Scott L Tamura, DMD LVIF

He’s very knowledgable and has great modern equipment in his office. I also love the front desk lady Myeshia, and the hygienist !

The staff if very friendly and welcoming. Instead of the Doctor telling me what I needed to have done and walking away he sat with me and explained the problems and walked me step by step thru the treatment plan.

First time patient! And I’m beyond pleased with the service I have received out beat doctor which I love A+. Front desk staff is very warm and friendly. I will continue to see Dr temura because of the way he takes he’s time to explain everything to you in clear simple terms… thanks Dr temura you are awesome and so is your staff! And hope this continues and hope not to be wrong due to the reviews I have read.

All I have to say is that Dr Tamura is really nice and made my visit very easy. I’m so scared to go to the dentist, but after my experience with this dentist office, I’m sure I will be returning very soon. So all those bad comments below, please ignore. Thank you Dr. Tamura!!!

Hello Unilocalers

​This review is to warn the public. «We», meaning the average person in pain, go to Dr. Tamura and trust​that he has our best interest in mind of healing our pain.​He cares about himself only.​H​e makes you feel as if you are the problem and is concerned about his payment way before your needs as a patient in pain​.​Also, he is so disrespectful to his staff that it makes you feel uncomfortable. I want everyone to know that this doctor is in it for HIM.​He charged me $ 16K in one year expecting me to pay it all out of my pocket because he did not want to deal with the insurance companies.
I am calling a red flag​on his practice​.​Before you allow any services to be done, make sure you are clear on what you are getting into financially.

I went today with a Groupon and boy let me tell you that I was very pleased with my experience. This office are on top of it. The guy that took care of me (sorry i didn’t get the name) was Extremely honest, courteous and funny and made me feel at ease. I recommend this place to anyone looking for professional Dental care

Dr. T and Maisha both made me feel at ease. After many many year of neglect on my oral health, Maisha finally convinced me to see Dr. T. I had previous bad experiences with other office and hated the sounded of the drill. I felt like every time I went to see a dentist before I was made to feel ashamed of not taking care of my teeth. I felt like I was lectured and scolded at. On top of that it was always bad news.
Once I convinced myself I was ready to pay for years of neglect and take care of my teeth, Dr T spoke with me and realistic but without lecture or hand slapping told me what plan needed to take place. He outlined a plan that would take the most effective use of my insurance and out lined the out of pocket expenses in phases as work was being done. I still have more work but I am allot better now then how I was when I first walked in to Dr. T’s office
Thanks for everything!

I never thought I’d use Relaxed and Dentist Chair in the same sentence. I used to dread going to the dentist office, it was like voluntarily going to a torture chamber. That staff in this office care a lot and they don’t want you in pain. Where have you been all my life? I’m very pleased with the service I have received in Dr Tamura’s office and the staff are awesome. I’m loving the results.
He literally put a smile on my face.
I highly recommend a visit to this office, you’ll leave with a smile too.

Dr. Tamura is the first and only dentist in my 44 years to walk me through what is exactly going on with my teeth. So grateful. Its been a process and I am glad i am doing it with him. Much thanks Dr. T!

Dr. Tamura is the best!!! He is incredibly knowledgeable and also explains the services/​treatments better than any other dentist I’ve seen. His office is welcoming and also is equipped with full movie selection while you undergo any extensive treatments (I mean who doesn’t want to watch Caddyshack while getting a filling?)
His staff are the most polite and professional team around. Always smiling and ready to accommodate my schedule whenever necessary. I recommend Dr. Tamura and his team to anyone that I know that is in need of some quality dental work.

Awesome. On time. incredibly helpful with a payment plan, explains everything and you get to watch a movie too. CLEAN, nice friendly and knowledgable staff. All around great experience going to the Dentist which I hate doing and would rather pull my teeth out.
Super happy with my results so far.
Highly recommend.

Thank you again!
Winning the patient drawing (Nook HD Tablet and Barnes & Noble gift card) was the highlight of my day.
I am definitely a «Lifer» !!!

Man I wish I read all these review before I went and saw Dr. Tamura. I’m not going to get into a long novel right now (I might come back and add more when I have more time) of what happened with him but all in all, he’s a bad guy. He told me «Your boss doesn’t give a shit about you». He’s a professional? I think not. How dare he speak to me that way! I was in tears the rest of the day trying to find another dentist. I ended up getting referred to a great dentist my friend goes to and he did my root canal for $ 300 LESS than what Dr. Tamura quoted me and he’s in Newport Beach! Very expensive town.
DON’T GO SEE THIS MAN! You will regret it! I know I do!

He is very knowledgeable, and explains in detail a lot of what is happening, including showing pictures of cavities (not just ex-​rays) so I can see what he’s referring to before I make a decision. For fillings, he takes extra precautions to eliminate any all pain (including adding a gel to numb your gums so you don’t even feel the Novocain needle).
The hygienist was very good and the whole staff is courteous and polite and will take care of you. The office is clean, modern. They have a lot of new equipment.
We are very pleased with our work and no pain he is very sensitive to this and will ask questions. In a couple of my treatments I got to watch a movie and the technology the equipment in his office is modern and state of the art. He is high class and he likes to meet each patient one on one to talk to them in detail about what is happening and the various choices you would have to proceed with treatment or not.

How would you like to be overcharged three times over the going rate for dental services? …
and/​or
How would you feel if an aggressive salesman dressed in a dental uniform worked on your teeth like it is a gold mind? …
Hmmm… If not, do yourself a favor and DO NOT go to Dr. Tamura’s office in fact, STAY OUT!!!
DR.Tamura has only one thing in mind when you step into his office, and that’s chin chin$$$$$.
I’ve visited his office a few times in the past and it has been business as usual. I will come in for a specific reason and he will recommend a host of other services and products that i really didn’t need and when i refuse them he would act out like a typical salesman and try really really hard to make a sale.
The other day i called in to get an estimate for some work that needed to be done to a crown that came a loose. I didn’t get info, but I’ve been told that I should just come at a certain time. I arrived on time, after spending an hour in traffic, waited for him for another half hour. and then he walked up to the front counter, and without seeing what the problem was, he gives me an estimate on a sheet of paper. And he tells me that if I can’t pay it right there right now than I should go elsewhere, or gather my money and then come back. He didn’t even made an inquiry about insurance coverage. He was really rude, impolite and snappy!
Every time I went to his office it was a horrible experience!!! I have to give credit to hygienist, thought. She did a great job! Nevertheless, I will never go to his office again… and wouldn’t recommend anybody to go there, unless…

maryanne s. I can recommend dr. Tamura, if i have pain they take me, as soon as possible. he always explains what, should be done, and, answers all of your questions. the staff are very nice. i did veneers, and they are beautiful, and, natural. he takes care of my grandma to. we both enjoy his hygienist .she does a great job, and, is gentle. if you have a long appointment, you can choose a movie to watch.dr. Tamura, is friendly, and, makes you feel at ease. i wouldn’t use anyone else.

I have been a patient here for over two years and Dr. Tamura is the best dentist I have had in my life! And I am 68! He is extremely knowledgable and gentle — and fun to talk to. His staff are just delightful — friendly warm and fun. Give this dentist a try and you will be pleased !!
I believe he is the best out there!
What other dentist puts vasoline on your lips, gives you a choice in flavors for novacaine, covers you with a soft blanket while you re in his chair and lets you watch movies on a headset while he works? I almost look for excuses to go in!

Dr Tamura and his staff have been so helpful when I was in pain. He had a real gentle hand when he went to inject me and I didn’t feel a thing. I got the referall from a good friend and was extremely happy with his work. No pain and a new smile I am very happy with the results. I would recommend Dr. Tamura to anyone that doesn’t like pain.

I have been visiting Dr Tamura for several years now, including my first visit after NOT seeing a dentist for about 7 years prior. Needless to say, I was nervous when I decided to see a dentist again. Here are my impressions:
Welcoming staff: Always super pleasant, very nice, comfortable waiting room, even though I’ve never waited longer than 5 mins.
Hygienist: She’s amazing, extremely nice, VERY gentle, and makes routine checkups super simple. Overall terrifically sweet person.
Dr Tamura: Knowledgeable, explains in detail a lot of what is happening, including showing pictures of cavities (not just ex-​rays) so I can see what he’s referring to before I make a decision. For fillings, he takes extra precautions to eliminate any any all pain (including adding a gel to numb your gums so you don’t even feel the Novocaine needle).
Office in general: Very modern, very clean, and they have TV/​Movie glasses in case you have any extra-​long appointments.

BEWARE OF DR. TAMURA AND ELIZABETH!!! I am a 26 year old grad student who has paid for over $ 5000 in terrible work to Dr. Tamura.
This is a long review, but read it please. Save yourselves a lot of trouble. I have never written a negative review on Unilocal,and I do not take my one star rating lightly.
When I came in my teeth were fine and he did some cosmetic work which I was pleased with. He also did some fillings which, after two years, have not become any less tender. THEN came his «ideas» about what he felt needed to be done.
When I was 17 I was given a permanent retainer behind my bottom teeth. These can cause problems for people, but every single time I went in to ANY dentist for a cleaning I was commended for how well I was taking care of it and keeping it clean. I loved it because it kept my teeth straight and I didn’t have to remember to put it in at night. Dr Tamura felt that it should come out. After he convinced me that this was best for me (he is a professional so I took his advice.) he charged me almost $ 400 to remove it and to make a new plastic bottom retainer.
Two weeks after getting the new retainer, I realized that i had begin to get a GAP in my top teeth. A GAP. IN MY TEETH. That had NEVER been there before. So I go back in and he says «Ok, we’ll get you a wire retainer for the bottom and he’s going to do a special elastic retainer for the top that will correct the gap created by his other retainer. He «cut me a deal» on the fancy new retainer and gave it to me for «half of what it s supposed to cost» which was more expensive than the regular wire retainer. (another $ 600)
When I went in to get my new retainers (plural now) what should I discover but two REGULAR WIRE RETAINERS! Not a fancy elastic one for the top to CORRECT THE GAP HE CREATED! When I asked he said, «Oh, I looked into it and apparently those retainers wear out after time, so I’m just going to bend this one to correct the gap.» I was never consulted on this and was NEVER given a refund for the now cheaper retainer. SO, I leave with two ill fitting retainers when I used to have none.
So, life happened and I lost my retainers while traveling. So I call the office, I realize this is my fault and I just want to have two new retainers made. They say they’ll be ready in two weeks and they’ll call me when they’re ready. ONE MONTH LATER I call the office and they say «Oh yeah, we’ll have them ready tomorrow. Come on in.» I tell them it would have to be before I start work the next day and they say they’ll have me in and out in a hurry. No problem.
When I get there I wait 20 minutes before the dental tech comes out (I think her name is Elizabeth. She’s 30ish and has long wavy, gelled hair) and hurries me into the seat. She then hands me my two new PLASTIC RETAINERS. Which, as you may recall are exactly what I didn’t need. The plastic retainers are also molded to my teeth AFTER THE GAP happened. When I explained that I needed WIRE RETAINERS like LAST TIME she took the retainers away and walked me to the front desk where she told the receptionist «He doesn’t want these» when I tried to explain my situation and that I had a real reason for not wanting the plastic retainers that would do nothing but maintain the gap in my teeth she HELD HER HAND UP TO MY FACE and said «Excuse me! I am speaking!»
As you may have noticed from my willingness to continue using Dr. Tamura thus far, I am an incredibly non-​confrontational person. So this situation was insanely uncomfortable for me. As soon as Elizabeth walked away I said to the (incredibly sweet older woman at the front desk) that I would be taking the molds of my teeth because I would be going elsewhere for my retainers and that I would like to cancel any further cleaning appointments at the time.
To this day I have literally NEVER been treated so poorly ANYWHERE before. Let alone where I had spent thousands of dollars out of my own pocket. I am still reeling from the whole situation. Do. Not. Go. To. Dr. Tamura.
UPDATE: Four months after I posted my review Dr. Tamura called requesting that he could make this right. Dr. T assured me that it would only take a few minutes to take molds and so agreed to come in to get my retainers replaced at no cost.
To make a long story short: I went back in for molds (done by ELIZABETH. No apology given.) Came back for a quick fitting and discovered that neither retainer fit (one would not hold and the other was made from a mold that had been chipped.) After an hour with Dr. T and Elizabeth, new molds were taken and I got an ill-​fitting top retainer. I left and never went back for my lower.
Months of phone calls later, Dr. T called me and I answered. He asked if he could send me my lower retainer in the mail along with a hand-​written apology from Elizabeth. I just got it. On the box he recommended that (to save time) I delete my original post rather than update it. I opted for a full-​disclosure update instead. :)
I’m keeping my one-​star.

I have been going to Dr. Tamura for over 5 years and he has helped me out with variety of dental needs. He is great and I highly recommend his services. He has an excellent staff who is friendly and extremely helpful.

I have been coming here for years and I have always had great experiences. The staff is always friendly and easy to deal with. Dr. Tamura is straightforward and lays out the options for treatment clearly. I highly recommend.

Let me start by saying that I have a big fear of the dentist and having to have work done (especially needles and shots). But the staff here is so nice and accommodating when I come it. Shawna, the hygienist, is always explaining what is going to happen before she does it to help keep me calm. She even adjusted the order of things in the exam to make things easier for me. That is service that you don’t find everywhere.
The only reason that I’m not giving Dr. Tamura 5 start is because I still hate going to the dentist, but they do make it more bearable for me.

This guy is a nightmare. He is a constant salesman and he will drive you crazy. When my tooth was broken in half he left me sitting in pain for an hour while he tried to sell me all kinds of treatments for other «problems». I paid $ 300.00 to get a mouth full of x-​rays just to shut him up. That’s the kind of pressure he puts you under.
I only went to him because it was a holdiay weekend and my denist was out of town.
Run away from this guy — take the time to find someone else or you will regret your experience.

Dr. Tamura and I scheduled an initial visit under the agreement that it was at no cost. Unfortunately, he is now attempting to collect fees from me for with an unreasonable explanation. In my opinion, this dentist is cold hearted, ill tempered, and not trustworthy. Here is the story:
At the end of my initial evaluation with Dr. Tamura, he pushed me to start TMJ treatment the following afternoon and I agreed with the understanding that only if Dr. Nakano D.C. was able to adjust me prior to his treatment. Dr. Tamura left me with a piece of foamy material he squirted into my mouth and asked me to wear it between my adjustment with Nakano D.C. and my appointment with him the following day.
Dr. Tamura and I called Dr. Nakano several times but were not able to reach him, we was out of the office attending training. I called Dr. Tamura and explained the situation; Dr. Tamura insisted that he could make a chiropractic adjustment on me and we did not need Dr. Nakano… When I did not accept, he threatened me by saying that if I did not keep the appointment he would refuse me as a patient unless I payed him $ 10,000 up front. This hostile behavior concerned me and I decided to opt out of treatment with him permanently. We hung up the phone agreeing that I would return the bite registration and at the same time pick up my medical records. I followed up within the next couple of days letting the Dr. know that I was very busy and that it would be a while before I could pick up the records and drop of the bite registration.
I was finally able to break away from work and make a trip to return the bite registration expecting to get my records back but Dr. Tamura refused unless I pay him for the late return of my bite registration. He said his assistants had called me and sent me letters stating that if I did not return the bite registration I would be charged a couple of hundred dollars. I never received these notes nor was this made clear to me over the phone. Regardless, in order for me to visit his office on the other side of town, I would have to take a ½ day vacation and due to my work load this was not possible at the time. Needles to say, he took the bite registration but refused to return the medical records I took to him unless I pay him the couple of hundred dollars he claims I owe him. He said he wanted to teach me a lesson. This doctor is not to be trusted. In other posts, I’ve read that he is disrespectful to his staff and has been known to yell at patients that are children.

I went to see Tamura for cavities and gum pain. He asked me a great deal of questions. He gave me a written test next… then an electronic exam with electrodes and everything. This took two hours. Then came the bad news. He said I had Sleep Apnea. He said that my jaw was out of line, which affected my back, neck and the Scoliosis that I’d suffered from since childhood. He said that my lack of jaw alignment put pressure on certain glands and that this created a glandular imbalance that caused depression and mood shifts. He said that my jaw affected my walking, which affected my joints and cartilage, which would lead to joint replacement surgery later in life. I was terrified. He slipped me giant bill, which I paid, and slipped out of his office. No treatment plan! No cost! A nightmare!
A few days later on the phone he tried to close me. He told me that I would need a custom made, rubber mouthpiece for $ 5,000.00. He said that it would temporarily solve everything. But for a permanent solution, he said that I’d need special veneers put in for an additional $ 15,000.00. I said «No,» realizing, finally this was a scam. He quickly informed me that he would not treat my cavities or gums. Which were still killing me. I asked for my money back. He refused. Tamura preys on his patients, using their inherent trust for the Dental profession against them.
He is an excerpt from an email he sent: «I believe that her symptoms of ADD are a result of a malfunction in something called the HPA (Hypothalamic, Pituitary, Adrenal) Axis. I have done much research on this subject because I have seen and treated many patients who have symptoms of „Adrenal Overload“. If she gets the proper neuromuscular treatment, I believe that she can either get off of her medication completely, or decrease the amount she is taking. Because I believe that taking ADD medications for the rest of her life is NOT a good thing, I wanted to spend the time it took to explain the treatment that could help her with her symptoms, and hopefully get her off (or reduce the amount she has to take) of that medication.» Scott L. Tamura D.M.D.