Dr. Lucas is the best and of course all the staff here. They make you feel at home. My mouth is always too small for those X-ray films and I hated doing those. But they always remember to use the kids size for me, which make it less painful for me. I also love their reminder service. They keep track of when you are due for you biannual check up and reminded me that I had missed mine. read more

How can you work in healthcare and tell someone to "keep politics out of their business" while treating people differently based on their beliefs or identity? Healthcare should be about treating everyone with professionalism and respect, regardless of political views. Very disappointing and unprofessional behavior from someone in a position of trust. read more

Kathleen J Lucas, DDS - General Dentistry Near Me - Pasadena, California

At the age of 45, I got my first cavity. I was very scared and my high anxiety didn't help. Dr. Lucas and staff really go above and beyond for their patients. Everyone is gentle and has genuine compassion and concern for the patient's wellbeing. I highly recommend this practice. read more

Dr. Kathleen Lucas is a sweet person but as for the work she did on my teeth... complete trash. I came here in January to get my teeth fixed after an injury to the jaw which shattered a couple of teeth's. She assessed the damage and pulled out some teeth that were just hanging from the base because it was uncomfortable to chew. She applied what seems to be resin and used a UV wand to harden it to temporarily cover any nerve openings. I came home to still feeling pain. Next day, still pain. A week later, still pain. She didn't fully cover the nerve. I ended up going to a different dentist because I was just so upset. They looked at her work and even they said it wasn't done well. Listen to the other negative reviews. Temporary fixes. Still with pain Sorry not sorry. Never coming here ever again. read more

We have been going to Dr. Lucas for about 8 years now. We started after having bad experiences with other dentists and have been very happy to have found someone who operates with the highest professional and ethical standards. All procedures are done right the first time. The office experience has been excellent also, with appointment schedules scrupulously adhered to. read more

Dr. Lucas makes each visit as pleasurable as a dentist's appt can get. She is a lovely person with personality and she will take care of you. My husband and I moved from Pasadena to the westside but I keep going to her because she is so competent and trustworthy as well. Thank you so much! read more

Although we like doctor Lucas as a person, we feel it is important for us to share our experience with her as a dentist with potential patients. My wife and I were patients of doctor Lucas for almost 20 years. We thought she was a good dentist and that my wife just had terrible luck with her teeth. Even though we never missed our checkups and cleanings, several times a year my wife had to visit Dr. Lucas to fix a cracked tooth, an infected filling, or a fallen crown. Four years ago, we retired, sold our home in Pasadena and have been traveling all over Europe and Mexico. As expected, problems arose with my wife's teeth and we visited dentists in the country we happen to be in. In the past 4 years, we have visited 5 different dentists for various issues. Without exception, every dentist commented a variation of "OMG, who did this work?" about Dr. Lucas's dental work. My wife has also mentioned how much less pain she experienced with these other dentists. The only issues my wife has had since leaving Pasadena, have been due to the poor dental work done by Dr. Lucas. As mentioned above, we like her as a person, but if you are looking for a dentist, we do not recommend Dr. Lucas. read more

Great dentist office with friendly staff. I do not feel like they have hidden charges like other places. They accept mostly just PPO dental plans. Parking on street is free for 2 hours. read more

I was pretty disappointed by my experience with Dr. Lucas. She came highly recommended and I had looked forward to meeting her. I've had hit-or-miss experiences with dentists during my life as someone with teeth that are pretty prone to cavities and other not fun stuff, despite all of my best efforts. Dr. Lucas came recommended as that most elusive of beasts, a "No Guilt" dentist, someone who would treat me without guilt-tripping me about my teeth. During my first visit, Dr. Lucas came across as condescending, rushed, and anything but no-guilt. She also asked me if I had an eating disorder, and when I said that I didn't have an eating disorder, stated that she wasn't sure if she believed me. I left and will never be back. I still have friends who really like her, but I'm not one of them. There are dozens of better dentists in Pasadena to go to. Edit: Dr. Lucas responded specifically to my review. Again, I'd like to reiterate that I have friends who like her a lot. My experience was not at all like theirs, or any of the other reviewers, so perhaps it is an anomaly. But there is no way around the fact that she specifically asked if I was bulimic, and when I said that I was not, she stated that she wasn't certain if she believed me. Not cool. read more

I've been looking for a dentist I feel comfortable with and trust, since my beloved dentist retired a few years ago. I tried Dr. Lucas after reading her reviews and although she came across as very kind and pleasant at first, I saw another side of her a couple of times and will not go back. She said one thing, then appeared to forget what she promised and actually got a bit testy and defensive when I reminded her what she had told me. This was not a one time occurrence, as the first time, I let it go, but the second time, I thought to myself, "This is not a pleasant experience and I don't have to put up with feeling uncomfortable when I go to the dentist." If you stay on her good side, you'll probably have no problems, but she's not my cup of tea. Still searching for a dentist I actually like. read more

I moved to the area in 2013 from Northern California after having the same dentist for over 10 years. I am so happy to have found Dr. Lucas. Pros: - Very friendly, professional, responsive, and happy office staff. (Not always a combination I have found in dental offices) - Beautiful, modern, and clean office - Caring, compassionate, honest, and competent dentistry by Dr. Lucas and her staff - My interpretation that her philosophy is about encouraing good preventive care and fundamentals, as opposed to unnecessary, invasive, and/or harsh treatment options I have definitely had a great experience here and think others will too. read more

After many years of my mother being convinced that the insurance only covered doctors in her network (the bay area) she finally realized that I could go anywhere for my dentist and eye doctor (something I had been saying for years, but as I wasn't the one with the insurance I just trusted her). Upon hearing that I could finally leave my terrible dentist in the bay I took to yelp to find a new one. With any kind of doctor you want someone who is going to take good care of you. I spent a good amount of time reading reviews of local dentists. What I liked about Dr. Lucas' reviews was that she took the time to respond to not only the negative reviews but also the positive. Hearing her side of the story on both the good and the bad showed me that this is someone who cares about their patients (and can prove that the bad reviews were unfounded). During my first check up I was so pleased with everything. The office is well lit and feels welcoming. Everyone was super friendly. Dr. Lucas made sure to make me feel comfortable and chatted me up a bit. I felt very much at ease and trusted her completely. At the end of my visit she told me I had a small cavity on the cheek side of my wisdom teeth (yes I still have my wisdom teeth. I suffered much to keep them as a child and I'll be damned if I am going to loose them after all that). I made the appointment for my next day off and requested nitrous. I have a deathly fear of needles (like it took 7 nurses to hold me down once as a child for a flu shot level of fear). I've gotten much better about needles but I still can be prone to panic attacks when I know a needle is involved. I told Dr. Lucas this and she informed me she doesn't use nitrous. Uh oh! She promised me though that she is very gentle and will numb my gums ahead of time. I really liked this place so I decided to give it a shot. I held off my review until today after my cavity filling. Dr. Lucas wasn't lying. She was very gentle and calming with the needle. If someone as phobic as me can handle it anyone can. I was in and out in about 30 minutes. No fuss, no muss. One final thought on what I like about Dr. Lucas. She doesn't pressure you into anything. My dentist back home always pushes zoom whitening, vaneers, and other cosmetic unnecessary add ons. I also have friends who go to dentists who tell them they need a deep cleaning regularly or that they have issues with their gums and have to come every three months now (something their old dentist never found, but this one magically did). Dr. Lucas isn't here to take you for a ride. She is all about making sure you have a good experience and healthy teeth. The only thing she pushed me on was flossing more (I know I need to do better on that). So happy to have a good dentist again. read more

After seven years of loving my DDS, I moved to Pasadena and was disappointed with the first DDS I found. Then a coworker told me about Kathleen Lucas. What a find! In short: friendly, professional, honest, skilled. Also, Diane is an awesome hygienist! My cleaning the other day was likely the gentlest I've ever had. Don't read that to mean my teeth didn't get thoroughly cleaned, she's just really good at not jamming the instruments into my gums, as so many hygienists at other locations seem unable to do. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Lucas' for over 10 years now. It's so nice to see Karen, the office manager every time I have been in and be greeted with a nice smile. I have a wacky schedule and can never plan in advance for dental appointments, so I'll call Karen and she'll always find a way to squeeze me in or put me on a cancellation list so I'm able to get in right away. I have had the same hygienist Jodi for all of these years as well. She is wonderful, and doesn't manhandle me while cleaning my teeth. I always look forward to getting my teeth cleaned by her. We always chat about what's going on in our lives while there. Dr. Lucas is warm and caring, and is always cheerful. We always seem to laugh a bit while I'm there. Whenever I have had to have work done and it required Novocaine, I can honestly say that I have never felt the needle go in because of her gentle touch. I feel like family when I walk through the doors of her beautiful office, and that's one of the reasons I've been coming back for so many years and look forward to my appointments. read more

I rarely write reviews, I've written less than 10, so you can take comfort that I have to feel quite passionately about the service I receive. No one (or very few) likes to go to the dentist! Count me as an "avid avoider". I have been to the dentist semi-regularly and I have always had such painful experiences I thought "that's just the way it is". I WAS WRONG! Dr. Lucas was amazing! I needed to have a cavity filled and I thought "great, here we go again". I have been under numbed and over numbed, sometimes to the point my entire side of my face was numbed for days! I have no idea how numbing medication is dosed, but it was the perfect amount! I didn't feel anything during the procedure, the area numbed was just in the area needed and it dissipated within hours! In addition to that I HATE waiting. If I'm on time, I expect the doctor to be on time. I have had several appointments with Dr. Lucas and my wait time has averaged 3 minutes!! The first few times I sat down and started playing phone games and she would come out and I'd think "but, but, but I'm in the middle of my first level..." She also explained everything to me! She was very informative about what she was doing and why, I have NEVER had a dentist do that before! I would get a simple "this is what you need" with no explanation why. Not only that, but she didn't try and force various products or services on me! She gave me information and left it up to me to decide. I had asked about teeth whitening and she could have advocated for the most expensive procedure but didn't!! She asked me about my diligence with a two week process and then recommended an inexpensive, short duration whitening treatment that would be best for me! Seriously, if you skipped to the end because my review was so long, here's the deal: If you want a great dentist, you'll find it with Dr. Lucas. read more

I hate going to the dentist. It's my least favorite thing, which is why I hadn't one in about three years. Of course, the longer you don't go, the worse your teeth get, the more terrible things happen when you go to the dentist, which is why I was extra nervous when I headed here for my appointment. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about; this may have been the easiest dentist visit of my life. More attention from the dentist then I've ever gotten (usually it's an hour with the hygienist and 2 minutes with the actual dentist), no extreme pain, no yelling about how I don't floss...it was great. From now on, I'm actually going to the dentist every 6 months like I'm supposed to. read more

Friendly, professional, honest! Great Staff! Keep up the good work! See you in 6 months! read more

If you value your teeth DO NOT go to Dr. (and I use this title with reservation) Lucas. Every crown she put on my teeth fits incorrectly. Every dentist I've visited after Dr. Lucas has told me her work is terrible. One of the crowns she put on was HUGE and didn't fit. It caused me to grind my teeth in my sleep eventually breaking off at the gumline. While she was putting on the crown that broke she said "oops, do you ever make a mistake you can't fix while you're working?" Now my wife is going through the same thing. She is now getting dental work done including a root canal to repair the shoddy work done by Kathleen Lucas. In my opinion she covers up her lack of skill with jokes. I only wish there was something I could do to make it so she's not allowed to practice dentistry. Reply to Dr. Lucas' response: It is within the realm of possibility that I lived in Pasadena and moved to Pennsylvania. Which is what happened. I have been going to Penn to try and fix the damage you did in my mouth. The instructors gather the students around me and use your work as an example of terrible dentistry. It's been less than five years since you put the botched crowns on my teeth. As soon as the five years are up I am going to have them replaced. I'm not comfortable putting my real name here for what I think are obvious reasons. Message to other patients: Beware, what I say is true. read more

When I was looking for a dentist nine years ago, I was seduced by that "good with anxious patients" tag I saw in a directory - well, that and the fact that Dr. Lucas's office was, like, three blocks from where I worked at the time. Even though my job situation has changed since then, and so has her location, the relationship has remained strong the entire time! Thanks to Dr. Lucas, I've been able to arrange for a (long overdue) wisdom-tooth extraction and get a couple of nicely-done bondo- I mean, composite fillings. Karen stays on top of the paperwork and scheduling, Jody the hygienist does great cleanings (I'm still licking my teeth a day later), and the office tries to stay on top of the latest dental technology. My exam yesterday included digital x-rays and a ViziLite oral cancer screening. If my insurance ever covered it, I'd gladly get my orthodontics done here too. One note: the parking at the new building is a bit dicey, but it's not crazy-bad, and the attendant/valet in the lot does his best to be helpful. read more

After switching to this doctor's practice after a long stint with another I am happy I did. Dr. Lucas is personable, professional, and honest. In reviewing my prior dental records she noted that my previous doctor's practice may have been a somewhat liberal in the extras they were performing, which actually confirmed my suspicion. She takes the time to explain everything and answer your questions. Also, I very rarely wait over 5 min for my appointment, even if I'm a few minutes late. The parking can be challenging sometimes, but the excellent service more than makes up for a slight inconvenience. read more

Dr. Lucas has always been friendly and helpful. Her and her staff are always flexible, and are willing to accommodate the patients. Also like the new building! Fancy! read more

DR. Lucas is wonderful. She is honest as can be, funnny and easy to talk to. It is as if your not at the dentist. I absolutely love her. She has me on a great plan to keep my teeth in shape. I came in as if I had a train wreck in my mouth but just in the nick of time I found an honest, sincere DR who will guide me in better health with my teeth and gums... TOTAL five stars.......... TEN in my book read more

Dr. Lucas was awesome.... just had my first visit to a dentist in an extremely long time, and just wanted to write how pleasant my experience was if you're looking for a great dentist in the area like I was. She was extremely nice, non-judgmental, and didn't try to upsell me on a bunch of unnecessaries. Thank you!! read more

I have been going to Dr. Lucas for 2 or 3 years and have sent my family to her. We have found her to be an excellent dentist and appreciate her patience and the amount of time she spends with her patients. You will not be rushed in and out. Everyone in the office is friendly and helpful. Jody, the hygenist has a very gentle touch. Karen at the front desk is extra nice. There is plenty of parking on the property. The office is clean and comfortable. Highest recommendations to this office. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Lucas for about 2 years now and couldn't be more happy. Staff is efficient, friendly, and Dr. Lucas is honest. Went to a dentist in the past who was paying off his Mercedes on my dime with loads of unnecessary procedures. Dr. Lucas takes her time and is very thorough. Office is tidy and comfy. The two essentials for me when it comes to dentistry. Look forward to many more visits with Dr. Lucas and staff. read more

Dr. Lucas is a wonderful dentist. She is extremely kind and knowledgable. I had a great time at the dentist office just now - who ever says that? But its true. The office is clean and new and in a beautiful building. They won't try and upsell you here like most places. I had a great experience. read more

Dr. Lucas is outstanding. She is friendly, cheerful, always willing to discuss any issues or problems, and is gentle with those of us who still have dental phobias. The hygienist is the best I've been to in 25 years in California and the front office staff is always upbeat and friendly and wonder of wonders they remember who you are. I would recommend her to anyone--and I have! read more

Dr. Lucas is awesome. She's cheery, prompt, honest, and thorough. Her care feels really personalized; they don't take 10 patients in at a time. Her office is a block from a metro stop and has free parking. I haven't had to wait weeks for an appointment as is common with other doctors. I highly recommend her. read more

Update to parking -- now that I've been going to her new spot for a while, they have a really kind parking attendant in back now, he monitors the lot and gives out parking tix that you just get validated when you see the dentist. really easy parking now ! ( Y el le gusta halba conmigo en espanol! tan bueno! LOL) read more

I found Dr. Lucas on Yelp when I moved to the Pasadena area 3 years ago and have not been disappointed with treatment and care. Jodi does my regular cleanings with Dr. Lucas checking X-rays and asking about any problems or concerns. Recently, I cracked a tooth. Dr. Lucas took me the same day and bonded it to hold me over for a few weeks before I could be fitted for a crown. (I was going out of town). It was my first crown experience. I told Dr. Lucas I was nervous and she talked me through the whole procedure. I am happy to say my crown is in place and i can chew on that side with NO pain. The process could not have been smoother. Thank you Dr. Lucas and Jenny. read more

The inauguration was happening while I was at Dr. Lucas this morning after years of having her as my dentist. I made a comment about Trump. One thing led to another in a back and forth (I was never angry...just teasing her) before Dr. Lucas said, in front of others in her reception area, in a testy tone that she is a Trump supporter and that I could find another dentist. I already have. read more

I inherited Dr. Lucas. By that I mean I've been with this dentist group before she took over the reigns. And I probably wouldn't leave even if she weren't great. But she is great--completely professional. She has improved the condition of my lousy teeth, plus her constant smile and good nature are a decided benefit. She talks about her crossword puzzles. I talk about my sudoku. A visit to her office is a plus for the day--not the old "dread the dentist" feeling. Her staff are pleasant people and her new "digs" are really nice. (She moved into new quarters a few months ago). Since I'm older than she is, she'll probably last me the rest of my life. D.B. read more

I have a mouthful of teeth that have been decimated by chemo and radiation, so after a disastrous experience with another ignorant dentist in Pasadena in the late 90's, I decided to do several consultations to find a dentist that was not only very knowledgable, but had the personal characteristics that would keep me comfortable in the chair. Dr. Lucas was the clear winner and still is. Always helpful, organized and informative, she and her staff are outstanding. There have been several occasions when I needed emergence interventions (lost crowns,etc) and they dealt with it quickly, and with the utmost friendliness. I highly recommend her! read more

I've been going to Dr. Lucas for about 10 years. I cannot imagine any patient having anything but a fantastic experience with her practice. To start with, her receptionist, Karen, is always helpful, cheerful, and knowledgeable with appointment making (routine and emergency), billing issues (insurance and non-insurance, I've been on both sides of that), and always presents a smiling face as the first face of the office. Jody, one of the hygienists and the only one I've gone to, is one of those rare hygieniest who doesn't ask the questions.... when her hand is in your mouth :). She, never "lectures", even when I know its obvious I haven't been the most diligent with that flossing routine. Instead she "encourages" good hygience practices. She's so sweet I almost don't want to disapoint her my next visit. Dr. Lucas manages to be friendly and professional at all times. I've seen her for routine visits, always educational and always comfortable. I've seen her for emergencies and the "ouch" factor is always minimal. I've had numerous fillings and crowns done by Dr. Lucas so I can attest to her gentle touch that gets the job done. She keeps her side of the conversation going, always cheerful, while I'm in the chair unable to speak, instead of just quietly and coldly getting the job done like previous dentists I've gone to. I tend to stress and Dr. Lucas, Jody, Karen and all the staff I've ever encountered at the practice manage to make all visits as positive as can be. The sound of flowing water from the desktop fountains, the music and bright colored decorations, add to the pleasant ambience. Her charges are competive for the area, I have checked! I highly recommend Dr. Lucas and her staff! read more