Dr. Sampson Lee has been my dentist for about 30 years. I've found him to be honest- never over doing things for profit, extremely competent and a kind man. I recently had the need to visit two other dentists referred by my health care provider. Their services felt perfunctory and got me thinking about what a great job Dr. Lee does. Wondering if these poorer reviews are coming from competitors, they don't describe the person who has been taking care of me. read more

Dr. Sampson Lee has been my dentist for about 10 years. I've found him to be honest - never over doing things for profit, an extremely skilled and kind man. My teeth have always been very bad and I appreciate his patience and workmanship to get my dental goals realized. Thanks Doc! read more

They were rude and didn't take care of my problem. Didn't want to know about my problem because my insurance was going to be changing from them, even though I was still covered at the time. Very unfriendly place. read more

Samson Lee, a Dentist in Los Altos California , Is the most unprofessional Dentist. He asked me not to see him again and terminated providing me services today, because I had a tooth implant done by a qualified oral surgeon and orthodontist and not him. Samson Lee is just a Dentist, good for cleaning teeth and maybe fillings. His ego is larger than his qualification's and abilities. To add insult to injury, my wife was having her teeth attended to, concurrently in the next room, while I was fired. He had the unmitigated gall to attend to her nonchalantly soon after. He is a prize act, don't you think. read more

Reading the 1 and 2 star reviews is really disheartening to see! My primary dentist retired back in 2008, and I bounced around for several years struggling not only to find a good dentist, but one with good bedside manner. My husband introduced me to Dr Lee and I haven't looked back since! Every interaction has been pleasant, even the first time when my teeth were not in the best shape after being scared off by my previous dentist and putting off my cleaning for more than 1 year. No questions asked, teeth were cleaned, pleasant conversations were had, and I was on my merry way. Hilda has almost always been the one to greet me, assistant Jonathan is friendly, Dr Lee usually asks how things are, and I leave with my teeth feeling fantastic. Dr Lee also has a funny love relationship with those fixed lingual retainers... always so hard to clean, but he does a good job on them. read more

He has done a phenomenal job at every visit. I would highly recommend doctor Lee for any of your dental needs.

I was super disappointed with this dentist: 1. The cleaning took less than 5 minutes. He skipped over some teeth rather than cleaning all teeth, and spent a good amount of time pausing the cleaning to talk to his assistant. 2. When I asked if it's normal to take only 5 minutes to clean a full mouth of teeth, he said "yes" and hurriedly walked away. 3. He took 6 X-rays and gave no comments. It was only when I hunted him down to ask about the results that he said, "no difference from last time." He was very rude and unprofessional. I'll never go back and would not recommend him to anyone! read more

Reviewing on behalf of family member. Poor communication (did not provide an estimate for a new procedure); received a direct bill from the office instead of through insurance. Did not look like your usual bill - seemed fabricated. When family member respectfully inquired about details of bill, Dr. Lee stated "You don't have to pay if you don't like it but we'll see you in court." Very rude and unprofessional, do not go to this dentist. read more

Haven't received any treatment so far as their process is very complicated and customer service is ready worse than I thought .Other dental providers in the same network are so much better and they don't make you run around just to see a dentist when in pain . Cannot give info easily , cannot help patient , response time is next to zero . Have no appointments till May ! please improve your customer interaction and you can still make money on the way ! read more

Not sure why I wasted my time here, but I guess it was because of convenience being it close to work. Anyway, 2 stars because one day I'll be covered, other times I'm not. Very inconsistent since my plan did not change. I had done a couple of X-rays and check ups but a few months, they don't accept my insurance anymore? Add in, that it takes forever for them to double check things. Dr. Lee wasn't very through either. I had a toothache and he just said that I have a wisdom tooth. Didn't recommend anything; whether I should wait or get it removed. It was like a binary answer: Wisdom tooth: yes. Like at least give me more info. read more

I agree with other reviewers. I had the same unfortunate experience like other reviewers. After seeing him a few years, I had enough from him and finally switched to another dentist. Dr Lee is unprofessional. 1. He doesn't hire a hygienist and does the cleaning himself. But he would complete the entire cleaning process less than 10 minutes. You could feel he skipped some of the steps. And my teeth was not clean. 2. He would not talk to you and tell you how he thought about your teeth as if he did not care. 3. If you ask him questions, he felt annoyed and replied impatiently. 4. Front desk staff was not friendly and rude. 5. Never got any sample toothpaste and toothbrush. 6. After switching to any dentist, they found problem in my teeth which Dr Lee never tried to reveal. My experience is if the front desk is not nice, usually the doctor is not nice either because staff usually follows doctor's examples. After the switch, my current dentist's staff is super nice and so is the dentist. Hope this review helps. read more

Just had a horrible experience there, and I quit seeing them! I have to give credit to the male assistant there who was friendly and stood up to represent their office and try to make up for this unpleasant incident. But the main guy, Dr. Lee if you call him that, was rude and unprofessional! He had no smile on his face and the way he talked to his patient, a 9 year old was cruel and cold! Ok, my son does not have a good pretty teeth genetically, but he does brush his teeth twice a day and I think most 9 year old boys won't brush as carefully and thoroughly as adults. But after this dentist came in and had a look at my son's teeth, the very first thing he said was: wow.... then he started to tell my boy "you should brush your teeth better", all in a really cold tone and no facial expression! Then after he checked the X-ray, maybe it was not clear, he was like: you should not move during X-ray. Again with such a cold tone and face! Is that how he talks to kids or human usually? Wow to him this time! That's when I decided to defend and protect my son a bit. I told him that I feel uncomfortable hearing him using such a cold tone on a 9 year old and criticizing him on his behavior . Then the dentist got offended and things got ugly and eventually he said "get out" to me. Well I wasn't planning to see this dentist ever again anyway, but I'd share this unpleasant experience here. For people who does need a friendly and professional dentist, do not bother consider this place! read more

For my 300th review, I will have to give it up to one of my three favorite dentists. Why 3 you may ask? Because they are all my friends and I rarely floss. Damn ........it's out now. It's perfect because I plan it out where I see a dentist every two to three months It's great because by the time I go, I don't get yelled at. I clean my teeth 4 to 6 times a year so yes I have really clean teeth. If Jennifer CP would open up her office my teeth wouldn't be the only thing that would be clean. (side note you will have to find out what she does by asking her yourself). I am actually appalled by the 1 and 3 star reviews. I can't see any of these things happening in this office. He is professional, considerate, and more importantly............fantastic as what he does. He has the most advance technological equipment in his office. He has all of the modern gadgets in there. ( I know because I have to insure them and they are pricey) I have been seeing this dentist since God knows when. He explains in details what's going on with my teeth, how I can maintain them, avoid certain drinks that may leave stains, watch out for my gum lines due to hard brushing, etc. He takes the time to explain. I thought it was just me to get this VIP treatment but the answer is No...........he does it for all of his patients. I usually refer my clients over to Samson because I know he will take care of them. For me, the biggest compliment is when my clients call back to thank me. Keep it up!!! God!!! 300th review.............I need to get a life. read more

So now that I've officially changed my primary dentist provider- i can be 100% honest without being retaliated against. At the time I was a college student and working part time so insurance was not all that great but I had to make do. I did hours of research, looking through all the reviews of doctors and offices that took my insurance. Dr. Samson Lee was the highest rated at (3.5-4 depending on the sites i found). My first appointment was great. He was straight forward told me what needed to be done. I understood that my teeth and dental history was not the greatest. Anyways, making appointments seemed easy enough in the beginning. The receptionist was nice or moody, i guess it depended on what mood you caught her in. She was like an unfed dragon behind her desk and just seemed to be pissed when the phone would ring but when face to face she tried to put on her happy face. Regardless, she was on top of sending out or calling regarding 6 month check ups. I can appreciate that. Towards the end, it became more difficult to get a hold of anyone in that office. I called numerous times, left messages and never a return call. Not to mention my last couple of visits have been less then pleasant. Every single time I left Dr. Lee's office I was close to tears because his manners were just far from polite. He even said to me on my recent appointment "No, don't book an appointment now..call us when you're serious about getting the work done". I was speechless and I knew it was time to get a new dds. I realized the dwindling communication on their end was probably because Dr. Lee was no longer a primary provider for my insurance yet he could not force old patients to find someone else; so therefore, he probably tried to cut all communication with those patients in hopes they end up going some where else - which i did. Ps. I've was a patient of Dr. Lee's since 2010 til recently. Do you're self a favor and headache...go somewhere else. read more

Tried to make appt after switching my dentist on my insurance plan. I did everything that was told by the insurance customer service, but when I called to make an appt, they wouldn't allow it until dec 1. I said that I got confirmation from my insurance but Dr. Lee's staff just wouldn't let me make an appt. A dentist office is a business as much as any store is and it they put so many roadblocks to be a customer, I'd much rather not be a part of it. You guys lost 2 patients, my wife and I, for being difficult to deal with. read more

I have been looking for a new dentist since 02. So I came in here to get my filling fixed because it was rough from my previous filling. Dr. Lee fixed my tooth up and made it smooth and i felt normal again when i ran my tongue along my teeth. He was very very informative and let me know what was wrong and what procedures he had to do. Even though i'm not scared to go to the dentist I felt very relaxed with Dr. Lee. Very straighforward guy I will be probably be back for my cleanings and stuff. read more

Dr. Lee is an excellent dentist and his office staff is just great. His assistant, Jonathan, is also very professional and knowledgeable, and Hilda (the receptionist) is just so welcoming. Dr. Lee is an artist and you'll be happy with any of his work - but another good point is he never tries to "up-sell" you to procedures you don't need. You'll get an honest and thorough evaluation and treatment here. read more

Went for routine work. Dr. Samson was polite, and nice. Worked quickly and didn't push any extra. Difficult to get appointment after signing up for my company insurance. Tried 3 times over a 4 month period, the office said they have no record of my insurance and wait 30 days. After 4 months, filed a complaint with California insurance commission against the insurer. That cleared up matters quickly. However, reading the reviews here makes me think I'm not the only one who has had insurance problems with this office. read more

I agree with other reviewers. I had the same unfortunate experience like other reviewers. After seeing him a few years, I had enough from him. Dr Lee is unprofessional. Very Rude. Should not be as a Doctor. read more

The best dental experience I've had, the staff was very caring and professional, Dr. Lee went through all the options with me knowing I don't have any dental insurance. I told him that I have a big fear of needles so he kinda distracted me while he gave me the injection, it was nearly painless, 5 stars just for that alone. I have an older friend on a fixed income who dropped his denture and chipped one of the tooth, Dr. Lee not only fixed the chipped tooth but refitted it for him, he is very happy. Thank you Dr. Lee for not hurting me and an excellent job well done for me and my elderly friend. read more

I switched my dentist from xxx Zone(bad experience there...) @ MTV to Dr Lee' office @ Los Altos couple months ago. In recent weeks, he had my tooth root canal treatment and installed a new crown for me. I myself paid(O-O-P) affordable and reasonable price for total 3 appointments. Excellent and professional service on all his team members -- of course including Dr Lee. I strongly recommended Dr Lee to all if you are reading this ... read more

After I made my appointment I read the review here and was a little worried. Once I got to the office I felt better. The hygienist was competent although a little hard to understand. Dr Lee spent a lot of time cleaning my teeth, and did a good job. The last dentist I went to (2 years ago) would not clean my teeth because it had been a year since my last cleaning. Lee scolded me, I countered that I promise to come in for regular cleanings if he paid my insurance premium. I am ambivalent about one thing--no "add-ons" were offered. Most dentists I have visited in the past few years have been big on pushing the whitening, caps, etc. Lee's office offered nothing, nor mentioned any potential cavities or crowns that might need to be replaced. Oversight? Not worth their time? Standard Office practice? read more

You will know exactly how rude and unprofessional they are, from the first time you call the front desk. If you don't believe me, just call to make an appointment as a new patient. One of the ladies (Hilda) does not belong in any customer service field. Read all the reviews, prior to subjecting yourself to an awful experience that you will always regret. read more

Saw Dr Lee for the first time last week, for just a routine check up and cleaning and I had a good experience. All the staff was friendly and the office itself was nice and well kept. The only negative thing I have to say, is I felt a little rushed at the end. I think Dr Lee had to get to someone else, but I understand being in the medical profession. All in all a good experience and I hope to be back in 6 months. read more

I refer all my friends and family to Dr. Lee. He's kind and understanding to a patient like me who invariably comes in shamefacedly, not having flossed nearly enough. And he's fast, which is definitely something you want when you have to sit in the dentist's chair. Also, although I have insurance, my uninsured friends tell me his rates are quite reasonable, esp compared to other dentists. read more

Was told by another dentist I had a cracked tooth. Insurance changed before I could get it repaired. Dr Samson made a crown. I developed severe pain for which he prescribed antibiotics and pain pills. He told me to schedule a root canal. The antibiotics took care of the pain and I avoided the root canal. Routine care of tooth cleaning is very short about 10 minutes and does not include ultrasound. Did not feel I had had a tooth cleaning afterward read more

I've been going to this dentist for a very long time, but wanted to write a review. 1. Dr Lee is an above average dentist. Harvard trained and will not tell you that you need all sorts of dental work that you don't need. He gets 4 stars because -1 star he gets creeped out by blood (um, you are a dentist!) -1 star he spends less and less time with you over the years +1 star my husband likes him 2. Dental office gets a -2 star because ALL their receptionists over the years have sucked. (a) You cannot leave a person on the phone for 10 mins because you are chatting to your friend ... yes, I can hear you! (b) When I hang up and call again, so you remember I am still on the line, you cannot tell me you are busy and put me on hold again ... Please get new office staff!! read more

Dr Lee was efficient and knowledgeable, answered all my questions and didn't make me feel bad for waiting a while to come in for a cleaning.

I was looking for local dentist that will accept my HMO dental plan. This office popped up. So I called. The receptionist is exceptionally unfriendly and rude. She is not willing to answer my questions about any specifics. She told me the price for my teeth filling is "confidential". I've called a few other dentist offices and all gave me the estimate of the work and cost over the phone. When I asked to make an appointment with this receiptionist, she said she can not do it because I need to call my insurance company to send them my proof of insurance before I can make an appointment. She simply doesn't have time to verify my insurance if I make appointment now. I said I can pay cash if she can't verify my insurance. She said NO appointment can be made regardless!! Don't know what's wrong with her. She tried so hard NOT getting the business for her doctor(s). Maybe if the doctor fires the receiptionist, he/she will get more business. read more

FYI, though Dr. Lee is on the list of Cigna providers for their HMO, they do not take HMO insurance. I had officially changed my dentist to Dr. Lee on the phone and received a new insurance card with his name printed on it-- so I was annoyed when I called to make an appointment and was told they did not accept my insurance. I had to switch to another dentist and wait a month for that change to take effect. I'm not sure if the fault lies with Dr. Lee's office or Cigna, but I thought I'd let any other fellow Cigna-HMO people know. read more

Great staff. The office is really friendly and encouraging making it easy to visit the dentist on a regular basis.

I really, really like Dr. Lee, and the people in his office. I've most interacted with Hilda, the receptionist and Jonathan---both of whom I find very sweet. (I even met with Dr. Wei once when Dr. Lee was on vacation---and she was great too!) Sure, you get a no-frills experience (dated equipment and decor), but everything that you get is necessary. As the other reviewers have mentioned---he doesn't push anything extra on you, he'll tell you what he would do, and is very patient with you if you have a ton of questions...as I did when I found out at 34, I needed braces again! A couple years ago, at age 34, I discovered that I needed braces. Trying hard to find a professional to tell me something else..., I spoke to 4 orthodontists and 3 dentists, including Dr. Lee. Dr. Lee was patient with my questions---which were legion. Braces for me ultimately meant new x-rays, more frequent dental cleanings (every 3 months instead of 6), and two tooth extractions. Needless to say, I've been in this office a lot!!! I should mention that I found Dr. Lee via Costco's Delta Dental Program. The rest of the dentists and specialists on there...I was not very impressed. (I ended up paying out of pocket for my orthodontist, because the guy on the plan was such a quack.) But if you have no dental, and Dr. Lee is still taking this insurance---this makes him the best bang for the buck out there. But even if he stopped taking taking this insurance, I would still go to see him. read more

Tried to make appointment after we had a new dental insurance this year. The receptionist never retuned our calls. We actually drove by to check if Samson Lee was still in business:) When we walked in, the front desk lady was.... it was hard to say, rude (but not quite), moody? She made a couple of calls while we were waiting. We then figured that she was a type that she just did her job, not necessarily to please anyone or being pleasant. My husband and I "joked "about the decor of the office. It was very old. well, we thought it was O.K. as long as we have a good dentist. My previous dentist told me that he believed it was an abscess on the root of my tooth. I myself could see the small dark shaded area from the digital images on their computer screen. I did not tell Dr. Lee first as I wanted to see if he could see the same problem. I was not trying to trick him at all. I just wanted to have a second opinion. Dr. Lee could not tell any problems from the tiny square paper pictures his office printed out from X-rays. After I found out the office was not able to provide the digital images, I told Dr. Lee about the abscess that my previous dentist found. He asked me, "I cannot see the problem. Do you feel any pain?" I said no. He said, "then, don't worry. If you feel pain, I can refer you to a specialist...." I was very disappointed for 2 things. (1) The equipment was so out of dated that it could not help the dentist spot potential problems. (2) I can ignore my existing problem and wait until I feel pain. ?? Anyway, this place is cheap, quick and is not capable of find some problems. But, Dr. Lee tried to be friendly and helpful. Maybe I was too tough? We switched to another dentist. The current one were able to find the same of my abscess problem from the digital images, too. Hope you get my points and make your decisions! read more

I had my first adult tooth removed by Dr. Lee, an impacted molar. It was pretty much a gently in and out without any pressure or removal pains, which I had tensed myself up in anticipation to receive. If you are looking for someone who is thorough, yet with a calming effect and gentle touch then Dr. Lee is certainly the dentist that you will want. His teeth cleaning techniques are great in the sense that you are left with CLEANED TEETH, yet no mouth sores to overcome afterwards, i.e. could eat right away. He also performed a painfree root canal for my mom, she told me that she didn't feel a thing, along with the fitting of a crown. Mom is quite happy with all and has been able to return to her regular eating habits and all foods without worrying about which side to chew with. I would certainly recommend Dr. Samson Lee for your dental needs. WN read more

They sure are in a rush! Assistant took xrays within first 10 min and Dr. Lee spent only 10 min cleaning my teeth. I guess if you're billing the insurance companies - that's all you need to bill for the visit. I've never had such a quick dentist visit in my life. And as soon as he was done - he said "ok. You're done" - twice - while I was rinsing my teeth at the end. And when I didn't move fast enough - he said it again "You're done". As I was walking out I asked if I can schedule my next appointment - that seemed like too much of an inconvenience for them. And the door was practically slammed behind my back. As I stood outside dumbfounded, I looked at my watch - the whole thing took 20min. I have no idea what that was about - but it sure felt crappy. That was my 3rd visit there - they were rushed before as well - but this time it was exaggerated. read more

I had seen him for a few years and then I switched due to Dr. Lee's unprofessional and impolite services. i) For every routine exam and cleaning, he would spend less than 10 minutes to clean and exam my teeth. On top of this non-thorough cleaning, he would not say a word to me about my teeth situation. The only words he said was to ask me to get up and leave. Terrible and rude service!! I thought he was running late for another appointment. To my surprise, after he left my room, he had nothing to do but sitting in another room to play with his phone. ii) And then he and his assistant would not allow patients to make another routine exam appointment far in advance until one or two months ahead only. So inconvenient. iii) They have free toothpaste and brushes but they are absolutely NOT generous to give patients. When you ask, the assistant would lie and said they were out of stock. read more

He re-root canal one of my tooth and 6 months later it has to be extracted by other dentist. Triple Ouches!

This review is on the very unhelpful receptionist not actually the dentist. I just got new insurance selected for my list of possible dentist went with this dentist since it was close by. I went through Delta and had been confirmed that both of my daughters are now under this dentist. I TRIED to make appt. after the first of the month which is when I was told I'd be on their list of new patient an but the woman kept saying she didn't see me. I called Delta again they said they would fax it over to her, I waited another couple of weeks and showed up at the office to make the appt. I don't know if there's just one person handling the front desk or if it was the same person I had spoken to on the phone but again I was receiving the same response that my daughters weren't on the list and that maybe since they are under only 6 and 9 years of age i should really think about find another dentist because apparently this dentist doesn't take kids for patient. I don't know why the hell she didn't just say this to begin with since the ages of the new patient came up. She was just so rude. I found a new dentist with professional and friendly front reception service. read more

Dr. Lee is a great dentist! Many people have said it is hard to get an appointment, but I have not had a problem whatsoever being able to see him. What some people don't know is that he has been trained by some of the smartest people in the world being that he received his degree from Harvard University, which is the 12th best dental school in the nation. His work on his patients is evident on how hard he studied back in dental school. Dr. Lee gets the work done efficiently and as a patient that is all I could ask for. In addition to being efficient, everything he has done for me: getting my teeth cleaned, pulling out my wisdom teeth, receiving a filling,etc., has all been painless. I will never complain about my teeth hurting at all. Furthermore, for serious matters, he will drop everything to see the patient as I have called him on his day off for him to see me. I recommend him highly and, I have no plan for changing my dentist anytime soon. read more

Our family has been going to Dr. Lee since 2005. I highly recommend him. He doesn't overprescibe, but is practical and efficient.