Karrie Chu Dental Care
Karrie Chu, DDS:
Practice Profile Page

Just had another above and beyond (“high-touch” and “high quality”) dental visit with Dr. Karrie Chu in her brand-new high-tech (modern), comfortable, professional, relaxing and inviting dental office. Dr. Chu, beyond being totally intelligent, is really warm and very much interested in me beyond my dental care. I never feel like she is rushing to get to the next patient. I really appreciate her staff’s very embracing, engaging, caring and kindness. This really helps those of us who have a fear of those scary dental gizmos. LOL. The staff is cross-trained and therefore are in the know about my care. How refreshing is this—ha ha, no pun intended. Ultimately, my natural 32 teeth are perfect at 64 years old, and I’m always complimented by people I meet. Your teeth are so white and straight!! Thanks to Dr. Chu and her team…..Check them out and you will be amazed at their professionalism and embracing care. Reggie

I’m sure I’m not the first to admit that visiting the dentist is not on the top of my to-do list, but my first visit to this practice may have changed that. I’ve used several run of the mill dentists over the last 10 years and this visit to Dr. Chu has definitely stood out and left a lasting impression on me. I was surprised by how inviting the layout of this office was. The open walls, high ceilings, and the copious supply of windows gave the office a bright, warm ambience and made me feel at ease. I did not feel the stench of a clinic that I’m so used to experiencing in various doctor and dental offices. The waiting room had a fancy coffee machine and the girls in the front office welcomed me with gratious smiles. I was faxed my patient forms prior to my visit so I had everything filled out by the time I arrived. Although I’ve prefilled forms before, this was the first dental visit where I was actually attended to on my appointment time. I’ve never understood why past dentists would take me to the dental chair only to wait another 30 minutes for someone to attend to me. I’ve fallen asleep numerous times waiting and this was the first visit that didn’t have me feeling like I was waiting for the cable guy to show. I keep a tight timetable when working in my own business so its refreshing to have a dental visit that can pay me the same respect. I started with a cleaning with the hygenist, Constance. I remembered seeing her name from some of the past yelp posts, but I found the cleaning to be a breeze. She was respectful, thorough, and straight to the point. I got my wax, buff, and polish and a few helpful pointers and tips for improvement and left with a bright smile. Next, I was taken to have some xrays and pictures taken. The equipment used in this practice were very impressive. The extremely comfortable chairs alone were something worth writing home about. But on a more serious note, this was the first time I’ve experienced digital xrays. They placed my head in some orbital device and later took some digital xrays in the chair. What fascinated me was being able to see my xrays and teeth instantly on a computer screen. I’ve never seen my teeth in so much detail. Unfortunately, I cant say that I’m happy with what I saw, but being able to see the inside of my mounth with so much clarity was exactly what I’ve always wanted to see. It’s one thing to hear your dentist harp about what you need to do better (do they ever have anything good to say?) but its definitely more important to see what youre doing, or lack there of, and the effects it has on your hygiene. The beautiful Dr. Chu (trust me guys, you’ll just have to see for yourself) answered all of my particular questions, as anoying as I was, but its amazing how much more you care as a patient when you can see what your dentist can see. All in all, this was an eye opening experience and I look forward to my next visit. I’ve finally found a practice that doesnt make me feel like I’m being beamed back to the 80s. It’s refreshing to have found a practioner that has respect for their patient’s time commitments and stays up to date on technological advancements. This place feels like a well run practice and I’ll continue to support it…Dr. Chu is the best dentist ever! two thumbs up for a great smile =D

I have been going to Dr Chu for over two years and I am so pleased with her care. I was first recommended to Park Place Dental by 3 different  coworkers who also go there. Both my husband and I have teeth prone to cavities and gum issues. After several years of avoiding the dentist she was easy to speak with and very encouraging. She has completed two crowns and a few fillings for me, that were long over due, and I’ve gone to gum therapy which has dramatically improved my sensitivity. All treatments were professional and I was made as comfortable as possible. Dr Chu and her staff have worked with us and our budget to address the most pressing issue first and spread out our additional treatment as we could afford them. She always makes sure we are comfortable, checking in throughout treatments to see if we are still properly numb and not feeling any pain, and she follows up afterwards to make sure we are satisfied with our work and not having any issues. My husband, who gets very nervous and in general avoids the dentist for as long as possible, will only go to Dr Chu. She has never made him uncomfortable or judged for his reservations and anxiousness, rather over time has built up his trust. I will never love going to the dentist, but I do appreciate that the staff greets me by name, they know my family and they provide a great service. This a truly a family friendly practice and I feel so lucky to have found this gem.

I am very happy with Dr. Chu and her team. She is detailed oriented, takes her time to complete the work well, and does not settle for a good job. She aims for excellence. For example, we did one crown last year that we wanted the color to match with my real tooth. It turns out my tooth color was very difficult to match and we end up having to re-do the crown multiple times. She did not settle for an approximation While I very much appreciate her for being knowledgeable and skilled as a dentist, most of all I like her personality and the way she interacts with her patients. She is very personable and genuinely caring. I’ve had dentists that acted as if my opinion about my own teeth did not matter. They would make up their minds about what they wanted to do, communicate it to me, and give me the option to either do what they wanted or nothing else at all. Dr. Chu, on the other hand, always takes into consideration what I want, so my treatment plan is done collaboratively. She treats patients with respect and hears what they have to say, so I give her the highest patient care ratings. I am also very happy with my hygienist, Sally. She is experienced and caring. In addition to doing a very good job with cleaning, she is also very skilled at delivering patient education about gum disease and treatments. I’ve learned a lot from her and this has made a difference in my gums. One would think delivering patient education is the easiest part of the job, but it is actually the hardest because telling people they have to floss is not enough to get them to take better care of their teeth. You have to be good at motivating people, and for sure can’t come across as judgmental or scolding. Sally does her job well! The office staff is hit or miss. They have some amazing, caring people working there but others are not so great. Like other reviewers on Yelp, I’ve had problems with the staff in charge of billing/finances. I did not feel cheated per se, like others have said in their reviews, but my general sense is that I need to monitor my account closely, and can’t count on the staff to let me know when I overpay. They will file insurance claims for you but want you to pay upfront for everything you do depending on the kind of insurance you have. Last year I figured out they had collected more money from me than they should, and I end up with over $600 credit in my account. For close to a year, I tried to get my money back – made several calls, talked to the staff in person, etc – but in the end I never got a check back from their accountant. Eventually, my spouse and I had to go back to the dentist to do other treatments, and the credit was applied toward the new expenses. Consequently, I became more cautious with making payments before I know whether my insurance will cover the treatment or not. I now ask a lot of questions, which sometimes triggers a defensive reaction on the part of the staff (e.g., they act as if I am trying to get away with not paying for treatment when I am just trying to find a good way to deal with the complexities of insurance billing). Bottom line: I am not always happy with the finances/billing staff but I try not to get too caught up on my grievances because I like Dr. Chu and Sally so much and don’t want to go elsewhere. They are truly amazing! Just to be clear, I give 5 stars to Dr. Chu, her clinical team, and the receptionists who are always very friendly. I give 2 stars to the finances/billing staff.

I have been a loyal and very happy client of Park Place Dental for the past five years!  I found Dr. Chu by way of mouth shortly after moving back to the Pasadena area.  In the past five years, I have had nothing but great experiences with this office.  That is saying a lot, considering they are dentists after all.  Everyone in the office is very professional and Dr. Chu is excellent dentists!  I am always greeted with a friendly “hello” and know my teeth and i will be well-taken care of!  I no longer live in the area, but regularly make the trek east – often at 6:30 a.m. when the office opens – to be seen by one of their very talented and caring hygenists or either dentist.  I can’t recommend this office more highly!!