I'm surprised to see no other reviews for Dr. Mertzel. We picked him out of the Medi-Cal book after finding that all of the other dentists were all part of crappy chain like Western Dental. Been there, done that. Never again! I hope this review will help other parents dealing with Healthy Families or Medi-Cal make an informed choice. The office is a little bungalow-style building right after the ARCO gas station. I include this because otherwise you're going to blow past it. Quaint, cute interior. Although dated, everything is well cared for and instead of looking tired, it looks charming. They certainly allow Mom or Dad to go back with the child. He and his assistant are extremely kind and patient. My two year old is a spitfire, and he was calm under the storm. The exam rooms are very clean and all instruments were sterilized. Overall, I was very impressed with the dentist, his assistant, and their excellent care and treatment of my daughter. They also see adults! read more

James E Mertzel, DDS - I love this vase in the waiting area! - General Dentistry Near Me - Sunland, California

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Be careful they don't charge you a copay if your insurances doesn't require it... they charged me an extra $94 even when I told them it's covered, had to call and deal with insurance over the phone because their error. I wonder how many people get charged and shouldn't be.. My dental work seems to be holding up ok so far, for that I am content with the service read more

i travel over 40 miles to see Dr. Mertzel. I would travel over a hundred. Compassionate, caring, gentle, he truly has his patients best interests at heart. I could fill a page with kind words and gratitude. If you are in need of prosthetics, there is no finer dentist. The lab he utilizes is fantastic. Stellar!!! Highly recommended!! read more

Wow, I cannot say enough nice things! I hadn't been to a dentist in over 10 years and so I had a lot going on. I was in so much pain and he, Carmen and Elizabeth did everything they could to keep me comfortable. Now in my case pain was inevitable but they were so great to me. WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL STAFF AND EXPERIENCE !!! read more

What can I say I went to Dr Mertzel office with the worst tooth ache and infected gum. Elizabeth welcomed me so sweet. Dr's assistant held my hand the whole time and the Doctor sweetest most caring attentive doctor. I love this office, and the icing on the cake was when the Doctor called me tonight to see how I was feeling and letting me know I can call him at home if my pain escalates. Top Notch Service so happy I found the perfect dentist. Recommend it highly read more

My experience at this office has been horrific to say the least. First let me start by letting you know I don't like going to the dentist because of all the horrific things I have heard happen to other people. First off the place is EXTREMELY outdated and dirty and the equipment along with the decor was stuck in the 90's. I was experiencing pain in a tooth and went to this office. I met Dr. Mertzel once I sat down and I must say I was a bit shocked to see someone in his mid 70's still working and not retired. He said I had a cavity and he said it just needed a filling. I was excited that I did NOT need a root canal! So I mentioned to the office I have a fear of needles and to please be gentle. He put on his gloves put his hands in my mouth and grabbed my cheek and JAMMED the needle hitting a nerve!!! He does NOT communicate and has no bedside manners at all. 3 weeks latter my tongue still tingles from him hitting the nerve. I requested a white filling because I am an actor and all my other fillings are white. I went home as the numbing in the gums wore off I noticed no change with the way that one tooth looked and felt, so I called the office. The phone lady told me to come back. I go back only find out he worked on the wrong tooth!!! I was very upset, for obvious reasons, as he worked on the tooth in front of the one I was having issues with. I came back the next day to have him do the filling in the tooth I was having issues with. Again very harsh, no communication and this time he has no assistant in the room to help him the whole time. So he kept hitting my face as he leaned over to grab one tool after another. He then asked for a tool the assistant was using on boy, some blue light gun looking thing. I assumed he was gonna sterilize it or put some sort of sanitary plastic over it, nope he put it right into my open mouth!!! He dropped something on the floor picked it up and kept working in my mouth. After he was done I asked aren't you gonna floss between the 2 teeth to make sure contact is good etc? He jokingly said I usually don't make mistakes. You can imagine what was running through my mind. He grabbed the floss pulled some out and I thought he was gonna hand it to me, nope he shoved his hands (WITH NO GLOVES ON) into my mouth! They also charge me $140 out of pocket for the white fillings, which I found out from my insurance company that they were not supposed to charge me anything out of pocket for the white fillings. So not only am I pissed from my experience, but the phone lady, who is one of those fake nice people when you meet her, but deep down inside you can tell she can be a royal you know what when her true colors come out! I asked them to send the XRays to my new dentist who I LOVE and the phone lady has refused to do so. I plan to take further action and filing a complaint with the state. This man should have retired 10 years ago and should be shut down by the state for his unsafe health practices. So please stay away from this incompitent office. read more

Went out of their way to finish a bunch of work before my trip, excellent service, zero pain, a complete breeze. The staff here is absolutely top notch. read more

I have to say that this was the best dental office I've been to. The doctor was very nice and very helpful and his office staff was so welcoming, even went over the procedures. I'm glad he accepts PPO INSURANCE and MEDICAL, now I can refer my family and friends. Plus it's small and cozy and it just feels like my GRANDMOTHER'S house. read more

First class service, high quality care and fair prices. This is a small dentist office and they make me feel important. Going to the dentist is not something I look forward to but Dr. Mertzel and Elizabeth make it okay. read more

We ( my gf and I) keep arguing over dentical coverage to the point where this dentist refuses to listen to the changes in coverage and refueses treatment. He may well know a thing or two about teeth, but that doesn't mean he studies up on insurance coverages and medically necessary procedures that are covered. People's lives are placed in doctor's hands far too much to put up with ignorance on their part when it comes to "authorization" on their belief system, not the insurance coverage. If this continues, there needs to be a complaint to the board about ignoring medically necessary operations. read more

Me and my kids have been going to Dr. Mertzel for such a long time. He is so honest and won't try to rip you off with dental work that is not needed like other dentists do. His office is small and uses up to date equipment. I can't complain because he does the job right. I had a crown done in November and was extremely pleased with the results. His staff is amazing. His staff is really nice, we always feel welcomed. I hope Dr. Mertzel doesn't retire anytime soon because it will be really hard to find someone as good as him. read more