Wayne Nakayama Dentistry
Wayne Nakayama, DDS:
Practice Profile Page

There’s always parking on nearby side streets. And I’ve never had a wait; you walk in even a little early and they’re ready to take you back. A classic small neighborhood dentist, there aren’t any frills and the savings are passed on to the customer. There are dentists who will drill and fill at every opportunity, but not here. In the years I’ve been coming, I’ve never had anything more than a cleaning done, and I’ve never even seen a bill. No hygienists (as far as I know), Dr. Nakayama does it all, and if he can’t, he’ll refer you to a specialist. The only thing I can at all complain about is that you have to call and get ahold of his secretary to schedule an appointment. But there’s voicemail, so even that isn’t really an issue.

I just discovered Dr. Nakayama here and can’t recommend him more highly.  You will find him highly skilled technically and very honest in his opinion of future treatments.  He is a strong dental consumer advocate in that he will not recommend anything that he feels does not spend your time and money wisely.   In contrast, I believe our local dental choices have become discouraging.  That is why I’m grateful to support a professional of integrity who has been in our neighborhood, occupying a single store front, for many years in private practice.   You will quickly notice the comfortable, old school ambiance.  A far cry from the many strip mall dental conglomerates on the west side which are driven by remote owners/investors who have no respect for customers or employees.  What you WON’T find at Dr. Nakayama’s office is underpaid/overtaxed office managers, mismanaged appointment calendars, flat screen TV’s hanging from the ceiling, industrial art work, elevator music to entertain you during interminable waits for attention, or revolving technicians and hygienists every visit.   Dr. Nakayama is a graduate of the great USC Dental School, does his own hygienist work, and has surely “kept it real” for a very long time.  It is a pleasure to find a traditional, caring dental practitioner in our neighborhood.  Now its time to visit my favorite “old school” Japanese restaurant Sakura, across the street!

Dr. Nakayama taught me that there’s another meaning to ‘calculus’ besides math. I used to go to Dr. Nakayama to get my teeth cleaned. He was outstanding. He was very thorough, going over my teeth a couple of times during each visit, but what I really liked about him was that he usually took a few minutes at the beginning and end of each visit to give me a summary of what he was going to do and what I needed to be mindful of in the future. He would then give me a summary of my overall oral health and any potential issues. I always walked out of there with a (slightly cleaner) smile. On top of that, the office staff is out of this world. The office manager is really friendly and extremely helpful. She even remembered me after I called after 3 years to ask them to send my X-rays to my new dentist. The office itself almost looks like a converted house, so it’s not the most obvious dentist’s office. But there’s a lot of parking around, so it’s pretty convenient. I recommend Dr. Nakayama with the highest enthusiasm.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Nakayama off and on since 1984 or so (whenever I’m living in L.A.) – best dentist in the West! He cleans your teeth himself, is very good at avoiding those sensitive teeth and always explains what he’s about to do. Good street parking.