TWO!
I’ve found that in LA it is really hard to find a dentist that is honest, professional and experienced and Dr Jacob Slutsky is ALL THAT!!! His staff is also awesome!!! Tom at the front desk was SUPER helpful along with Joanna, and the hygienist Maggie is awesome! She did a great cleaning on my teeth, super friendly & gentle.
I hope this review helps others in finding a dentist. I rarely write reviews unless I strongly feel the place deserves it and in this case, this office strongly deserves it! :)

I will not go into great detail but I will say that I was extremely pleased with the fast professional service I received here. I had an excellent & thorough cleaning, filled a few cavities and repaired a lower tooth that was damaged in a car accident 40 years ago. This was my first visit with Dr Jacob and I was impressed with both the speed and skill of his dental services. The staff was most pleasant and welcoming. I parked around the corner on the side street for free. I have moved alot and spent a lot of time in many dentists chairs in my life due to the soft teeth I inherited. Based on my experience I would not hesitate to recommend this place to others. I realize nobody likes to go to the dentist and there is usually pain involved but I find some of the negative reviews a little hard to believe.

It was amazing experience in my life at dentist. I read the previous reviews before my visit to Dental Center of West LA, so I went there with low expectations. Folks, I was wrong. The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. And most important, the dentist are highly professional. What I like more is reasonable price. Previously I went couple more dentist clinics, and this best so far. Also price is reasonable. I will definitely suggest this clinic to my friends…

This review might be detailed, but I find that most dentist reviews are crap so I hope this is helpful.
DCenter is the dentist on my plan, thus why I came here initially. Before any procedure takes place, the billing department will check with your insurance and give you an out of pocket cost. This is due the day of the procedure. Plan accordingly. I went in for a cleaning and a potential wisdom tooth extraction. I had an infection in the crown next to the wisdom tooth and 3 cavities (crappy dental genes). My first visit I had a cleaning, a deep cleaning on the top right of my mouth and an antibiotic administered to cure the infection. $ 190.
I came back three weeks later to get the 3 cavities filled and have the wisdom tooth extracted. When I walked in I was nervous as I have never had an extraction. I expected Dr. Jacob to give me the 411 on what would happen, etc. That did not happen. Dr. Jacob is a terse dude… SO ASK QUESTIONS. I’m sure he and the hygienist (I forget his name but he was great) thought I was insane. However, I wanted to know what was going on, so I asked. I had talked to the billing department so I knew what to expect financially. However, I didn’t know what would happen in terms of shots, what would get filled first, what the extraction would be like etc. JUST ASK THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE. Dr. Jacob gave me the run down about where the shots would be, what would be filled first and what to expect from the extraction. The hygienist also answered a ton of my questions while Dr. Jacob was preparing.
In terms of pain and the actual service, 2 out of the 3 cavities were a piece of cake. I was given topical gel so the shots weren’t that bad. One cavity, that was super deep, took a while to numb and was pretty uncomfortable while being filled. That being said, it was pretty quick and Dr. Jacob did the best he could to make me feel comfortable. The extraction was a pain in the a** only because I had to get a shot in the roof of my mouth which was uncomfortable, but again, not the end of the world. The actual extraction was pretty quick… tons of pressure and pop. The darn thing came out in one piece thank the lord.
With the follow up, I was given a little package of bandages and a piece of paper with what to do. Again, I didn’t feel fully informed so I asked questions. The day after, the hygienist gave me a call to see how I was doing.
Dr. Jacob was quick and did a good job. If you expect to have your hand held, this is not the place. However, if you are able to be proactive about your treatment, the staff will definitely answer any and all questions you have. As for the $, I think that is more of an insurance issue. Dental work isn’t cheap. Unfortunate fact of life.
I’m scheduled to go back in six months for another cleaning.

Terrible, terrible, terrible!
I am furious that I have to give any star at all.
I wish Unilocal would offer a middle finger option.
I am convinced that their entire business plan revolves around the idea of the «up-​sale.»
My wife wanted a basic crown, they kept pushing and pushing a more expensive crown that our insurance did not cover.
Even after I spent a couple of days – placing several calls, that got mysteriously disconnected time after time – obtained the exact procedure codes and verified the costs with my insurance company, they still proceeded with their outrageous overpricing scheme.
On the day of the «treatment,» Dr. Slutsky came in and anesthetized my wife, he then left the room. Next, my wife asked the office staff to explain what they planned to do. Again, they quoted the wildly inflated and even uncertain costs, far beyond our insurance plans’ co-​payments. Ultimately – after conferring with Slutsky – the office staff member told my wife that she either gets the more expensive crown or the doctor would REFUSE any procedure at all! True story! My wife left in tears.
Stay away at all costs!
Even the mafia treats people better than that.

So many angry people. Check your insurance folks, most of the problems listed here are the cheap insurance carriers not the dentist’s fault. This is why we need nationalized health coverage like medicare (as every other civilized nation has) to get the money grubbing insurance companies out of the health care delivery business. As far as parking, if you park 50 feet down the street in the residential neighborhood the parking is free — so how is that the dentist’s fault again? If you don’t want a service, here’s a crazy idea — just say no.
I remember it took me ten years to find this office and everyone here is great. The front staff has always been very pleasant with me. My hygenist is Maggie and she is wonderful. Dr. Slutsky is easy to work wth and the billing people are very nice.

I couldn’t go to my regular dentist because my dental insurance changed to Delta Care, an HMO that almost no one takes (and certainly no one with good Unilocal ratings). But I thought, well, I’m not a fussy or squeamish patient, I don’t need much, I’ll try Dr. Slutsky’s office.
The initial appointment went fine, had X-​rays, was told I had 7 cavities that needed filling. That seemed high, but whatever, I tend to trust doctors. So I went in for the first of two follow-​up appointments.
And that’s where things went really, really bad.
Even before he reached my chair, I could hear the way he was treating his own staff, yelling at them, treating them like they were idiots. It was surprising and kind of put me on guard… not a good way to begin an appointment.
I don’t know if he misplaced the numbing Q-​tips that he just sort of jammed in my mouth or didn’t wait long enough for them to take effect, but I felt every last inch of all 4 – 5 long needles he used to numb my gums. I felt it all: the tip of the needle piercing my flesh, then sloooowly sinking with increasing pain deeper and deeper into my mouth. It was wild pain, I was kind of amazed, it almost felt like the needles were sinking into my neck. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I’m a model patient, I never complain… I kept trying to tell myself, it’s fine, toughen up, don’t be chicken. But seriously, when I got up to change chairs for the next stage, the back of my shirt was wet with sweat and my hands were shaking from the adrenaline.
I’ve had needles in my gums before. It’s usually just a pinch. This was long and protracted, unnecessary pain.
I will say this for him: I was totally numb by the time he started the fillings. But here’s the weird part: I had no idea what he was doing. I didn’t know which teeth he was doing, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t even know if I was getting composite fillings or mercury fillings or what. He never spoke to me except to bark, «RELAX!» It was truly bizarre. It was like he was a mechanic working on a car that he didn’t particularly like.
The dental hygienist working with him looked at me with such compassion… I could see it in her eyes, she thought it was barbaric too. She was the one who gently closed my mouth and let me rest in between drillings and she was the one who moved the light out of my eyes while he was doing something off to the side. And then he mocked her for being too slow to hand him something.
I don’t know how good of a job he did — I guess I’ll find out next week when I return to my original dentist. But what I do know is that when he finished, I still had no idea what had happened, so I asked the dental assistant, who got out a mirror and did what the dentist should have done: pointed out the areas, showed me the work, explained the materials.
I would rather pay out of pocket then go through that kind of pain again. A signed letter, a $ 35 check, and a follow-​up phone call will get them to release your dental records. I’m going back to my old dentist. Yes, Dyan who will do your cleaning here is good, but she’s not the one who will be drilling into your mouth. Patients deserve a dentist who will TALK to you, tell you what to expect, and offer solid pain management. One of the other reviews called him the «roughest dental professional I’ve ever been around.» I have to agree.

I have been going to Dental Center of West LA for many years and this office is one of the best. The staff is very friendly and you know the price before the Doctor begins the work.
I think Dr. Slutsky is one of the best dentists out there and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this office for dental services.

Used to be a pateint two years ago but stopped coming in after being overcharged and treated poorly by office manager. This is not necessarily the dentists’ fault and more office management…
Pros: clean, not too busy
Cons.: always an up sell with hygienist, no parking validation, office manager is not pleasant
If you come here, my advice, check your dental insurance and see if you’ve overpaid, they quote higher than insurance pays out so there may be money owed back and make sure you received service you are charged for!

I was a little bit surprised to see that the average review for this place was only 3 stars. Then I realized that most of the dental offices have a very average rating. You have 4 and 5 star ratings mixed in with 1 star ratings from people who just seem to hate the dentist. Well, I can’t speak for the other dental offices that show up on the side panel of Unilocal,but I can say with confidence that I would recommend Dental Center of West LA to anyone who was looking for a new dentist.
I have never had to wait long to see the dentist when making an appointment. The office seems to run on schedule, at least during the days that I have been there. Diane the dental hygienist is amazing. Best cleaning I have ever gotten, and she knows more about teeth than some dentists that I have gone to. It definitely shows that she enjoys her work, because she is always making conversation and making me enjoy the overall experience as a result. Enjoying a visit to the dentist… go figure!
Dr. Slutsky is very intelligent and to the point. He will tell you what (if anything) is wrong and explain the different options that are available to fix it. Of course he and his staff will make suggestions that, while helpful, are not absolutely necessary. Not everyone cares about having perfect teeth, and not everyone needs everything that is available to them through their dentist. That doesn’t make them liars, crooks, or anything else that they have been accused of being in the negative reviews. Ultimately, they’re a business… one that has kept my pearly whites healthy for as long as I have been a patient!

A little update:
While updating my information for my health insurance I noticed a bill that the «Dental» center of West LA submitted. They charged my insurance $ 280 for a regular cleaning. Not to mention all the extras they attempted to get me to purchase out of pocket. While my most recent visit to a reputable dentist was $ 125.
Again, avoid at all cost. Not only will they take your money, they take money from your insurance company too. Not to mention they will screw up your teeth. This place needs to go out of business; its a joke.