Kari Sakurai, DDS

I use Unilocal often, but never review, but I for this doctor I felt compelled to write one. Dr. Sakurai is a lifesaver! She came in on a Saturday. We were in Santa Monica on vacation and my scared-​of-​all dentist’s son got a very bad toothache as one of his babyteeth was inflamed and causing pain. The doctor knew he was afraid and explained everything in fun kid lanuguage and gave him choices and asked if he wanted to learn how to pull out his own tooth. With her assistance she showed him the tooth, washed his hands like a ‘surgeon’ and made the event into a fun doctor teaching. She transformed my son from a scared patient to an interested one and he even pulled out his own babytooth with her help. I was impressed deeply and wish she was our local dentist!

3 people that I know very well and trust implicitly recommended Dr. Sakurai as I was looking for a new dentist. I have nothing but good things to say about her. I have never had to wait, not even for 5 minutes. She knows what she is doing and never recommends procedures that are unnecessary.
Even if she did not accept my insurance, I would continue to see her. She is kind and knowledgeable and I just feel GOOD knowing that she has my best interests at heart.

All of our family goes to Dr. Sakurai and she is not only a lovely person but she has a concierge type practice where there is no wait. She has state of the art equipment and techniques and has great cleanings. Most of all, she doesn’t sell you things you don’t need, but can do anything you need, cosmetic, whitening or otherwise. Highly recommend!

I have been going to Dr Sakurai for over 10 years now. She is very honest on what is going on in your mouth and never do I feel she is pushing things I don’t need to do. I am currently toward the end of completing my INVISALIGN and I couldn’t be happier. Make an appointment and tell her Jeff sent you. ;)

It was my first time seeing Dr. Sakurai and I have to say that I was very impressed with her practice. I had virtually no wait and was in and out in an hour. I had X-​rays, a filling and a checkup. The X-​rays were digital and you can see your teeth right there on a computer screen and the doctor advises you accordingly on what kind of treatment you require. Dr Sakurai is an expert at what she does and she walked me through the whole process before the filling, educating me about every tiny detail. Overall, the office was every clean with a small section for children as well. The front desk was very friendly and helpful in filling the paperwork. I would definitely recommend Dr Sakurai to everyone.

I live in Studio City and work in Century City so it isn’t particularly convenient going to a dentist in Santa Monica. However, Dr. Sakurai is well worth the trip. She is thorough, intelligent, charming, knowledgeable, and overall wonderful. I have recommended her to several of my friends and they all agree that she is a terrific dentist.

Love this dentist. Courteous, friendly staff. Knowledgable, calming doctor. Wonderful experience, and how many times do you say that about a dentist appointment? 5 big happy stars.

If you are anything like me then one day you realized that your teeth are a sign of your overall health and that your dentist was doing as much for your health and she was for your smile. That is how I found Dr. Sakurai over ten years ago. I needed some poor quality work fixed that I had received from an out of state dentist while traveling. What I did not plan on was the wealth of information and the degree of personal care that I would receive when I was referred by friends to Dr. Sakurai and her team. you want a dentists who is as intelligent and up to date as she is kind and understanding and that is Dr. Sakurai in a nutshell. Information and competence is key when it comes to having your teeth last for decades and I would not trust my dental health to anyone else. I edited this post because since this posting Dr Sakuria moved to an even more new and improved building and built out a new space in a building where parking is easy and always available. That is a huge plus.

Dr. Sakurai is wonderful. Extremely nice and very thorough with her cleanings. She explains everything to you and has no problem stopping midway through the procedure to answer any questions you may have. Office staff is very friendly as well. Clean, calm, professional environment.
My only withdrawal on a star was that they don’t support Delta Dental insurance, or at least not on the Delta Dental program. I end up paying 50% of my dental bill. I’m not an insurance wiz — maybe my company just offers sub-​par dental insurance options!
Regardless, she’s in a convenient location and you can see the ocean from the dental chair. Nothing more soothing than seeing beautiful Santa Monica before you get dropped on your back and a drill goes in your mouth!

she is PHENOMENAL!!! i look forward to having my invisalign with this AMAZING Dentist.
by far best dental experience thus far! she is on another LEVEL

I have been going to Dr. Sakurai for years and have never had one problem. All of her work has been pain free and quick. A few years back I had some complications from a previous Denist And she fixes everything in a timely manner and even came in super early in the mornings to make sure I made it to work on time. I was there almost even week for 3 months and felt like it was my second home because her whole staff is so kind and caring. She also made sure I had a good payment plan that would not bankrupt me.
I recently got married and Dr. Sakurai made sure my smile was perfect by gifting me a teeth whitening as my wedding gift. I get compliments everyday on my smile and it is 100% due to her. She is beyond worth every penny I have ever spent. If I could give her 10 stars I would.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Sakurai for my dental needs for over 10 years. I almost can’t say it better than the other reviewers here — but she is a wonderful, thorough and knowledgeable dentist. She can do just about anything, from cleaning to cosmetic procedures, though there is no pressure to do optional services beyond what is needed.
Her office is beautiful, calm and relaxing, there is never a wait, and her staff is top-​notch! I highly, highly recommend Dr. Sakurai

I have a bonding that covers a large chip in my front tooth — without the bonding I would look absolutely ridiculous! Unfortunately, I was eating chips on a Friday night and all of a sudden I noticed my front teeth felt funny — the bonding (which had been there for about four years) had fallen out. I was in complete panic mode because it was the weekend and I knew it wouldn’t be easy to find a dentist to do my teeth on a Saturday.
But I called Dr. Sakurai’s office early Saturday morning, spoke to such a sweet receptionist, she was able to pull some strings and they got me in late morning to fix my tooth. Such amazing workers at this dental office — all very sweet. I am also someone who gets very nervous at the dentist, and these workers couldn’t have been more relaxing — best dentist experience I’ve had yet!

Dr. Sakurai is great! My appointment was at 8:15 am, I arrived at 8am with my paperwork already filled out (they emailed it to me beforehand), and I was in the dental chair by 8:05am. Not only did Dr. Sakurai call me personally the night before to confirm my appointment and find out if there was anything she could do to make my appointment more comfortable, but she also personally cleaned my teeth at my first visit. I cracked a joke about needing chapstick, and she gave me chapstick even! The office staff is so kind, clean building, new technology, and they send you off with a very nice goodie bag. I highly recommend her.

Dr. Sakurai’s Pacific View Smile Center has got to be the best dental experience I’ve ever had. The beautiful ocean view combine with the calming music immediately put me at ease and I’m usually fairly on edge at the dentist.
After getting x-​rays (the quickest and most professional I’ve ever had done) Dr. Sakurai did a lot of interesting tests to see where my gum-​line was and gave me advice on how to improve my daily care. She also used a laser to scan for any early cavities that may have been forming in the shallower parts of the teeth that the x-​rays don’t see.
After getting a standard cleaning I got my teeth bleached and took impressions for Invisalign. Both were well done by Dr. Sakurai’s dental assistant. WIth the bleaching my teeth were sensitive for about a day and then the pain went away, which I understand is normal with the procedure.
Also, I found the front desk person and all the staff very friendly and helpful. I plan on making Dr. Sakurai my regular dentist.

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I don’t know who lo c. is, or what his/​her problem was, but I just switched to Dr. S a couple months ago and i’ve gone in to her a few time and every single time I actually end up liking it. I have had some horrible experiences with other dentists and Dr. Sakurai seriously is just on a different level. Take this analogy, Dr. S is like apple, and every other dentist out there is some sh*tty motorola or samsung. She takes pride in her work and the office is friendly has an amazing view and all the equipment is the latest and best. The world would honestly be a better place if more people approached their jobs and responsibilities with the same diligence and prowess that Dr. Sakurai does. Bottom line go to her you will not regret it, she is simply supreme.

Dr. Sakurai has been my dentist for many years. Before I found her, I was afraid to go to the dentist and would do anything to avoid a trip in, but Dr. Sakurai and her staff have completely changed my opinion. They are skilled, well-​trained professionals with the latest in technology, and they also genuinely care about their patients. As one other reviewer said, Dr. Sakurai will do your cleaning herself if you request her, and she always makes sure you’re comfortable with topical anaesthesia and lip balm. She explains everything she’s doing, from a simple cleaning to a more complex procedure like a crown. This office is concerned with your health overall — a healthy mouth is connected to a healthy body — and they take care to help you understand how to take care of yourself, along with offering plenty of options to give you a beautiful smile. It’s easy to get an appointment — either talk to the friendly staff or schedule online — and the Saturday hours are perfect for people with long work hours. Dr. Sakurai is available for emergencies too (I had a chipped tooth after slipping in Bikram Yoga class on a Sunday, and she came in to see me right away). All in all, I don’t have a single complaint and I recommend this office to anyone looking for a dentist.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Sakurai’s for maaaaaaaaaaany years, as I was referred to her by my fussiest dental friend. Seeing as my now-​pearly whites and I just saw Dr. S again today, wanted to share my thoughts — as I actually have seen the good dentist.
Dr. S is AMAZING. She does the exams and much of the scrapey part of the cleaning herself… with thoughtful details such as a little lip balm to protect chapped lips against cracking and some topical anaesthesia on sensitive teeth before the cleaning. Although I have only once had to see her emergently (popcorn kernel incident) she saw me immediately and quickly fixed the problem… sending me home with a fun little dental tool in case it happened again.
Everyone I’ve met at that office is fabulous. I hope I don’t have to see her that much, but when I do, it’s a great experience!

This is the best dental experience I’ve ever had. Dr. Sakurai is a top notch professional, that really makes sure I’m completely comfortable during every visit. Over the years, I’ve had a root canal, a crown, a filling, zoom whitening and regular cleanings. I actually enjoy going to see Dr. Sakurai. You can even watch a movie while you’re being treated! The office is pristine and modern with a great view of the ocean. The entire staff is very friendly and helpful. They do a great job of explaining all of my treatment and financial options. Everyone in the office really goes above and beyond to make going to the dentist enjoyable. I feel like part of the family when I walk in the office. I can’t say enough about Dr. Sakurai. I send all my friends to see her.

This has got to be the worst dental experience without seeing the actual dentist. Not only does the front desk admin give you the worst attitude on the phone, it’s even worse in person.
She has no sense of client service which will not last very long in this world. I went in for invisalign consultation, given extremely bad attitude on the phone while asking simple patient questions. Get there and was never told on the phone they charge 100+ dollars for consultation that’s usually FREE anywhere else!!! When i told her you never informed me of this charge on the phone, her answer was totally insincere and unprofessional. Do us a favor and go back to school and stay there until you understand the meaning of client services.
Out of the 5 providers i’ve scheduled appts with, this is the only office that charges for consultation!
I appreciate you turning a decent day into a horrible one. Recommend you guys go elsewhere than this office. Thank you!