Arthur J Le Claire, DMD, MS

I was referred to Dr. Arthur Le Claire’s office to have a root canal from my dentists.
Dr. Le Claire did a root canal and weeks later I still had pain in the area he operated and on top of it, I now had an infection in the area with pus and blood coming out every few days.
More likely, he had broken my tooth while he was doing the root canal and either didn’t tell me or did not know about it. So when I returned complaining about the pain and the infection, he put in something like a cement for fillings in to actually fill in the broken/​open area. And each time, he would prescribe antibiotics. What good are antibiotics if you broke the tooth and there’s pain where I can’t chew food?
The pain and the infection did not go away and after months of suffering, I went to 2 different dentists and was told that the tooth had been broken and it needed to be removed ASAP.
If other dentists could easily realize that the tooth have been broken, why was Dr. Le Claire telling me I had to come back for a different procedure, and each time asking for more money for something he should’ve corrected? This guy is somewhat of a crook.
Dr. LeClaire is not professional nor is he competent. When you try asking him for an explanation, he’ll tell you with sarcasm that you need to go to dental school to understand it.
From the several times I’ve been to his office, I noticed a handful of patients coming back complaining about his initial procedures. That should’ve been a major warning, but from the referral I got from my dentist, who was competent, I thought maybe he’s OK.
If you value your teeth, time, and like to avoid paying unnecessary sums of money to a quack, stay a way from this place.

Had root canal done in 2012. He did it twice. After the first time, my tooth was still sore for a couple of months. Came back and he used some other material that can’t be removed. My tooth still hurts when I eat on that side after 2−½ years.

My dentist referred Dr. LeClaire for a dead tooth that is very visible when I smile. I was kind of nervous because it was my first root canal in my mouth and I had the concern that it was so obviously up in front and did not want it to require crown.
Anyway, he made all possible tests to be sure that it is dead and explained me all the process in detail. More than I thought that I would get. He is a very neat dentist and it is so clear that he is such an expert professional. My root canal was completed in two sessions and between the sessions he called few times to ask how my tooth is doing, if I feel anything abnormal. Everything seems good in the x-​ray and I am glad that I was in very experienced hands.

I saw Dr LeClair use the back of one of the instruments he was using in my mouth as an ear pick during a root canal.
I will never be back here.

Okay, hate is a strong word. But after 6 years, I am still angry at his careless root canal operation on me. Arthur messed up my teeth for life. If I ever sue someone, I would sue Arthur Claire.
Throughout the operation, he doesn’t explain what he is doing and often walked away for long periods of time. I would lay there 10+ minutes with my mouth wide open (due to instruments) for no apparent reason. I am not talking about the soaking period which would then be normal.
What really messes me up is Arthur’s careless work towards the end and show no empathy for me as a person. At the end of the operation, he was not able to floss my teeth. Something (filling?) he did got between my teeth. It was 6:20pm, he gave the floss several try and I can tell he is frustrated. Without my consent, he pull out this small saw and saw a big gap between my tooth. He then storm out the office and yelled for his nurse to finish me up.
For the past 6 years, I had to floss after each meal and 6+ pass on that very teeth gap. All thanks to that humongus teeth gap Arthur created.
I am writing this review today because the teeth he root canaled on had root fractured. So it will cost me $ 4k to pull the teeth out and do a implant. I am only 33. After 6 years, Arthur’s surgery is still haunting me and forever will be.
Do yourself a favor. there is plenty of root canal specialist out there, use a different one. Arthur had zero Unilocal review in 2007. I wish someone wrote this for me.

I am very pleased to have Dr. LeClaire work on my s/​o on such a short notice.
A few weeks ago, my s/​o had a severe tooth pain. We went to my primary dentist who said a root canal was required. She referred us to Dr. LeClaire’s office. Fortunately, his office was able to schedule an emergency root canal in an hour.
I did the paperwork b/​c he forgot his glasses, gave the front desk gal the insurance card, and the wait for me began! After 2 hours, he was much better! My s/​o is extremely grateful to have Dr. LeClaire work on him (especially when my s/​o is used to services done at cooperate owned dentists; not a good thing). Plus, days after the root canal, no Vicodin was needed.
Two weeks pass, we receive an explanation of benefits form– It looks like we over paid the copay amount (about $ 30). So, I was planning to let a few weeks pass until I gave them a call. Amazingly, the other day we received a reimbursement check in the mail! Great!– No need to call.
Overall, a great dentist and office. And lots of magazines to read through, lol (mind you, I patiently waited 2 hours. What a great s/​o I am!).

Dr LeClaire is as skilled and professional as it is possible to be. I’ve had 2 root canals with him and his explanations of procedures and alternatives are lucid and forthcoming-​rare in any medical field. You get the feeling that that he has little patience for BS but is willing to discuss almost anything with care, kindness, and candor. The pride he takes in his craft is soon obvious, and he solved some difficult dental problems involving trauma (whereas others were skeptical of saving my teeth) nearly painlessly. Personally, I go to a dr. for their credentials (he has them) and skills (same) not for PR talents.

I should have wrote this review a long time ago. I was was referred to Dr. Le Claire who performed a root canal on my tooth two years ago (this was not my first one). My experience was so negative that I still feel compelled to write a review.
1) Although I was the first appointment of the day, he was 30 minutes late in arriving to his office. That is a long time. Apparently, he was remodeling his home and ran late while meeting with the contractor (s) before our appointment. Unacceptable — my time is money, too.
2) I had to ask him what after care procedures to follow. He seemed to be rushing to complete my appointment (of course, since he’ll now be running late throughout the whole day). Unacceptable — a root canal is an actual surgery.
3) He said he would call later on that same day and a few days later to check on how I was doing and never did both.
There are a lot of endodontists out there. Go elsewhere if you want a qualified AND professional one.

I’m very picky about dentists and doctors. I like my dentists to answer all the questions I have, not dumb things down, not try to upsell me, and not be lazy about figuring out what I need.
I live in San Francisco proper, but I’ve been to Dr. Le Claire three times now, once with a friend for a root canal and twice for my own root canals (Yes, I’ve learned my lesson!). In all three cases, the root canal went exceedingly well – we did not need antibiotics, nor did we need any pain medication (beyond that given at the office). The root canals, thanks to modern medications and procedures, entirely tolerable. Almost no pain at all, and Dr. Le Claire made sure that I had enough medicine not to feel any pain (he checked by tapping my teeth and spraying some cold stuff before he started). At one point, I considered trying to nap, but decided not to.
What I most liked about Dr. Le Claire, and why I drive an hour each way to go there – he seems to view his work as would a craftsman. He takes his time getting things right. I don’t understand the procedure entirely, but there are certain decisions and measurements the dentist needs to make, and Dr. Le Claire seems to proceed very carefully. Dr. Le Claire also answers my questions. I’ve noticed that a lot of doctors and dentists don’t seem to like to answer questions, but Dr. Le Claire answers them patiently and even seems excited that I’m interested. He also explains in a way that makes me feels like he’s being honest about my options, gives his opinion, but lets me decide what to do. He also commented on some previous dental work he could see in my mouth (fillings) and explained why they’d fallen out. He may not do this for you, but for me, he took a few extra minutes to touch things up. (Honestly, I’m not sure whether he even charged for that; my insurance took care of the bill, and I didn’t bother checking.) I’ve had this same part of my tooth filled three times now, and so far, Dr. Le Claire’s filling is holding well. The last two lasted about a year.
A comment on Teresa P.‘s review – medical staff have to be very careful about giving medical advice, especially over the phone and to people who aren’t patients; their liability is just too great. I agree that patients have a right to communicate in their own language with people who speak their language well, in your case «English». On my visits there, I noticed several office staff, and heard different languages being spoken – English, Spanish, and Mandarin. I may be wrong, but I think they may have Tagalog and Cantonese speakers there as well.

I called this dental specialist because I was in need of a root canal. I found this dentist on Unilocal and was pleased about his reviews. I am sure he is a good dentist, but I didn’t keep the appointment because of his office staff. If you have people answering the phone for medical reasons they really need to speak a certain amount of english. I was in pain and was asking what kind of pain relief they would suggest I take until my appointment. She kept saying I don’t understand and I was asking do I take tylenol, advil, ect. and she finally said we do not perscribe drugs over the phone you may have an addiction. That is not what I was asking. Just wanted to know over the counter drugs. Well, I hung up the phone and thought about it and then cancelled my appointment. I figure if you do not have helpful staff answer the phone then how am I going to trust the doctor to drill in my mouth. If the girl did not understand I would not have gotten upset if she said «I do not understand would you mind if I put someone on the phone who does» then I would have kept my appointment. No worries I found a great doctor whose staff speak perfect english.

I needed my first root canal — and my dentist referred me to Dr Le Claire (I didn’t even know what endodontists did before this, I now understand they handle root canals all day long).
I called on Friday and had an appointment on Monday. While I was a bit nervous I can only say that the root canal hurt less than some fillings I have had in the past. Took advil for a day or two and was ready for my crown. The entire experience was as good as I could expect and reinforced my belief that one should goto a specialist whenever doing exotic dental work (root canals and wisdom tooth extractions).

My dentist referred me to Dr. Le Claire for a root canal. During the first visit, x-​rays were taken, he explained what was going to happen, answered a few of my questions, and got started with the first phase of the procedure.
He was not gentle with the needle when administering anesthetics. I have a pretty high pain threshold, but man, he was brutal with that needle. Fortunately, that was the most painful part of the procedure. During my second visit to finish up the root canal, I was more prepared for the injection of anesthesia, so it didn’t feel as bad as the first time. Again, that was the most painful part of the visit.
Dr. Le Claire is extremely knowledgeable and skilled. It is obvious he knows exactly what he is doing. Quick and exact movements. In and out. No hesitation.
The equipment in his office seemed pretty high tech. His assistant was nice and gentle. However, I did not give him the full 5 stars because:
(1) ½ star off — He’s not as personable as I would have liked.
(2) ½ star off — After the first visit, he said he was going to call me the next day to make sure everything was okay. I never got the call. I know this is just a courtesy and that he didn’t have to do it, but why say it if you’re not going to follow through? He did call like he said he was going to after the 2^nd visit though. That was nice of him.
Also, his services might be on the pricier side, but it’s absolutely worth it. No pain or swelling at all after either visit. He is awesome, and I would definitely go back to him again if I ever needed another root canal (but let’s hope I don’t).