Dentistry by Design Palisades
Maria Elena, DDS:
Practice Profile Page

Dentistry by Design Palisades
Maria Elena, DDS
Pacific Palisades, CA

★★★★★

21 REVIEWS
0 BEFORE & AFTER PHOTOS

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DENTAL TREATMENTS OFFERED

Dental cleaning

White fillings

Crowns

Inlays & onlays

Bridges

Clear aligners

Porcelain veneers

Teeth whitening

Dentures & partials

Root canal treatment

Tooth extraction

TMJ treatment

Dental implants

CLEAR ALIGNER SERVICES

Offers Even28 at-home™? No

Offers Even28 at-dentist™? No

Offers Invisalign®? Yes

OFFICE HOURS

Monday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Tuesday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday: 7:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursday: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm

Friday: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Saturday: 8:30 am to 2:00 pm

Sunday: Closed

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BEFORE & AFTER PHOTO GALLERY

PATIENT REVIEWS

We discovered Dr. Tapia’s office about 6 months ago.  The office is very friendly and helpful.   Dr. Tapia fixed my broken tooth and I was so impressed with the office that now my kids and husband have switched to this office. Dr. Tapia is very good at explaining what she is doing to make you feel comfortable.  At the kids first appointment she checked everything and even had them watch a video on how to properly brush teeth on the iPad.  I highly recommend the office.

Dr Tapia and the staff are very professional and provide a safe a comfortable environment. The offices are large and clean and not crowded. All of the dental work that I have received there was first class and above all painless. I know painless will very form person to person but it was my biggest fear when going to the dentist before meeting Dr. Tapia. Now I feel relaxed and comfortable going to be my teeth cleaned or worked on. They are fantastic !!!!!

I have been a patient of the office for 40 years.  It’s wonderful that the new team have been able to keep the small-town, personal feel to the office all while bringing in some of the newer technologies and conveniences.  Everyone has such a nice attitude and is a pleasure to deal with.  I’m sure I’ll continue to be a patient for quite some time.”

When I went in for a routine dental cleaning back in August, I noticed that I chipped a front tooth and it was really compromising the integrity of my smile.  Dr. Tapia went over some options with me and I decided to let her fix my tooth.  It’s been over 4 mos. and I’ve never loved my smile more!  I almost wish I would have let her fix the rest of my teeth!  I will try to post pics ASAP!!

Dr. Tapia and her staff can always be counted on to provide a wonderful and relaxed experience for their patients. Despite COVID, I felt 100% comfortable visiting Dr. Tapia’s office. The doctor and her team are always focused on patient comfort and safety, and I was extremely impressed with the additional stringent protocols they have implemented to ensure the health and safety of patients and staff alike. It is always such a pleasure to be cared for by such a caring, skilled and professional team

This dentist rocks.  Becky is amazing, Mickela is great, doctor tapia relieves all my anxiety about going to the dentist.  After a horrible experience at a new dentist ( just relocated across the country so I had to find a new dentist ) I spent 30,000.00 on some work and my mouth was in dire dire pain.  Got referred by my general doctor and the experience and the pain was all gone.  I’m so blessed and grateful I found this dentist.

Went through some recent cosmetic dentistry work with Dr. Tapia and it was an EXCELLENT experience.  Her work is incredibly professional and came out very natural looking and unnoticeable, the best compliment I could possibly make. I highly recommend her for any and all dentistry and cosmetic work.

Three hours and two porcelain crowns later… I think the world of Dr. Tapia and her team! Becky in reception is always so welcoming and the doc herself, along with her assistant Michaela, is not only skilled at her “art” but is also hugely entertaining. Dentistry by Design is tops in my book!

Amazing dentist! Great staff! Beautiful decor – and, I should know as I was married to a dentist! Dr. Tapia is gentle, honest and patient. She has a wonderful bedside manner, and is always fun to visit with and talk to. Everyone in the office is great – Finding someone I trusted wasn’t easy after my husband worked on me for over 15 years…I would recommend this office to anyone who wants a great experience and beautiful teeth!

Dr. Maria Elena Tapia and her staff were absolutely amazing! I was amazed at the care and compassion that they showed from the start of booking my appointment, through dealing with my insurance payments, to the quality of care I received while in their office. Their office felt like I was in a spa! I was immediately relaxed and felt 100% taken care of by all the staff there. You could tell that they really cared about my health and well-being and I had never had a teeth cleaning like I experienced there! I would recommend this place to anyone and would go back any time!

I am no longer afraid to go to the dentist. Dr. Tapia is gentle, sensitive, warm, and very thorough. I have had extensive work done and can honestly say that the process I went through with Dr. Tapia was “painless”. I no longer feel stressed or nervous when going for my check-ups. My 2 adult sons are also her patients. We all agree…….She is an awesome dentist!!! Her offices are beautiful and relaxing. Her staff is amazing. I highly recommend Dr. Tapia to anyone who reads this. If you do not live in the area it is worth the drive!

I don’t have enough space here to praise Dr. Tapia and her staff so I will get to the point. I came to her with a botched job from another dentist more than a decade ago which cost me one of my permanent teeth. A crown had been placed over a tooth but it was too big so it would let food particles get in a slowly, it completely decayed and partially fell out. Dr. Tapia saw me the same day and super nicely, not at all judgingly like many other dentists, explained my options: extract the decayed root, bone grafting, and either do an implant or do a bridge. She showed me an instructional video of both options and immediately provided me with their cost in order to evaluate them. I decided to go with the implant, which is more costly, but she also offered interest free financing. I scheduled my surgery and additional dental work for the same day and although I was there for 5 hours, they made sure I was comfortable and the whole thing felt like minutes. Dr. Tapia did my cavities (3 big ones) in almost 2 hours and she talked me through the whole process and explained why it was taking so long to ease my anxiety. Dr. Whang is a sweetheart, after having my cavities done, he proceeded to extract my tooth, do the bone grafting and place the implant – all in less than 2 hours. That evening, Dr. Tapia called my home to check on me and made sure I was doing okay – who does that nowadays??? I did not swell up or feel any pain, which only shows how well they work. The office staff is fantastic. Maria is a rockstar, she is dynamic, efficient, and so nice to patients of all ages. I saw her chatting up some old ladies and she is such a sweetheart. There is little or no waiting time – they are like clockwork with their appointments : if it is at 11:00, you’re in at 11:02 at the most – it’s nice they don’t make you waste half of your day like others. Becky is one of the dental assistants and she is so sweet, I almost felt like hugging her after my whole ordeal. They are about to move to a nicer and bigger office, but in my opinion, they don’t need it. Good dentistry is not about flashy offices, it’s about nice friendly staff, and Dr. Tapia and her staff could work out of a box, for all I care, and they would still make you feel like you are their most important patient and that they care. They are truly a fantastic team and have finally found a dentist I can come to every 6 moths (as you should), with a smile on my face.

Fist of all the office is absolutely beautiful/state of the art. Dr Tapia was so lovely and patient with my kids. I had 3 back to back appointments with all 3 children who are typically terrified about dentist visits. Dr Tapia was so helpful in easing their discomfort and any fear or concerns they had. She suggested to my 13 year daughter wiggle her loose baby tooth herself so that I wouldn’t have to pay to have it extracted at a later visit. It’s so refreshing to finally be able to find a Dentist that isn’t trying to overcharge you for unnecessary services. The Hygienist was also amazing she spent 10 minutes with my son demonstrating how to properly brush. Such a wonderful experience. Looking forward to my next cleaning. We now have a family Dentist for life. I highly recommend this practice.

My dad thought he had chipped a tooth, so we went in. I needed to take care of something for my mom, who lives close by, so I left Dad there on his own. They called me when he was done and said he’d be down in 5 minutes. I parked and walked toward the building entrance to get him – only to see that Dr. Tapia herself had walked him down to meet me. Not only is she an excellent dentist, but how awesome was it of her to take such good care of my 93-year old dad, who’s visually impaired!?

Two years ago I was in LA visiting my daughter and going to a Grandparents Day with my grandaughter at her school on the Friday. On Thursday I was eating and for whatever reason my teeth ground against each other and completely snapped off a temporary crown covering an implant. I was is panic mode, how could I go out in public with a missing front tooth. I called my SIL crying hystericaly, he then contacted Dr. Tapaia’s office and before I knew it I was in the dental chair, My teeth are so very important. I was so pleased with the work she did to put me back together. Thankfully I made Grandparents Day with a big smile. I am a Canadian with no dental insurance. The cost was very compatible with what I may pay in Canada, with the exception of the exchange! The service was wonderful, Thank you again. Sue

Dr Tapia and her staff are exceptionally good. Dr. Tapia is the only dentist who has gotten my crowns right the first time – or any repair for that matter. She’s conservative in wanting to preserve your own teeth. She teaches at UCLA and loves to use the latest in technology when it makes sense; this means that I’ve been able to get a new crown on the same day as she has the equipment in the office. The rest of the staff is great too. I particularly love Judy, my hygienist. I think all dentistry is expensive, and this place is “high-average” in its fees for the Westside. To me, it’s worth the drive to get what I need done right the first time. And I think there are Saturday openings at least once a month – which helps if it’s hard to get off of work.

I have always enjoyed my visits to Dr. Tapia. She has up- to- the -minute knowledge and expertise as well as all the current technology and equipment available. I always enjoy Dr. Tapia’s personal warmth and friendliness as well as her wonderful staff in the office. The time seems to pass quickly, and she knows how to take care of any dental issue that may arise. I feel that we are very fortunate to have her here in Pacific Palisades.

You have never been to a dentist like this. Dr. Maria Elena Tapia is one of a kind, and her staff is just as warm, friendly, thorough and competent. After being without insurance for a bit, I came to Dr. Tapia’s office and not only did they accept my insurance, but they explained all of the charges thoroughly. I had my teeth cleaned and analyzed by the most thorough hygienist (sorry, I forget her name) who also told me everything she was doing, and gave me some great tips. Dr. Tapia fixed two fillings from a previous dentist, and gave me extensive options about how to move forward. She even called a few weeks later to check up on me!! Amazing. I can not stress enough how kind and knowledgeable the entire team is. Overall, it was the best dental experience ever, hands down. Plus, easy parking, fair prices, and exceptional care!!

I am most impressed by this beautiful dental practice. I first met Dr Ramin Moayeri, DDS, JD, many years ago and have been very impressed with his great intelligence, expertise and professionalism and by his very thoughtful, helpful, pleasant and humorous disposition. I brought my children and wife to also receive dental care from him. Through Dr Moayeri, I have also had the great pleasure to recently meet his dental practice partner, Dr Maria Elena Tapia, DDS. She is also a very remarkable dentist and wonderful lady. Not only is she also very intelligent, highly expert and professional in her work, but also, she is also very gentle, pleasant, thoughtful, helpful and very considerate, as with Dr Moayeri. She treated us like family. These two dentists are also extremely honest and trustworthy and put highly dedicated service to their patients ahead of financial gain. Wow! God bless them. Regarding the office staff which I had met there, Anastasia and Rebecca are also very wonderful! They are very pleasant, happy, thoughtful and helpful and considerate. They also made us feel at home. I have the highest regard for the doctors and staff at Dentistry By Design and give them my absolute highest recommendation.

I have always been very happy with the service here. I was referred to Dr. Maria Tapia by a coworker when I moved to LA from San Diego. I have an extensive dental history and have a hard time trusting dentists so I was looking for a quality referral. Thankfully my friend was right. Dr Tapia and her staff are professional, friendly and caring. She has made recommendations to me that I completely agree with but given my bad experiences I am reluctant to move forward with some of those suggestions. She respects my decision and does not push or try to ” sell me”. That, I can appreciate a lot and know that she will be there to provide great service when I do make the decision to move forward with some major work. I would definitely recommend her to friends, coworkers and family.

Dr. Tapia and her staff were fantastic with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. She fell down and jammed her baby tooth up into her gums, poor thing. I was so nervous to see how she’d react to a new dentist, because the one she saw a month ago for a cleaning scared her. But, she was all smiles after she left. They were great! As for the place, it’s very clean and tidy. Not sure how the place looked back in 2010 but I didn’t see one toy or any kind of clutter in the waiting room. Maria C. at the front desk was also very warm and inviting. She was all smiles and made us feel very comfortable. All in all, it looks like everyone works together as a team and my daughter and I are very grateful for the professionalism and easiness of what could have been a 2 year old melt down.

A WORD FROM YOUR DOCTOR