The Smiling Place

Vog had my sinuses agitated for a couple weeks prior to my recent dental cleaning and check up. I asked if they could not recline my head so much during the cleaning to avoid the post nasal draining during the session. They made the adjustment, made sure not to use so much water during the cleaning and frequently suctioned my mouth. I was very comfortable and well taken care of during the cleaning. Mahalo to my hygientist Randy!

I set up an appointment and emailed the x-​rays from 6 months ago from previous dentist on the mainland. Over the phone they said that was fine. When I arrived they said, «you are here for x-​rays and a check-​up, right?» When I said, I did not need the x-​rays they said new patients needed to get x-​rays and panoramic x-​rays. After a slight protest I agreed. It was clear they were after any money from the insurance company that they could get.
When that was finished, they said I was done. Excuse me? What about the cleaning? I have never been to a dentist who did not also clean. They said it was the owners policy that cleanings had to be a second separate appointment for new patients.
There was also mold growing on the ceiling — looks like an AC leak. If it wasn’t directly over the the patient’s chair, perhaps it would not be an issue.
Thanks but no thanks, I will not be returning.

Very welcoming and informative. The office shows that they are very smart and want to help you.

I am one of those people who had horrible experiences visiting the dentist when I was younger. Maybe that’s why I avoided a dental check-​up for 10 years (don’t judge me!). Recently I realized I need to take care of my teeth & gums as it will result in extreme toothache, so I made an appointment with The Smiling Place (TSP) — Kunia location. Throughout the week, they called me twice to remind me of my appointment, which was great especially because of my busy schedule.
I arrived to TSP about 30 minutes before my appointment. The receptionist was very friendly & explained all the paperwork I had to fill out (which was plenty, so allot extra time for this if you are a first-​time patient). I didn’t have to wait long thereafter, and the dental hygienists and X-​ray techs were friendly & knowledgable. Despite my anxiety, they helped me feel very comfortable. It was great that I knew what they were doing at all times.
After my initial observation, a receptionist showed me the cost of the necessary procedures and made sure it was okay with me before they performed anything. Their transparency helps any customer who may have financial hardship.
Furthermore, my dentist was amazing! She thoroughly explained the status of my teeth & gums in Layman’s terms, which was helpful because I wanted to know exactly what was going on in there. She performed a procedure on me which required numbing. During this time, she kept asking if I felt okay, ensuring that she was aware of my pain tolerance.
I am surely leaving thankful that I found The Smiling Place! (I would smile if I could, but my mouth is still numb! :D)
PS– if you are debating whether or not to see the dentist, PLEASE DO IT! Tooth pain is the worst, & you shouldn’t wait to experience this pain to go (trust me!!).

i prefer this location vs the ewa beach one. they are a lot more friendlier and have more appt times. i rather drive farther from ewa to waipahu to see this office then to be walk across the street to the other one. I have found a doctor that I love and she has been great.

I am always apprehensive when it comes to finding a new dentist. I have had a LOT of dental work done. I usually am nervous at the dentist, and use gas when it’s available. Not only was my dentist sensitive to my concerns, Dr. Joshua Cardwell turned what used to be a nightmare into an easy visit! I have also seen Dr. Chad Araki, and he is just as wonderful. I recommend these two dentists to anyone who asks, and I couldn’t be happier with them as dentists. They don’t waste my time and money. They don’t make me uncomfortable.
The office staff has always been wonderful and accommodating as well. They work with my schedule as well as being nice and caring. I have never had a complaint about them! The facility is always nice and clean as well.
Best dentists on island!

I would give no stars if I could and will be reporting this business to the BBB. I have dealt with this businesses incompetence for the last time. My husband and I have made appointments and been told one time and it’s another. They have also informed us that it is in one location (ewa) and when I get there it’s at the other (kunia).
Being a mother of three young children it is very hard to get time to do anything like this that requires ours of alone time. So that being said. I have had the last straw today when I was turned away or my apt. I scheduled an apt for 9:30 in the Ewa office. As I am pulling up into the shopping center I am called by the receptionist saying I am late for my apt. I immediately call back saying «No my apt was for 9:30!!!» When I get up to the office it is now 9:17. The woman says to me that they are sorry but have to TURN ME AWAY! They said they could not perform my procedure due to my being late! I am furious at this point and tell her that I am not late my apt was for 9:30 and I have a witness to this because my mother was there when I made the apt and she Is my sitter. Because I have had this happen to me previous here I TRIPLE checked! I could not believe they would refuse service to me because of their error!!!
They don’t care about loosing me as a client that is obvious by the reaction to the incident. Also I will say this, the dentist is rude as heck. I will admit since having my twins and a newborn recently, I have not had time to see them. I should not get flack for having not had time. Dr lee, I believe her name is, a larger Japanesep woman that is young and has no real sense of life and what people with families go through made me feel like I was horrible for not going in the past year. It’s obvious she does not have children. She seems very immature as well. When your in someone’s mouth, you and your assistant should learn to be more professional. And as for your techs, learn how to control your tools instead of shooting the dentist with it and sucking the liquid in the back of my throat seems to much of a task for you to do. I mean seriously that all you had to do was rinse and suck, are you really hiring people that are incapable of performing such a simple task. «Scary»
Also at the apt I was not informed of my x-​ray results. My deep cleaning in another dentists opinion was not necessary and purely justified. They could have performed my routine cleaning which they refused then worked on the problem areas later. Hmmm how are you running your insurance claims??? Because all this came about today I am determined to look closer into this dental place and it’s claiming to insurance companies. Are they really justified and what about what they are failing to provide before other services.
Last thing, I was interested in veneers. They use to offer laser whitening. This dentist was saying instead of whitening first then doing my front 4 – 6 she was INSISTING that I get veneers on my whole entire top mouth!!! You make me sick dr lee. Because you don’t offer whitening in the new age anymore, you are trying to convince people to shell out tens of thousands of dollars on work they don’t need! BEWARE PEOPLE!!! Seriously, don’t let ANYONE who calls them self a title that people think is relevant to a doctor lead you into thinking there are no other options!!! I am appalled BY THE SERVICE HERE And I am going to be pushing hard on reporting them to as many business critics and sites that I can!

Front Desk staff very rude.

I just got my teeth cleaned and I was impressed. DJ a dental hygienist there did a really good job! She gave me results I can see and feel and it has never felt cleaner. I highly recommend her, she was very pleasant, kept me calm and also educated me with a couple of things. The staff are also nice. Love this place!

I’ve been going to the Kunia location for quite sometime, many years in fact, but it’s all been a blur of people hiding behind surgical masks and blinding lights staring down my gaping mouth. I can say though, that I usually leave with my mouth feeling so fresh and so clean.
The staff are very friendly and I feel quite comfortable here. I seem to always be sent to the same room for my examination. There’s a poster on the wall where you’re asked to find 10 toothbrushes. After years of looking at this poster and seeing the colors fade because it’s been placed directly in the sunlight, I’m happy to say that I finally found the 10^th toothbrush. I kept this little victory to myself, howerver, as the dental hygenist came into the room to give my teeth a good scrubbing.
I left with a new toothbrush and some mint flavored dental floss. Mint. Delicious.

I’ve been a patient there for about two years. Today was my absolute last day there. The manager there «shelly» thought it was a good idea to disscuss my pass due balance in front of the lobby area. I understood that i do have a balance due which I was trying to. take care of until she rudely interrupted. So I decided to speak with her on the side. And if she knew anything about customer, she would know not to try and defend yourself when you know you are wrong. I did get an apology from her but it was accompanied by a sassy attitude which made it ungenuine. I will never go there again, and if you are looking for. professionallity don’t expect it from there.

I have been terrified of going to the dentist my whole life. From childhood, it was always one bad experience after another. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled about 8 years ago, and my previous dentist did it without knocking me out and sent me home with no pain meds, I had enough with the terrifying dental experiences. Of course, I take care of my teeth, but my fear of dentists had paralyzed me from walking into another dental office. About a week ago, I began having tooth pain and my gums were severely swollen. I could barely eat. I walked into The Smiling Place hoping to make an appointment because the pain was unbearable. They were able to see me that morning!
Dr. Lee was so patient and kind. He heard me talk about my concerns and anxieties, managed my pain extremely well, and has worked with me to fix my dental issues. I needed a root canal, and he worked very hard to keep my pain to a very minimum. For the first time in my LIFE I actually feel like I have a dentist who is not a pain Nazi! He is an amazing, caring dentist, and I’m so grateful for his work.
They also worked with me on the billing. I have insurance, but certain procedures and costs are covered in a strange way it not at all. They worked with me so that I could get my work done and actually afford it!
Overall, this place is amazing!

I was laid off from my job & along with that lost all my medical and dental insurance. Luckily, I was able to get medical through the state but dental coverage is only limited to emergency extractions if you’re over the age of 21. I’m 25 and because I rather like the look of seeing teeth instead of gum when I smile, taking the state up on their dental «coverage» was not an option for me.
I was having horrible tooth pain for weeks, I suspected it was from work my usual dentist had done. I had a root canal and some fillings done a few weeks prior (which i paid for out of pocket) and had noticed I could longer floss between the two teeth I had my fillings on and it felt as if a piece of metal was coming out of the top of my gum where I had my root canal. My usual dentist (I won’t name any names *ahem* jay cambra *cough*) said this was normal and not to worry. I knew this wasn’t true and just so happened to talk to my brother about it who told me to try «The Smiling Place».
I made the call, letting the receptionist know I didn’t have insurance but was in unbearable pain, my gums were bleeding & I couldn’t chew but I was willing to pay them ANYTHING to see me. I got an emergency appointment the next morning. I got there at 8am, filled out paperwork and was taken in the back where I met Dr. Lee. After examining the tooth that was causing me the most pain, he showed me my xray & to my horror told me there was some type of metal rod cemented in my tooth that was pushing up through my gum causing me all this pain. Not only did he explain what the problem was and how to fix it, he showed me what a normal root canal looks like after it was completed compared to my dental «work». After digging away at my tooth for about 30 minutes, he was finally able to take that metal piece out of my tooth. He explained to me all the things that had been causing me pain and why, which is basically everything I expected to hear (my previous dentist screwed up my work and caused me more damage than he fixed). Keep in mind, I’m unemployed at the moment — I don’t have thousands of dollars to be dishing out for dental services. Dr. Lee not only corrected my failed dental work from my previous dentist, he gave me a huge discount so I was able to afford it. Work that would’ve costed me thousands of dollars at any other office was cut in half. I can’t even begin to express to you how grateful I am for Dr. Lee and the staff at this place. If it wasn’t for his generosity, I would probably be a toothless 25 year old.
I have recently started working and my job now requires me to work with dentists throughout the state and I seriously wouldn’t go to anyone but Dr. Lee from now on. He’s a lifesaver and I’m so grateful.

I have been coming to this office since I moved back to Hawaii, almost 2 years ago. My parents have been coming to the Kunia office since they moved back to Hawaii 4 years ago. I really like this location as it is very convenient for me to get to. Not only that, but the staff has been extremely friendly.
Unlike the previous reviewer, I prefer to have control of the saliva sucky thing. I like to control a lot in my life and although somethings may be out of my hands, at least I can suck my own saliva out.
The office is equipped with some pretty cool things. They have TVs hooked up to every computer in each space and a small assortment of DVDs you can watch before and during your visit.
Rave reviews for the Drs and the Staff. The only reason I gave 4 stars was because like everything else here in Hawaii, if you don’t cancel or forget or something comes up. they charge you. But that has been a pretty constant thing around here. So, basically, if you make the appointment, stick to it or make sure you pay attention to the cancellation period.
I really like this office. Very nice and friendly staff. Also, if you live in Ewa, they have an office out there that often times you will see the staff from Kunia. It’s kinda nice to see a familiar face when you’re about to get your teeth drilled.

The Smiling Place in Kunia is inviting because it is a nice looking dentist office and has a children’s area. I personally was not impressed by the services I received there. The staff for the most part is friendly, especially the receptionist in the front, however, I feel that the staff could behave more professionally. Every time that I was there I often witnessed the staff yelling over the cubicles about work related questions or personal jokes, often in front of clients. I also don’t like the fact that you have to assist the dental hygienist in sucking up your saliva with that sucking tool. I guess that’s a new fad that’s happening, but I prefer the old school way when the hygenist did it for you. I also was not happy with the cleanliness of the office and it appears that some maintenance needs to be done, such as painting the scruff marks on the walls and getting rid of cobwebs, etc. What really ended it for me was when I was asked to come in the following day for an appointment that was set two weeks post date because they had an opening and I obliged, however, I realized the next day that I shouldnt have agreed and called first thing in the morning to reschedule. The receptionist I spoke to (I won’t mention names) had the nerve to ask me «whyyyy?» in a scolding tone of voice and said they needed 48 hours notice. I told her that they had called me late in the day yesterday to come in today (instead of my my original appointment date) and I was able to accomodate them, but unfortunately I had made a mistake, and if they would be «nice enough» to accomodate me, which she allowed after what I had said. Anyway, I was really put off by a lot of things at this office so I returned to my trusty old dentist in town where everything is high tech, sanitary, and professional; plus I never have to help the hygenist work on my teeth because they do everything — like they should!

I had my first appointment with Dr. Caroline Shek at this office yesterday and was a little apprehensive because of my past experience with dentists. I got to the clinic a little less than half an hour early to fill out insurance paperwork and medical history. The receptionist at the front was nice and called me by name when I came up to the counter. The lobby was clean and modern with semi-​comfortable waiting chairs.
I brought my xrays with me from my dentist on the mainland because I knew that my insurance wouldn’t cover another set this year. I also gave the receptionist their business card informing her that they would happily email the digital photos to her so that the dentist could have a look at them and she said she would call them. The receptionist also informed me that although my insurance covered my visit, I still had to pay the sales tax, weird IMO I never had to do that on the mainland! I turned in my paperwork and still had to wait 15 minutes past my appointment time to be seen. When the dental assistant came to get me, she was very polite and warm. I sat in a comfortable chair with a little view. The dental assistant asked me about my xrays which I showed her and reiterated to her what I told the receptionist. She said they would call my old dentist. When Dr. Shek came in she introduced herself and was very warm. We talked a little about how I came to the office and then she asked me about XRAYS! I smiled and repeated myself for the 3^rd time about calling my old dentist and she said thanks and asked her dental assistant why they hadn’t called yet. Hmmm… miscommunication or what? Anyhow, she decided to not take up more of my time and did a comprehensive exam and looked at the papercopy xrays I had with me (she said she would make sure the digital copies were put in my file later). Her exam was thorough and painless and she explained what she was going to do to me before she did it which was very important. I hate being jabbed at and not told ahead of time. After the exam she even gave me a written «report card» of the current status of my dental hygiene as well as scheduled a routine cleaning. I left the office content but not impressed.
I returned this morning for my cleaning and was greeted with a kind, warm staff who took me to the back within 5 minutes. I met my hygienist who was really cool and gave me a good cleaning without any pain. He was also really pleasant and made the experience very comfortable.
So I’m good for another 6 months!