Always so friendly and helpful! Great tooth care and staff, they're the best! Dr. Kubo has been helping me and my family for years.

The dental hygienist Lisa is always knowledgeable, honest, interesting, gentle and fast work. I drive a little out of my way to keep going here. I've never had issues with anyone there, so don't know why there's negative reviews unless it's an insurance thing which so far I still have. read more

Welcoming, friendly and so professional. I trust their guidance and exceptional service! I will be proceeding with suggestions on treating some dental issues. Great team! read more

Dr. Houske takes pride and patience in his work. He is very caring for patients and makes sure you are comfortable with what is transpiring. I have had both wisdom teeth removal and a root canal at these offices and have never felt more in care. read more

5 stars all the way! I've been coming here for at least 8 years and I don't know why I've never written a review. They take an array of dental insurance, and I've changed jobs/plans twice since becoming a patient. They have never messed up a bill or tried billing previous coverage, and FYI- they also take Care Credit! Everyone that has ever treated/assisted me over the years has been just stellar. Everyone, literally everyone from the receptionists, to the hygienist Lisa, to both Dr's Houske and Kubo have treated me with nothing but respect. They do not push unnecessary treatments and are straight shooters with my oral health. Island Dental is consistently clean, thorough, kind, courteous, respectful, professional, empathetic, and by far, the BEST dental office I've ever been a patient. I have absolutely hated the dentist since I was 5, and Island Dental has consistently put me at ease and made me a partner in my oral health. Do yourself a favor and try this office. :) read more

Honestly, if I could give this Dental Office 0 stars I would . The front office has zero zero customer service skills . I have been trying to schedule an appointment for my kids for a while and they keep giving me the run around as to why they can't schedule me. They discriminate based on your insurance and they won't schedule you if it's not worth it for them. It's all about money money and profit . Karin from front office told me that HMO insurance is not worth it for them , because they don't make money and starting January they are no longer taking HMO insurance anymore . She was very rude and passive aggressive during our phone conversation. Furthermore, she kept giving me excuse after excuse for not being able to schedule my kids . The Doctor is on vacation, the person in charge in scheduling HMO insurance is always off and they won't take that in insurance in a few months . Karin even suggested I look for another Dental Office even though my family is assigned this office. I don't like giving negative reviews . However, with this Dental office my family wasn't even given the opportunity to be seen . I can't believe it's all about money and profit for them. As mentioned, you will be discriminated based on the type of insurance you have . If it's not worth it for them they will give you excuses or encourage you to look for another Dental office. I'm appalled that my family was not welcome here ! What about the patient rights ??? I don't recommend this place ! read more

This dental office has a way of making you feel comfortable and welcoming! I recently had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled out and the process went so smoothly thanks to Dr. Houske and his lovely Assistants. Even when I was getting numbed I didn't feel any of the shots and I had to get completely numbed! They let me knew exactly what they were doing and why which made me feel better! I'm especially fond of the beautiful lady Carine who works the front office. She is great with helping out pay for procedures and gives you an overview of what to expect! This is office is a great dental office and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an office! read more

The best dental visit Ive had since the 80s! Ive finally found the practice for me! Personable professionals providing premier service with a purpose! For you to leave feeling good about the future of your dental health and services under their care! I have had too many dissapointing dental experiences in the Southbay. Its the badgering upsell, unneeded reccomended procedures, self care shaming, ridiculously long wait times, poor attitudes, absent customer service that forces me to seek out other care. I found the one! read more

I've been a patient there for at least 10 years or more. Front office staff is very friendly and they make you feel important and valued. The facility is super clean. Dr. Houske and Dr. Kubo are outstanding and care very much about your comfort. My hygienist, Lisa, is the second to none. If there were a Mt. Rushmore of hygienists, she would be there. For these reasons, I rate them 10 stars. read more

Today i went in to get help with my loose tooth. Dr. Houkes and his office are the best! They worked with my budget and ALWAYS work with me! Their an awesome and friendly office and work with care! Thank you so much for fixing my smile i have a few more visits but this is a step to get my smile back! Thank you so much!! read more

I have been going to Island Dental for some 20 years now. They are 20 minutes away from me so twice I tried more local dentists. But they most definitely were not the equal of Dr. Chip Houske. Unfortunately, my teeth are and have been a challenge. Although I brush, floss and waterpik regularly, I am on dialysis and the meds cause issues. Chip Houske is an absolute magician. I have had a dozen dentists over my lifetime and, again, no equals. He was able to diagnose cavities barely visible on X-ray. But his extraction and oral surgery are beyond compare. Over the years I've had 4 molar extractions done on teeth that were so fragile from caries damage, they just broke apart. Chip was able to complete the complex extractions under just routine Novocain. Amazing. Other dentists would not even attempt that, just send you to an oral surgeon. The Island Dental staff and hygienist are great. The only hit I have is that they still use old school film X-ray rather than digital which allows image expansion. But because Dr. Houske is so expert at reading film, this is not enough to cut a star in rating. read more

I had the best experience. Was super nervous getting my wisdom teeth pulled. But they took very good care of me and it was easy and fast. I'm so happy I came here! read more

Dr. Houske is a great dentist. He is friendly, funny, and honest. He gets to know his patients and takes time examining their teeth and answering any questions or addressing any concerns they might have. All the staff in his office and the office next door(where they do the teeth cleanings) are all very friendly, professional, and efficient. I leave this office with clean teeth and a smile every time I go. I definitely recommend this office. Plus Dr. Houske went to USC FIGHT ON! read more

I had a crown put in about 5 years ago that completely broke apart. I went back to Island dental and they quoted me $1600.00 to put on a new crown. I thought that was high and expected a little discount since they put in the last crown and it only lasted 5 years. When I said I was going to get another bid to do the crown the office manager said they would do it for $1325.00 I did not like the way they did business so I still did not use them. I found a dentist that went to USC dental school and did a great job for $890.00 His crown also fit much better than the one that Island dental did years ago. Needless to say I found a new dentist and am very happy. read more

I'll just start by saying that I don't think this dental practice is particularly bad. He is knowledgeable, and friendly, but my experience was horrible. It may be different for others. I went in for a cleaning as part of my yearly thing. I just moved to the area and this one had great reviews, and was covered by my insurance, so I figured it would be a good option. I've never had such a rough teeth cleaning in my life. It's not for a lack of proper tooth care either. They weren't very careful when cleaning my teeth, and ended up grinding away my gums with their polish drills. Now, I understand that sometimes you have discomfort after a tooth cleaning, but this was excessive. My entire mouth felt like I had taken sand paper to it. it was horrible, and nothing like I have ever experienced before. Overall, just a general lack of carelessness on their part, and this isn't even the worst part of my experience. The worst thing that happened which now leads me to need to go to ANOTHER dentist have it fixed is the "filling" Dr. Houske put into my tooth. When he did a check up he noticed that I had a soft spot on one of my teeth, and suggested I should get it cleaned out and put a filling in it. 15 minute procedure, nothing too bit, so I figured it would be fine. They drilled out my tooth, cleaned it, and put the filling in. Only problem is that they knicked the tooth right in front of it, and forgot to cover up the entire exposed dentin on the tooth. The solution? Wait it out, don't eat on that side of my mouth, and put some sensodine toothpaste on it nightly. Suffice it to say, I'm pretty upset. The tooth had never bothered me before, but now all of the sudden I have a constant pain in my mouth from a botched procedure preformed by Island Dental. I'm stuck here happy that at least I didn't have a root canal or any other serious procedure done by them because who knows how that would have turned out. I had a follow up with them, and he offered no real solutions. Not even a suggestion on when I should come back it, or if they would fix the issue they caused. So I'm left with now having to go to another dentist to fix a botched procedure by Island Dental. DO NOT GO TO ISLAND DENTAL. It was a huge mistake on my part, and hopefully you will not make the same one. As an aside, the staff is friendly, and Dr. Houske is very friendly as well. If you're looking for a friend as your dentist, then you should go here. I however, was looking for a dentist who wouldn't leave my mouth in worse shape. Obviously that was setting the standard too high for Island Dental. I will never be revisiting this office. read more

I have been going here for many many years. I have seen both Dr. Houske and Dr. Kubo and Lisa the hygienist, and they are so great. They are fair and honest and don't try and add on any extra work that you don't need like many dental offices do. Will never go anywhere else! Also wanted to add that Dr. Kubo gave me a smile makeover that was just beyond my expectations. He gave me 6 porcelain crowns on the front top teeth and they are so natural and amazing! read more

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A dentist that you enjoy going to, no, well I have to admit Island Dental is a place I look forward to going to. The professionalism, friendliness of the staff, excellent care of Dr. Kubo and cleanliness of the office makes this dental experience top notch. Honestly, could not even feel the novicane shot. I am glad I found this office, it's worth the drive from Orange County. Yes that's right I drive from Orange County for the superior care offered at Island Dental. read more

Approximately four weeks ago I went I in with serious problems, It was suggested that I apply for a Care Dental card to pay for the services, the work would cost at least. $2,500.00, and nothing would be covered by my insurance. Care Dental stated that it would cost me. $37.00 a month, FAR more than what was quoted by Island. Today I called my insurance provider to see how much they would have coverred, was told that the entire job should have cost me. $890.00, and there is very strange about the difference between $2,500.00 and. $890.00. VERY DISAPPOINTED that I trusted their word of what the cost should have been. read more

I have been going to Island Dental for many many years having been a patient Dr. Bob before he moved to their current location on Cravens Avenue in Torrance. Dr. Bob was a great dentist and practiced even in to his retirement years and up until his untimely and unexpected passing. Always larger than life and a great outlook on life. He is missed. I must also add that he left a great practice and they continue to be the best Dental Practice in the South Bay. Both Doctors' Houske and Kubo are just fantastic. My hygienist, Lisa is phenomenal! She does a fabulous job! I highly recommend Island Dental --- they take such great care of their patients. read more

My wife came in to remove her too wisdom teeth and booyyyy were we surprised how easy it was! We were both laughing and surprised of how fast Dr Houske made it happen! He was so great at informing and keeping us both at ease! Hi five to the entire team too, they are wonderful!! Highly recommend! read more

Where do I start ? Unprofessional Botched work in pain over a year multiple visits to other dentists say his work failed. In pain still he wont stand by his work or refund my money. If a implant has been infected over a year and dr houske just takes a x ray then says to take it out myself with pliars now hes trying to cover it up not cool dude. read more

Island Dental - General Dentistry Near Me - Torrance, California

Island Dental is the first dental office I actually enjoyed going to and that says A LOT! Dr. Houske has a well-liked factor to him that most dentist may never fully grasp. What sets Dr. Houske apart is that he takes the time to get to know his patient and after fixing the problem/working on your teeth he strives to educate instead of scold. While most Dentists criticize you, Dr. Houske creates a dialogue to determine the factors that may cause problems or future problems. His job is to make sure his patients leave the office with beautiful teeth and the knowledge to keep them that way. I really appreciate everyone here at the office. Dr. Houske, Dr. Kubo, Mary and Corine in the front and Evette the dental assistant are very friendly and welcoming people. Evette is especially thoughtful and she makes sure her patient is at ease. She definitely eased my dentist apprehension and made sure I was comfortable. I would definitely recommend this dental office to everyone. If you have a fear of dental offices and you are worried about personal fears then come here, you will leave happy and smiling. read more

Recently moved to the area and so needed a new dentist. I went in for a standard checkup without any reviews or referrals on this place. This place overcharges it's clients. Most of the treatments were deemed unnecessary. I've always had no problems with my teeth before and was wondering why all of the sudden this dentist feels that I need all these treatments. My treatment would be customed based and I could use their payment plan. It was going to cost me a couple thousands. What a ripoff. I ran as far as I could from this place, but they still continue to leave messages and send post cards. Finding it very hard to find a good dentist, doctor and mechanic these days. Update: Found a great dentist and all I got was a cleaning. Teeth was in healthy condition! All I can say is beware and always get a second opinion, your not obligated to any service till you sign on the dotted line. read more

Been going to this dentist since I moved to Cali. Lisa is the best dental hygienist!

I had to find a dental office years ago that would be Great for my 2 kids. I found it. I love everyone at Island Dental. Dr. Kubo is great with both of my kids. My son does not like going but will sit in the chair and listen to Dr. Kubo. My daughter loves the dentist. Thank you All at Island Dental for taking such good care of my kids read more

I have been a customer for years at Island Dental. Dr. Houske is a great dentist who has staffed his office with friendly, experienced and knowledgable people. I wouldn't go anywhere else. They really educate you on preventative care. I really appreciate the extra time they take to explain things. read more

I love this place! I come here often to visit the staff and they are always matching and color coordinated. Every one is always happy here on the island. I started coming here about five years ago when I started college and had no money. I hadn't been to a dentist in a long time and had six cavities. I knew they were all legit because I had them diagnosed at a different office and this was me getting a second opinion. I loved this office and my experience so much they filled my teeth and helped me out with the financial end to make it affordable to a struggling college student. Later after I graduated I got my front crowns redone here because I had broken my teeth as a kid and they look 100x better then before ... I'm fact they are all porcelain and no one can even tell they are fake they match so well. Dr. Houske did an amazing job and made me feel beautiful! His staff dr kubo and hygienist Lisa is truly amazing they have been so great and done such great work I would send all my friends to the island! read more

The staff is awful there!! They think they know everything, they can never be wrong. Will simply hang up on you if you even try to argue a point. DO NOT do anything you ask of them!! Simple task of changing a phone number has not been done for over 3 years!! Still wrong to this day. My son is unfortunately stuck having to go there as they have already billed my insurance and max has been met. If I change dentists, will have to pay retainer out of pocket. Can get no straight answer on how much longer before the braces come off. Every visit a new "procedure" needs to be done. Never billed me from the beginning of treatment and then 3 years later says oh by the way, you now owe us $3000 and here is your bill due in 10 days or you go to collections!! I constantly was asking for help with billing over the year and Maria ( who is the worst of them all) tried to tell me that I was wrong and they were right. I have done insurance billing for 10 years! I think I know how to read an EOB. The actually billing girl was only in for 5 minutes a week and never returned calls. Halfway through her treatment, they changed the doctor. No notice, no asking us if we would mind. NOTHING. Just one day came in and they said we had a new doctor who had a "new" way of doing things and so the braces have now been on for 4 years!! Ridiculous!! THEY BASICALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING, ARE RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS AND DON'T BOTHER COMPLAINING TO DR HOUSKE BECAUSE HE COULD CARE LESS. IN FACT, DON'T BOTHER EVEN COMPLAINING AT ALL BECUASE NON OF THEM CARE!! THEY KNOW THEY HAVE YOU STUCK ONCE THEY BILL YOUR INSURANCE. WOULD DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND THEM EVEN TO MY WORST ENEMY!! read more

Call your insurance first and make sure of your coverage. These people lead me to believe I was covered but didn't send in the pertinent info to qualify the correct coverage. I had to get my insurance company on them to get the right info sent in. I have bad teeth and have quite a lot of experience going to the dentist these last few years. This is the first time I have run into this. Every other dentist I have visited made sure what was covered and explained it to me before any procedures occurred. These people were friendly and the back molar extraction was done quite nicely. I was put off by the old fashion x-rays but the procedure went off without a hitch. Decent dentists but the shady money issue is what ruined my opinion of them. read more

Wish I could give 0 stars. Rude receptionist. New patient trying to get an appointment for a broken tooth. Called yesterday and no call back. Call today and girl stated I called this morning. Funny no missed calls or voicemails from you?. She told me the first available was mid September. When I asked if it was ok to wait a whole month for a broken molar she stated that office hours are only 3 half days a week due to Covid and his schedule is already overbooked. (I work for Torrance Memorial so I know about Covid.) I asked her if she really thought waiting a month for a broken tooth was common practice in dentistry. She told me I could find another office to go to and hung up on me. I then called back and she stated she didn't hang up it was her phone. Yeah right. I then asked to speak to the dentist and she stated he is not in until 230 today and when I told her that was fine I can wait she stated he has a full schedule so I'm not sure he will call you back. I asked for an office manager and she stated they did not have one. I told her I was going to file a complaint with my insurance company and she said I'm hanging up now and click she was gone. I'm glad I do not have to deal with this office. If the front office is this rude I will not waste MY time or MY money. I will go elsewhere!! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS OFFICE. read more

This has been my second time visiting Dr. Houske and i had an amazing experience the times i been their. He is very knowledgeable. I had gone to a different dentist before and was told that i needed a root canal and a crown but once i went with him, he was able to save my tooth by just doing a filling because of him i saved a lot of money. The staff is also great and very friendly. The office is always clean and you feel welcomed. I recommend Island Dental. read more

I've been going to Lisa (hygienist) and Dr. Houske for several years. I always feel welcome and well-cared for. They are honest and have a great chair-side manner! read more

I had a root canal in the morning with Dr. Delgado and it went perfect. Then next door to Island Dental that afternoon to see Dr. Chip Houske who took care of me and my temp crown. The entire Island Dental office is so professional and made me feel so comfortable. Dr. Chip Houske knows his stuff and I am very happy. Thank you Island Dental and Dr. Houske for taking such great care of me and by the way I love the music in the office. :-) read more

Island dental is amazing! I love all of the staff! Front desk is very welcoming and warm. Dr Houska is great and the dental hygienist, Lisa, is my absolute favorite! I will forever be going to this Dentist because everything about it is so perfect! Thank you Island Dental for always treating my family and myself with such great hospitality! read more

The staff is amazing. Super friendly, caring, gentle, and made me feel completely at ease. I loved my experience.

I have been a patient at this office for over 10 years and now I no longer come to this office. I used to come in for my regular cleanings and liked the hygienist a lot until one day I got a statement in the mail saying that i owe Island Dental $$$ and that i have to pay in 10 days or they will send me to collection. I was a regular patient, I come every 6 months how come they never notified me that I have a balance in my account. I called the office and tried to get some answers to why all of a sudden I was getting a bill. They mentioned that the person who was doing the billing was no longer there and that the balance was from 5 years ago that my insurance did not pay for. I called my insurance and they told me that every claim that they received was paid to Dr. Houske. They told me that if anything the office probably did not submit claims and passing the blame to the insurance so the dental office can get their money from me. I was very disappointed and felt almost betrayed because I trusted Dr. Houske and his office that they will bill my insurance accordingly and knowing that they didn't and tried collecting the money from me just upsets me. I have insurance why would I pay for the cleanings and treatment if the insurance was supposed to pay for it. If they just bill my insurance then we won't have this problem. I will be seeking legal help if they send me to collection. I like the Doctor and the Hygienist but he needs to do something with his staff because apparently they do not know how to bill the insurance. And I just feel that if it was their mistake then they should not have billed me anymore. It has been 5 years. But I guess they rather lose patients than wave the amount. I really am very disappointed with Island Dental. They should hire people with insurance knowledge to avoid huge mistakes like this. One good thing that came out from this experience is that I learned more about my insurance coverage. read more

They told my daughter on a routine cleaning that she needed her wisdom teeth pulled. I asked them to please confirm with my insurance what is covered. They told me to pay our portion prior to surgery. a few months later, i get a bill for $300 telling me they used something that wasn't covered for the insurance so I have to pay for it. I told them that is not something we agreed to and they need to write that off. She lied and told me she told me it's just a general estimate. I have never had a general estimate off by hundreds of dollars. We cant afford this and it's sickening that this office would try to rip off a 18 year old college student. Shame on the Dr, shame on office manager. I am so grateful i didn't give them the rest of our family business. read more

Being one of Houske's first families to enter Preventive Dental Arts over 15 years ago, I thought we had found a gold mine in having a dentist for life. As the change to Island Dental happened so did the service from the front desk to the dentist chair. Ten years ago Houske put braces on my daughter. I paid $5000. I did NOT get straight teeth and a bright smile. To this day, the yellowing of her crocked teeth says it all. We received no help from Houske when brought to his attention several times. We got no refund, no discount, no sympathy from any of the staff. We have had many run-in with the billing staff. We received a bill for $400. for services done to another patient, not my husband. When we tried to resolve the front desk people told us we owe it and they will put it to collections. They said Houskes wife does the billing, but she is never there and they wont give her number out!! How do I resolve it? They didn't seem to care!! Years later, all of a sudden we didn't owe it. A month goes by only to be told we owe $800.! As for my teeth, they are in bad shape and I'm looking for a dentist in the Torrance area. I had a cap fall off and I couldn't get help with a payment plan from Island Dental for the $1000. charge after the insurance billing of $3000. For 15-20 years, its been problem after problem! They went from Preventive Dental Arts to Island Dental. Preventive Dental Arts in the beginning showed what the name said. When they went to the Island, they forgot about their customers' and left them stranded in the water with NO teeth. I'm done and will NOT be referring my friends and co-workers anymore, although some stopped going here themselves already. The one good reason I tried to hold on to this place was their hygienist, Lisa. She is great at what she does and I enjoyed her cleaning my teeth. read more

I thought I had a cracked filling - they got me in fast, without an appt. - turns out I had a sharp chunk of popcorn stuck in a tooth! They pulled it out and sent me on my way with a freebie toothbrush, and no charge! I like this place - old school family style, more than just an office. read more