Lake Merced Dentistry — Local services in Daly City

On Thursday, my regular dentist prescribed me antibiotics and told me I would need to see a specialist for a root canal. Their office was closed for the weekend, so I would have to wait till Monday for the procedure. Unfortunately, by the next day, my face had swelled up and I was experiencing the worst pain in my life. My jaw had a throbbing heartbeat. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, and I was crying deliriously from the pain. My cocktail of painkillers was losing its effect in one hour and my stomach was revolting against the unhealthy onslaught of pain medication. I wanted to die.

On Saturday morning, I called about 20 different dental clinics looking for an Endodontist who could perform the procedure. Lake Merced Dentistry was the only one who came through for me. They understood the severity of my pain and did their best to help solve my problem. Dr. Kwok came in on his day off to help me. I've never had such a pleasant dental experience, which is saying a lot given the nature of my visit and my general fear of dentists.

After evaluating my situation, he carefully explained what I was experiencing, its cause, and the procedure he would be performing to resolve it. On my intake form, I'd written down that my fear of dentists stems from not having things explained to me and from not being numbed enough. Taking this into account, Dr. Kwok walked me through the process using diagrams that he drew himself on the spot. He expertly administered the anesthetic so I didn't feel anything throughout the entire process, which--yuck--involved draining my tooth of pus that had accumulated as a byproduct of my body fighting off the infection.

Dr. Kwok was such a pro, really diligent, professional, confident, and friendly. He alleviated my pain and went the extra mile to make sure the procedure was completed in one visit. I feel so much better now, the swelling has gone down, the pain has disappeared, I can go back to living my life, and I just feel so grateful and indebted to Dr. Kwok and the whole team at Lake Merced Dentistry. I can't express how thankful I am for how they helped me.

If you want your dental worries solved by professionals who care about you getting better and have the ability to actually get the problem solved, then come here and watch your...

The Positive: the staff was nice and the service was good.

The Very Negative: after the X-ray and teeth cleaning, I went to the counter to pay. I was told that my "plan" was something like $360 per year for two cleanings. The "plan" was not stated before the service. I wasn't aware of having to join a plan. The staff said without the plan the one cleaning would be $650. I asked if the plan automatically renews each year. The staff member said no. I read the agreement, and sure enough found that it said there was automatic renewal each year. I said I'm not signing it. The staff member crossed out the automatic renewal clause. I signed it and paid the $360. I'm very unhappy with that sneaky way to trap a customer into signing up for a subscription with automatic renewal. It should have at least been disclosed to me before the service. I'm not going there again.

I wasn't going to write a review until they sent me an email to...

I did a thorough search and 3 patients from Lake Merced Dentistry recommended their dental services to me. My first cleaning and consultation was with Dr. Zhu. I received excellent CUSTOMER SERVICE which is KEY for me in selecting my new dentist. Overall my first visit was a good start. If anyone is searching for a new dentist please give Lake Merced Dentistry a call.

08/04/2025 My latest visit to Lake Merced Dentistry was intense. I had to have a crown and Dr. Zhu and his assistants made my visit painless and got the job done. Dr. Zhu is a specialist which gives me comfort knowing he can perform other areas of importance in the care of my teeth. Their front office provided excellent customer service and knowledge of managing my insurance / payments...