PreZen Dental: Herrick Lai, DDS

I feel terrible having to write this review as Dr Lai was my dentist for three years, and I always spoke highly of him and recommended him to several friends, but I need to share my most recent experience with him, which was extremely disappointing. I changed dental insurance from Delta to MetLife last spring, and (I fully acknowledge this is my mistake) I did not check to see whether Dr. Lai accepted my new insurance. However, when I showed up and told Dr. Lai (before the appointment even began) that my insurance had changed to MetLife, he DID NOT TELL ME that he did not accept that insurance. He proceeded with the cleaning, "found" two cavities, and scheduled time for me to come back for a filling, all without ever mentioning that I would need to pay out of pocket. When I came back for my cavity filling a few weeks later, he mentioned casually that I had "a large bill" from my recent appointment. As the recent appointment was just a cleaning, I assumed this was a mistake. When he finished the filling and brought me back to the front desk to pay, I was shocked to find I owed almost $800 out of pocket ($300 for the cleaning, $500 for the cavities). I expected to have to pay some out of pocket for the cavities, but I knew it shouldn't be this high - and I knew the cleaning should be covered by my insurance. Dr. Lai continued to act as dumbfounded as I was, claiming he had "submitted the claim" to my insurance and they just wouldn't accept it. Not once throughout this whole conversation (during which I was extremely distressed) did he tell me he just did not accept my insurance. He would not let me leave the office without at least paying the $300 for the cleaning, which I did, even though I knew it was wrong. Later that day, when I finally did what I SHOULD have done months earlier and checked whether Dr Lai was in network, and I found that he was not, I called him and asked him to explain. He did not argue with me, basically apologized, and said he would not charge me for the filling. This was, in theory, kind of him, but to me felt like he was essentially admitting what he'd done. I wish I could say this was a misunderstanding, but I believe he had many opportunities to tell me the truth, which he did not take. I do not plan on returning, and would caution others before visiting.

Dr. Lai is the best. Great dentist and awesome dude!

Excellent service, the doctor and receptionist were very warm and friendly. I went for a consultation and they explained all the procedures very clearly. 100% recommended.

Very professional, gentle and knowledgeable. Calm environment and a very pleasant visit.

Dr. Lai is patient and lets you know the details on what comes next during the appointment.

Always a pleasure!!

I have so many great things to say about Dr. Lai… He is a phenomenal competent and polite professional in the sciences. In fact, he is fully devoted to your dental hygiene well-being. He is organized, charismatic, enthusiastic and always happy to see you. I recommend Dr. Lai to every person that wants to exhibit a great smile. I am currently doing the “Invisalign treatment” with him and my teeth are looking so straight now. I’m feeling good about myself baby lol. I always thought the hardest thing in this life was to find a great dentist. And if you come across Dr. Lai then you will look no further. He cares about improving himself for the better of his patients and that is exemplary. You can tell that he loves his craft and I love him so much because of that! Top notch!

I’ve been going to Dr. Lai for many years from a friend’s recommendation. He’s fast, thorough, honest, and funny! The new office is very nice as well.

Dr. Lai is everything you could ask for in a dentist. He’s kind, friendly, and efficient. Doesn’t do unnecessary work. Painless. I heartily recommend him!

I have horrible phobia due to some difficult childhood experiences - and I've been trying to replace that with positive experiences in adulthood - with very little luck. I had my first appointment with Dr. Lai yesterday and - I can't believe I'm saying this: it was actually really...great. I got a cleaning AND a really difficult filling in a front tooth that required a lot of care, art, and patience. I honestly didn't expect Dr. Lai to be able to do the filling same day (it was supposed to be just a cleaning and xrays) but he had the time and offered me the option - he didn't pressure me and actually gave me a chance to back out. But I did it, and it was a gamechanger. Dr. Lai checked in with me consistently, and he talked me through what he was doing (very helpful) - like letting me know when he expected something to feel sensitive, when was scraping, what next steps were, etc. Something that had been keeping me from smiling for months is now gone! Replaced with a lovely, normal tooth. AND: I made a follow up appointment to continue taking good care of my teeth. I'm really proud of myself but I'm also really grateful to Dr. Lai.

I had a great experience with Dr. Lai, I highly recommend. He takes his time and explains everything thoroughly. I have a phobia of going to the dentist and usually find cleanings to be painful— not this one. Wish he could be my PCP.