Candelaria Ayala, DDS

I never had a fear of dentists, but I do now.
Dr. Candelaria is careless, heavy handed and unfriendly. I came in for a root canal and Dr. Candelaria berated me for not taking well enough care of my teeth… believe me I know! Especially considering that I was paying her cash for the painful procedure… really, I don’t need a lecture, I already feel bad enough. After 30 mins, I was in tears and could not stand the pain anymore. The sweet secretary had to come in and calm me down several times.
The next appointment I came in with meditation music and tried to prepare myself mentally for the pain. again Dr. Candelaria and her assistant were heavy handed and inconsiderate of the patient. I could handle the drilling, but it was the clamping and pulling my mouth apart until my jaw came unlocked that sent my body into shock. Dr. Candelaria just seemed angry at me for being in so much pain:(
The final nail in the coffin was at the last appointment, when I finally thought I was done, Dr. Candelaria was careless and «accidentally» prodded me with an instrument. I started bleeding and she needed to stitch the inside of my mouth where she had gouged me and the was an open wound. She apologized, albeit reluctantly, for causing me the injury. But this should never happen if you are a careful and practiced doctor!
Also, the office is run-​down and it looks like the furniture and equipment has not been upgraded since the 70s. Not very reassuring when all the furniture looks like its cracking and coming apart.
I am never coming back!
I will say that the secretary is one of nicest human beings I have ever met… she comforted me as I was crying. I feel sorry for her that she has to work for someone like Dr. Candelaria.
It was the most painful experience I have had since giving birth.

Dr. Ayala and her staff are everything you could want in a dentist office. They are honest, professional, friendly, and do great work! I have complete trust in them and have been going here for several years. I am lucky to have found such a great place! I was very nervous about having my wisdom tooth extracted and Dr. Ayala performed the procedure and there was NO PAIN! She is very gentle and takes the time to answer all of your questions and explain what she is doing. Norma, the receptionist is always very friendly and accommodating, too!

I went here as a teen. I do not recommend this dentist whatsoever. They charged my insurance for services that I did not receive. So please make sure you check your dental plan statement before you get charged for a service that you never received. Dr. Ayala has a very heavy hand and every time that I got a regular cleaning it was painful.

PROFESSIONAL! that is all i can say about Dr. Ayala! This was my first ever appt. at this office. From the receptionist to the Dental Assistant they were all courteous and polite. I had my teeth cleaned and the Dr was gentle and i had no pain. She even taught me how to brush properly! overall. a good experience! i will definitely stick around… SATISFIED PATIENT. :D

(Scheduled 03÷09÷13 SA @ 8:30am): This candy will certainly tickle your sweet tooth!
It was time for my 6-​month cleaning (covered through my health insurance) at Ayala Candelaria DDS («Dr. Ayala»), my dentist since high school. Being a morning person (and a night person, too!), this was a good way to get my day started… even though I was already up earlier working out. Past several check-​ups, I went away unscathed and I felt pretty good about myself today. I was ready for another 15 – 20 minute appointment and then the rest of the day was mine to conquer.
I was the first patient of the day, so when I arrived, I was simply led to the back through the short little security door and into the first dental chair. It seemed she got some new hi-​tech equipment and toys since last I was here. Basically, monitors hooked up to computer software so oral pictures can be taken, saved, and used for the patent’s history files. Plus, this wand that she had with a camera at the end was so cool as she explored the inside of my mouth while I watched on the monitor that hung from the ceiling.
Well, on this unfortunate visit, she told me I’d cracked a tooth and needed to be fixed ASAP. Crap, I should’ve written this review based on my last check-​in here before this happened! Needless to say, I wasn’t happy to have something other than a simple cleaning, but the visuals confirmed it all. She then gave me the lowdown like how it might’ve happened, what her recommendations were, how much time it would take to repair the tooth, and she’ll look at my previous visit if there was something that was missed. I’ve seen this woman for over twenty years of my life, so I had complete trust in her and let her have her way with me (professionally speaking). With prep time (Novocaine), x-​rays, and procedure, we were done in about 30 minutes. The procedure required my mouth to be virtually the entire time as she worked on me, so I gagged a few times. I felt like a fish out of water who gasped for air. She assured me that everything went well and showed me on the monitor how the tooth looked now vs. before. With no feeling on one side of my face (the Novocaine eventually wore off completely later in the afternoon when I was brave enough to eat something solid), I was sent on my way until my next 6-​month check-​up. Let’s hope that one is much better!
The service was and has always been exceptional. Norma, the long-​time receptionist, was like your favorite aunt growing up. She always remembered to give you a reminder phone call. The various dental assistants over the years have been professional and I’d imagined they’ve moved on with their career. And Dr. Ayala was the consummate professional and every bit felt like part of the family. She worked efficiently, effectively, and was honest.
Parking was challenging since it’s was only non-​metered street parking. However, I’ve never had any problems finding parking on the closest side street between her office and the Starbucks at the corner
Overall, Ayala Candelaria DDS was a wonderful dentist and her entire staff were just as helpful and nice. Sure my praise may sound biased, but obviously if I continued to come to her solo practice for nearly twenty straight years, I felt she’s good. I found great value based on the price, service, and experience — cracked tooth excluded since not her fault — noted above (total bill should be $ 0.00), but I was treated how every patient expected to be. The atmosphere/​décor of the office was very basic with wood paneling, a small waiting area that held five chairs, a couple racks of magazines, the reception window area, and then two separate dental chairs/​rooms once you got past the little gate. There were dental certificates hung on the wall along with informational material. The office was housed within an older building located across from a Taco Bell on Central Ave. No TVs. The attire was totally casual, so I was in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops. Although she accepted all forms of health insurance (mine covered this), cash, and most credit cards, my credit card of choice wasn’t accepted… AMEX! Sorry, 4.5 stars for no AMEX