I've been going to Ross for decades. He's a great dentist (really...more an artist). He never rushes to the most expensive restoration (e.g., crown). He has performed repairs that have saved the tooth...pushing crowns or root canal into the future. He has repaired the mistakes made by prior dentists. I trust him completely with my teeth. I've also been treated by Marc Lai. He also appears to practice dentistry the same as his father...working to fix the problem with the least invasive procedure. Both use best dental practices, current techniques, and state of the art dental equipment. This is a great dental practice. The entire staff is friendly and professional. They have excellent protocols in place to keep the patient and staff safe from Covid. I highly recommend this dental practice to anyone needing dental care. read more

Marc, the son of Ross Lai, is an amazing dentist. He is very caring, sensitive, very good technical skills, great communicator, and great follow up. I went in the other day for quite a bit of dental work on three different teeth. The whole thing was pretty much painless. The next day he sends me a follow up email asking me how I was doing, and inviting me to a free follow up consultation after the weekend just to check that everything was all right. Meanwhile, his office is also first class. They follow up on all insurance paperwork, including CIGNA as a secondary insurer. The latter is the worst to deal with. Many dentists refuse to do that. And, force you to file your own claim with CIGNA on your own. Good luck with that. Here, "au contraire" they don't mind at all. They will deal with CIGNA on your behalf. A great dentist with a great office back up. What's not to like. I only wish I had joined his office a long time ago. read more

I've been a patient of Dr. Lai for 30 years. Without a doubt, Dr. Lai is the best medical provider I've ever had. He and his marvelous staff (including Xenia and Felicia) are always friendly, thorough, and make you feel immediately comfortable. Even when Dr. Lai has occasionally performed more invasive dental work, I have not felt any discomfort either during or after the procedure. I regularly tell my work colleagues and friends about Dr. Lai. They inevitably thank me for the referral. If you need an outstanding dentist, you should pay Dr. Lai a visit. read more

How many people can say they actually like going to the dentist? If you came here, I think you would. I've been going to Dr. Lai for well over 20 years and have been very happy with the level of professionalism and patient care I've received. read more

I would give Dr. Lai 3 stars except for the RUDE staff he has working the there.. Except for Dr. Lai When i say rude, i mean rude. After 3 years of seeing Dr. Lai I've decided to find another dentist in SF. Do they really think they are doing me a favor?!? NO THANKS! read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Lai for nearly 20 years. I have never found a better, more caring dentist. He is mindful and considerate of the needs of his patients and does excellent work. Though he is located in downtown San Francisco, he is careful with his patient's money. I have seen dental practices which performed as many procedures as often as possible, presumably to maximize profit. Dr. Lai takes a conservative approach when scheduling procedures, keeping a watchful eye, not taking action sooner than necessary and not past what is safe and prudent. If he feels the procedure can safely wait till a new insurance calendar year he will do so to save the patient out-of-pocket expenses. When we moved 2 hours away seven years ago I never even considered changing dentists. Neither my, now grown, daughter nor my nephew have any fear about "going to the dentist"having been Dr. Lai's patients for their entire lives. His medical and office staff are always very good to us as well. He and his staff have my complete confidence and loyalty. read more

Ross is a great guy. He takes the time to explain things and treats you like gold, solid gold. His staff is amazingly friendly and I always like seeing them. I like him so much I get my teeth cleaned every two months. His expertise is evident in every thing he does. He takes the time to make everything he does the best it can be and he also trys to save you money by saying things like, well we'll watch this tooth but let's wait and see, instead of emptying your wallet on the spot. He is the best dentist I have ever had in any state and would recommend him very HIGHLY. Dr. Ross Lai is a humble god. I just can't say enough about him and his talented staff. And, I used to hate going to the dentist. My mouth and teeth are in great shape due to his expertise & knowledge. Great dentist! read more

I have been coming here for YEARS. Pretty much over half my life. The staff are so friendly and kind, Dr. Ross Lai is such a fun person to chat with as well as a talented professional, and same goes for his son Dr. Marc Lai. Totally recommend coming here, it's very conveniently located for all you peeps who work in the Fi-Di. read more

I was referred to Dr. Lai by my old dentist because his office became hard to get to based on where I work. Making an appointment was super easy and they treated me with such great care. It is a Father/son operation and Dr. Marc Lai treated me. They did a great job at explaining everything they did and made sure I was comfortable the entire time. The office was super clean and the entire staff seemed to care about their job. So glad I come here now. Keep up the great work!! read more

Best dentist! Dr. Lai is truly passionate about his job and cares about his patients! I have been his patient for several years, and I am always satisfied after every visit. He is always happy to answer all my questions, and any issues I have had has been addressed quickly. His staff is also very friendly and efficient. He also made great recommendations for when I needed braces and wisdom-teeth removal. If you're looking for a dentist, come here! read more

Parking is much improved now compare to the old location because Dr. Lai's office can validate parking near Chinatown which a HUGE plus. Just want to write an update for the new location, since my review was outdated. I was referred by my ex co-worker Sandy, thanks to her I never have to worry about my teeth anymore. Both Dr. Lai and the medical staffs are exceptional, the front office is very accommodating in terms of scheduling, always follow up, very friendly and professional. read more

Ross is the only dentist my family and I have gone to that makes visiting the dentist fun. He has a great personality and a good sense of humor. I highly recommend him as his work is superior as well. read more

Ross Lai called me to explain what happened with the insurance claim. It's hard to give him any less than a top rating because I do believe he's the best dentist in San Francisco and I have to give him credit for contacting me to explain the insurance issue. Basically, the insurance company lets the dentist know who is covered (using patient social security number and employer) but doesn't tell them what specific type of coverage they have. The office guessed, and that guess was way off. read more

Dr. Marc Lai is a fantastic dentist. My father was a dentist and my grandfather as well. I know a great dentist when I get one! The office is clean, well organized and state-of-the-art. There is great care and consideration for the patient's comfort, ease, and well being. Dr. Lai himself is affable, confidant, knowledgeable and conscious of the patient's feelings every moment of the appointment. The dentist's assistant was wonderful as well. The whole staff was warm, efficient and respectful. It was as enjoyable as a visit to a dentist could possibly be! 5 stars for Dr. Lai and his crew. Prices were affordable as well for the quality you are clearly getting. I found a parking garage less than 3 minutes walk from the office. read more

Ross rocks! best dentist I ever had. His technology is great- I've never really seen the inside of my mouth on the monitor before like I did in his office. Plus he has good advice on fishing in Baja! read more

I have been sticking with Dr Lai for 20 years. That says it all. I am super afraid of dentist. Dr Lai made it easier. He is skillful, smart , passionate of what he does. read more

Dr. Lai is the best. I've had high maintenance teeth my entire life, and he is the one dentist out of MANY I've had that I feel confident in quality, safety, and efficiency. He's calm, patient, and the staff is super friendly. Mika is amazing at working with our insurance to get the most out of our benefits and matching them to meed our family's dental needs. I had a poorly made veneer (from another dentist) crack and come off late last night and he squeezed me in this morning to glue me back together. Thanks to Dr. Lai and staff, I can now face the world bravely once again! read more

I've been seeing Dr Lai for over 9 years and cannot recommend any dentist more highly. He is very thorough, gives great advice, and his staff is lovely. I had tons of cavities as a child and always dreaded going to the dentist, Dr Lai has changed all that. I even floss once a day. What a rock star! I had a filling exchanged many years ago by Dr Lai and the new one was fairly tender. He stopped me on the street to ask about the filling (I used to work on the same block) and when I told him it was still painful he made sure I came in for another exchange, this time with some sort of protective glue. All for free. Who does that these days? read more

If there's a minus star, I would have give it. Don't get me wrong, I love Dr. Lai but similar to other people's comments, what is the deal with his staff, especially the person called "Mica or Mico"??? She told me she's been there for over 25 years, wow, you are still there after 25 years? I am so surprised. She is the reason why I've decided to leave this place, that's too bad. the whole issue started because I had last minute work conflict and had to reschedule my cleaning appointment, I repeat, just a cleaning appointment, not anything fancy. She started to mention the requirement of 48 hours advance notice or there's a charge. I told her this is not intentionally and it was last minute. She starts to give me attitude and said I've done this before etc. First of all, it was a cleaning appointment, second even if I've done it before, it was probably only 1 or 2 times at min for the past 5 years. after rounds of cheap shots and RUDE attitude, I've decided to leave this dentist office. It's a shame because it's really only because of one bad apple in the entire office. read more

Ross and the hygienists are great. Very experienced, courteous and detailed. Have been going there for almost 20 years and had great care.

Dr. Marc Lai is the best Dentist in the Bay Area! He saved my life when the time that i'm having a tooth pain! I would highly recommend him to the people that i know in the Bay area... Thanks in a million!!!!! read more

I've been trusting my teeth to Ross for the last 3,247 years. They haven't fallen out yet. I've also sent a dozen friends to him over that period, most of them also still have all of their teeth. So he must be doing something right. read more

I am a new patient with Dr. Lai. I have had some dental work performed by Dr. Lai and a prophy/polish by his hygenist. Both services were excellent (and my father was a dentist so I am picky). Every interaction with his office staff has been positive. They have been polite and helpful - both on the phone and in person. I would recommend this office to any and all. read more

Dr. Lai is great. He works with my awful teeth with care.

This guy is exceptional; an extraordinary professional. Very bright, informed and interested, Dr Lai is as much a medical professional as any doctor I've ever encountered. I've found him to be painstaking in his care, and meticulous in all his prep. I have noticed both he and his staff gathering critical medical background information that will help them treat me in the most effective and productive ways, without conflicting with other medical issues. It's worth the drive and the bridge traffic to make the journey. A little extra trouble getting there because we're in Marin, but worth it. read more

Dr. Ross is a great dentist and a very nice person. He's very professional, does great work and has a very friendly staff. On one of my visits, an elderly woman with dementia, assisted by her caregivers, was at the next station. I was impressed with how much respect, dignity and gentleness Doctor Lai treated the patient. It really showed his true character which is golden. On another visit, I mentioned that my husband and I were staying at a certain resort to celebrate our anniversary. Turns out the general manager was a former client and he gave him a call; we got a free upgrade to an ocean-view room. You can't get nicer than that! read more

Dr. Lai is the best dentist I've ever had. I had been going to him for several years when I switched jobs and my new HMO insurance didn't cover him. I figured I'd just find a new dentist. After two different dentists, an unnecessary deep cleaning and having a bad "reaction" to novacain, I went back to Dr. Lai and paid out of pocket. He's honest and professional. He won't try to get you to sign up for expensive procedures so he can bilk you and your insurance. He's also incredibly skilled. He'd never mis-fire the novacain and have to stick you over and over like another dentist did. I didn't think it was so important which dentist you go to before I tried others. But Dr. Lai is head and shoulders above the rest. read more

I was referred to Dr. Lai by a coworker and am always very impressed with how professional Dr Lai and his staff is. Great practice run by great people. He takes pride in caring for his patients, and the entire staff is incredibly welcoming and well informed. I actually don't mind going to the dentist now because he makes my experience so enjoyable. read more

I am scared to death of dentists so my husband finally forced me here and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I am now going all the time to get rid of over ten years of terror read more

Ross is really an awesome dentist. He's extremely good at what he does, and genuinely loves his work. He's not aggressive with dental work, striking a good balance between what's really necessary and what can wait. He also just cracks me up. Historically, I have hated the dentist more than any health care provider. This guy, I don't mind visiting one bit. He's a pro with a great attitude. His staff is terrific, as well. read more

both dr. ross lai and his son are the consummate professionals. i have been going there for over 25 years, and he is currently correcting a problem i got from another dentist in an emergency. if i had not had treatment another place by force, i would still have the same beautiful teeth i did under his care. he is generous and the absolute best dentist possible. he always explains treatment plans, options, and answers any questions so the patient knows exactly what is going on at every step along the way. great, great dentist. looking forward to going to his son mark as well. the staff is also the best ever. dr. lai is easygoing, and also very funny. a pleasure beginning to end. read more

I've been going to see Dr. Lai since I was a kid (his dad was also my mom's optometrist for awhile I think) and he is the coolest dentist ever. Not that I've been to all that many obviously, but he's def one of the coolest doctors around. When I was younger he had a prize box in one of his cabinets, and after every visit my sibs & I picked something out to take home. We had more Chinese finger traps at my house than a family in their right mind would know what to do with. Nice reception area - there's only one comfy seat though, but I've crashed there many a time when I've arrived too early for an appointment. Lots of magazines to read (you know, typical of a waiting area at a doctor's office). One of the receptionists is really cool too, she's been there for years, and one of his assistants is awesome and she always recognizes me when I come in. I'm sure there are tons of people working in that office, but for some reason I always see that one receptionist and I always get that one dental assistant. They're great. read more

My review of Dr. Lai is long overdue. I was referred to him last year by a friend at work. He is the absolute best. After seeing him a few times, he knows my mouth and my issues with dentistry (many bad experiences in the past). He recently did a couple of fillings, one to replace an old filling that was degrading, and one on a tooth with a crown where my gums had receded from the crown and caused sensitivity. Both required him to insert whatever special string they use under my gums to cause them to recede in order to position the filling under my gum line. He is like a detective; I could see him as we went along figuring out the intricacies of my mouth. He told me that the reason I've had issues with my mouth not getting numb from Novocain is that when you have had orthodontia, sometimes the nerves of a tooth don't move to the new position of the tooth. He had to give me shots in different places to numb my mouth. Nobody had ever thought to explain this to me before. I love him for not treating me like a freak because of my fear issues. read more