Jim H Louie, DDS

I called on a Wednesday to set up a cleaning appointment and was told that the next available slot would be 8 am on Friday. Yep, that same Friday. Whoa.
Pros:
— Dr. Louie is very friendly, chatty, and down-​to-​earth.
— He does the cleaning himself.
— He doesn’t try to sell you anything.
— No problems with insurance (he’s in my network).
Cons:
— He doesn’t have one of those spit-​sucking things, so every time bloody saliva builds up in your mouth, you have to physically sit up and spit into a little sink.

Alright, Dr. Louie is off the chain. He gets you in and out of there quickly, tells you anything you want to know about your teeth in exacting detail, and best of all doesn’t try to sell you a bunch of unnecessary services. The last two dentists I’ve been to in DC told me I need fillings on my molars, bite guards, teeth whitening, or an array of other procedures. Dr. Louie gave me the lowdown on most of that stuff (money-​making schemes) and reiterated my teeth were fine how they were. He also gives great tips on how to keep them that way.
Straight up a great dentist. Yeah, when you walk in there aren’t exactly iPads for you to play with while super model nurses serve you espressos in a modern-​chic white-​washed waiting room. If you want that I’d suggest looking somewhere else. But Dr. Louie is definitely my go-​to dentist in DC.

I had the misfortune of having a dental bond break, and being a college student in DC don’t really have «a dentist» here as I take care of the routine stuff when I am at the ‘rents. After losing half of a front tooth at dinner, I set out frantically the next morning to call every dentist in my network and finally got an appointment with Dr. Louie. A pleasant receptionist said I could be seen at 8am the following morning. A godsend.
I arrived at the office, which yes is somewhat stark, but frankly I don’t care as long as the dentist is top notch. Dr. Louie was super courteous, entertaining, certainly could carry a conversation (even if I couldn’t speak back for the majority of the procedure) and left me with an excellent new dental bond. The best part was that they handled all of the insurance and I still made it to my last undergraduate class ever, scheduled for 930am. If I was staying in DC after graduation, Dr,. Louie would without a doubt become my go-​to dentist.

Dr. Louie makes going to the dentist entertaining. Really — he is a great conversationalist and always recommends good restaurants and tells entertaining stories. He never lectures you about flossing more, or getting those wisdom teeth yanked out… he is a no frills dentist (he does the cleaning himself, and don’t expect that free toothbrush and mouthwash at the end of the visit). Yes, his office is dated, but he’s perfectly frank about why — his office IS in DC. On the corner of «I» and 18^th Street, in the Farragut West area. Can you say high rent? And he’s quick. No lollygagging, and he keeps the conversation going the whole time. He clearly enjoys his chosen profession. As for insurance, I’m on CareFirst (BlueCross), and there is not even a co-​pay.

I have been going to Dr. Louie since 2003. He is naturally chatty but *always* on time. And he cleans your teeth himself! Nothing against hygienists, but I like that in a dentist. The office is utilitarian and looks straight out of the 1970s, but there’s a lot of natural light in the treatment room, which is nice.
Dr. Louie takes Delta Dental, under which routine cleanings and examinations are fully covered. I can’t vouch for his drilling or other dental skills, because I haven’t had a cavity in the time I’ve been going there. But I can tell you that Dr. Louie doesn’t try to scam you into unnecessary dental work!