William L Barnard, DDS

I had Dr Barnard for 1 ½ years, in that time he began as a decent dentist then… when a tooth went into pain he was quick to send me for a root canal followed by a crown with a post! Yesterday I had a 2^nd tooth that he put a post/​crown on removed, I was shown the inside… solid metal! My dentist asked who would do such a poor quality of a crown let alone it took my dentist over 1 ½ hours just to remove it and then we find due to the post not being put in proper I needed the tooth extracted! This is the 2^nd tooth Barnard did that caused me problems. I would never recommend him to anyone. I’m glad his front person left, sorry Sophia is still there… he needs to retire that simple, he is older then I and I am 62, he is too old school… the dam post was solid metal also! He is all about the monies, perhaps I should let the ADA know of his archaic methods… time to retire Dr Barnard, by the way his staff pictures… old most have left…

Dr. Barnard ROCKS! Best dentists hands down I’ve ever had as an adult. I went to Lakewood Dental Arts previously and they really messed up my teeth after a botched crown job. He’s worked wonders and I would recommend him to anyone.

Dr. Barnard has been our family’s dentist for many years. He is gentle, caring, attentive to our problems & always provides excellent care. He made my bridge 20 years ago & it is still perfect! I highly recommend him.

I used to like Dr Barnard when I first saw him but over time his quality of work became not great quality. I had to find a new dentist as he had no time for me and two of the many crowns he put in began to leak in less then 1 ½ years after they were put in. I do not take responsibility for them leaking, the dentist put them in he should have know and one was loose which required a extraction. I found towards the end besides not having time for me he also seemed all about… money. Perhaps it’s time he retired.

Since moving to Southern California I have been unhappy with most of my dentists. I found Dr. Barnard through 1−800-Dentist. I lived in Long Beach at the time and was very happy with his «bedside» manner. I have VERY sensitive teeth and he has never made me feel bad for jumping in the chair or talked down to me about my reactions. He is very gentle, thorough, and caring. I switched dentists when I moved out of the area and regretted everyday that I did. He would have been worth the drive just to stay with a great dentist. I am now back with him and glad to be there.
I read some of the other reviews and not once have I ever felt pressured to buy anything extra or had some sales pitch delivered that I was uncomfortable with.
Good luck choosing your dentist!

I recently transferred my dental care to Dr. Barnard and am thrilled that I did. He is incredibly gentle and thorough, and I was delighted to find that my root canal was completely painless.
His staff is wonderful too. I can only say great things about this office.

Dr. Barnard is THE BEST dentist I have ever had, and I am so grateful to have found him this year. I received more individual, caring, professional, high quality attention and care than I have from any dentist previously (I am 56 years old — I do not say this lightly).
Dr. Barnard has a professional, caring team that includes Alex at the front desk and Sophia. Both share the same high standards of care, which makes for a highly effective practice and patient experience.
To put this in context, I experienced the sort of scare with gum disease and high pressure sales tactics that some of the reviewers here describe at a [different] dentist that I went to previously in another city. His prognosis led me to leave his office and find UCLA dental clinic, where I received excellent care as well, and they did the root planing and only the periodontal surgery that was needed (NOT the full mouth as the previous dentist had recommended).
In contrast, Dr. Barnard brought issues to my attention, explained with patience and in detail the various options available to me, and the pros and cons of each. Alex then researched my benefits and co-​payments so that I could make informed decisions.
I had wanted to try whitening and did with Dr. Barnard at reasonable cost and with excellent results and minimal discomfort.
Dr. Barnard also introduced me to the most effective flossing technique, one that no dentist had shown me previously, and that I continue to use today.
Dr. Barnard is always punctual — I have never had to wait. It is not a clinic with multiple dentists and dozens of people waiting for appointments. Parking is easy. The entire experience is first class from start to finish. I have already recommended Dr. Barnard to friends.

I wish I could give like 2.5 stars, thats how I really feel.
I needed a dentist after living in So. Cal for about a year and a half and avoiding finding a new dentist… I’ll admit I found Dr. Barnard by blindly choosing his name on my dental insurance’s website listing of local accepted dentists, and then I read the few reviews on here. This is what I personally found.
I was a little offset by when I tried to make an appointment for a simple cleaning, that I was told that I would have to go through a basic (pretty thorough) exam first. Well, granted that I hadn’t been to a dentist in a couple of years, and I knew I had a cavity (my real reason for making the appointment), I said okay.
Then I had to come back a couple weeks later to get the «prognosis,» if you will. Dr. Barnard told me that I had early signs of gum disease, which was a red flag to me considering that every single review on here on Unilocal at the time had the same diagnosis. It was also concerning considering the fact that beyond a few cavities, I’ve never had any dental issues in my life. I was a non-​flosser, and that was really my only bad habit. Also, I didn’t like how he sort of talked to me like I was a little dumb or couldn’t understand basic dental or medical terminology or ideas. And I needed a crown. His suggestion was do to root planing and scaling, then do the crown. oh, and fill that cavity that I did indeed have.
He went over the costs. I was honest and told him that I had about two weeks until my dental insurance expired (okay, okay, THAT was the real reason why I initially came in). He and the receptionist were quick to get me in on the schedule, which I suppose I appreciated. The only reason I really agreed to all of this was that after my insurance coverage, I only had to pay about $ 275 out of pocket (for the scaling, the cleaning I wanted, and the cavity filling). He was honest and said that the crown could wait, really.
Now after I had done ½ of the scaling, I call up my mother who immediately has me call our family dentist from back home. My parents have been going to same dentist for over 20 years… they’re divorced and they STILL share the same dentist because he’s so great. When I told him what Dr. Barnard had suggested in terms of my gum health, he was surprised to say the least. He said that he could imagine me needing scaling and planing if I was say, approaching my late 30s-​early 40s. but I’m in my mid20s. Especially when I told him about all the similar cases, he said (NOW, I’m not accusing Dr. Barnard of this, but everyone reading can make their own judgments) that he has seen dentists use root planing and scaling as a supplement, because a scaling is generally about 3x the cost of a simple cleaning.
With all this in mind, I did go back to get the rest of the work done (Hey, I had done half of my mouth, and my fam dentist said that the treatment wasn’t going to HURT me in any way. and I had already paid. soo).
And, I do have to say that every single person at the office were nice, helpful, and kind. (The receptionist, the hygienists, and even Dr. Barnard). I just question the true necessity of what I had done in his office.
In the very least, I’ve since become a flossing nazi and it was obvious even between the first half of the treatment to the next that the rigorous flossing was making a difference on my gums.
Would I go back to Dr. Barnard? Probably not. But I don’t have any dental insurance anymore.
And I’ll probably just drive back to No. Cal to go to my old dentist. He’s that good.

I’ve been to Dr. Barnard’s office for 3 appointments and am going to try and write a very careful and factual review.
Visit 1:
I found the office through 1800DENTIST. When I called for an appointment I felt a little pressured. The receptionist used sales tactics to create a sense of urgency to make an appointment before I could shop around. This was right before Christmas and my tooth was broken and I had no insurance.
When I arrived Dr. Barnard was friendly and professional. After some discussion I convinced him I did not want to crown ($$$) the broken tooth. I just needed a filling. They charged me for 4 sides when the filling was only 3 sides of what they considered to be a «very large» filling. I was not consulted about what type of filling material was to be used. Soon after I got the composite filling I realized it was collecting a lot of food because composite fillings can not be packed so as to prevent large spaces between molars. Filling was about $ 320.
Visit 2 (full exam):
After the broken tooth scare I agreed to the full exam. All the x-​rays, mouth mold, gum recession test. This is their standard procedure for $ 200. When the hygienist applied the molding tray I nearly threw up because the mixture was too runny and it started going down my throat. I got the paste all over me and was pretty embarrassed. I realized later that the Dr. was pushing quite hard into my gums when gauging the depth. I was told that the filling they had done could not be fixed and that I’d have to have the whole tooth ground off and crowned with gold to avoid a resulting gap. I declined.
Visit 3 (the follow up):
The Dr. painted a grim picture. Telling me my gums were diseased and bleeding and that I was grinding my teeth away at night. He asked me if I used meth. He said I needed a scaling and root planing to clean deep under my gums and reverse the disease. He also wanted to fill areas which were not decayed but exposed to food acids where I had ground through the enamel. I had never had such a picture painted of my oral health before but the broken tooth was a wake-​up call for sure. The problem was that I had no insurance and had already soaked nearly $ 600 into this dentist who had done little but made a very unsatisfactory filling and taken some x-​rays. After three visits he still had not gotten to a simple cleaning. He and his receptionist both advised me not to get insurance for their proposed $ 2000 prevention plan. Instead they pointed me to their payment plan and advised me that insurance would have waiting periods of up to a year for all the things I needed done. The scaling and root planing alone was quoted at $ 990.
New Dentist:
I saw another dentist today after getting Delta Dental insurance for $ 90 for an entire years coverage. There was no waiting period for anything except that my coverage would start on the 1^st of the next month. I paid a $ 10 copay today. This new dentist told me I only needed a simple cleaning because the gums above two of my teeth were slightly receded, that my mouth was not diseased and that he would never crown the tooth that had been filled. After all, he said, «it’s a small filling». He told me I had no hygiene problems and that I was in his top 10 in terms of oral health. So, now the picture I see is about $ 20 for a cleaning instead of thousands. The only thing my insurance won’t cover is a mouth guard which they could do for half the cost of Dr. Barnard.
My advice to anyone looking for a dentist:
There were a lot more details I’ve forgotten to ad to the story but this is enough for most people to get the picture. Get Delta Dental if you don’t have insurance and wait a couple weeks until the first of the month. See a community dental group where it’s members are accountable to each other and the community and who aren’t looking for a fast buck. Also, learn how to properly floss, brush, and protect your own teeth on a daily basis.
***UPDATE***
So, almost 5 years later I now have access to some of the best dental care in the country. Again they have told me my teeth are some of the best they’ve seen. I have no more cavities and brush about 4 or 5 times a week with non-​flouride toothpaste (saves the essential intestinal flora) and always floss when I feel stuff in my teeth. They do not recommend additional care such as root planing and my gum depth was normal. BUT, they ARE going to REPLACE the filling (which they are now calling a two-​sided filling). They laughed when they saw the quality of the dental work that Dr. Barnard performed. I’m so glad I didn’t agree to have my tooth shaved off and replaced as Dr. Barnard had recommended. I have the feeling that some of these other reviews are not authentic.

Worth all 5 stars! Dr. Barnard and his staff looks out for your best interest. Dr. Barnard is gentle, pretty nifty with the needle, and is sensitive to your needs. He is the most thorough doctor I have known. He is also like your favorite college professor, very knowledgeable, puts all of the technical verbiage in layman’s terms, and dispense the knowledge you need for healthy gums and teeth. When he sets that foundation, he will start the treatment process.
Also I cannot forget about Laurie and Sophia who are also thorough with the work they do and genuinely care about your well-​being.
I highly recommend you to see Dr Barnard!

i love Dr Barnard ever since ive gone to him ive never gone anywhere else
he is so so so gentle!
and very good about not hurting you

I went in the other day to get my root canal finished — i.e. tooth ground down to the gum line and impressions for a crown. They got me going on the nitrous and I was pretty relaxed by the time they started. Dr. Barnard is handy with the needle and I hardly felt it. As for the drilling, I didn’t feel a thing. It seemed like I was in the chair for about ten minutes so when I checked the time and an hour and fifteen minutes had passed, I was very surprised.
I have to say, I actually kind of had a good time getting a root canal — as weird as that is. And let me clarify that it isn’t all due to the nitrous because when I had my last root canal (with a different dentist), I was on nitrous as well and they still managed to make it into a torture session.
Dr. Barnard and his staff of two are really nice people.

Dr. Barnard is the most thorough dentist I’ve ever met. He works a little differently than other dentists. The first visit is a full set of x rays, impressions, and a thorough exam of your mouth. Then you come back to discuss what he’s found and start the treatment process.
Turns out I have the beginnings of gum disease. Oh the horror! So I went back today, got the bad news, and was told I needed to have a type of deep cleaning called Root Planing (at least I think that’s what it’s called). It’s basically the most thorough tarter scraping ever.
I’m a total wimp when it comes to the needles, and when I got a little queasy after the novacaine shots, Dr. Barnard was really nice about it. Once I got over my wimpiness, he got to work. I experienced no pain and he worked fast.
Best of all — I call him Doc and he doesn’t even mind.