First Off I want to start by saying from the moment of calling to setting up an appointment and seeing Dr Kenneth Liao was within a week. Every other place I called within my Insurance network had waiting periods over a month or didnt respond. A nice atmosphere when entering. Front desk was informative/Helpful, getting my insurances approval and letting me know what CO-pay will be before the Root canal retreatment procedure (didnt have any hidden fees like other places i went to). Appointment started on time without much waiting. Doctor Liao also informed me of my options and the procedure went quick, smoothly and painless. hoping for a quick recovery, and highly recommend for anyone who needs endodontic treatment. read more

I didn't even want to give a star to his guy. I lost my molar tooth because of his poor root canal procedure. I went to him to get a root canal about 2 years ago as he takes my insurance. During the procedure, he repeatedly and aggressively compressed the instrument into my tooth with all his weight. Because of that, the instrument broke through the tooth wall and reached to the inner bone. It was obviously shown on x-ray taken one week after the procedure as a black perforation. This guy told me "Massage your gum" so I listened to him and kept on coming back to him to see the progress. After waiting a year, the perforation was still there but there was no change in the size. I decided to get a crown as I waited too long. But my dentist was apprehensive and said, "you may need to get this tooth extracted if this perforation turned into an infection". Then one and half year later that happened. I suddenly got excruciating tooth pain while I was in the flight, went to a dentist and found the tooth got infected spreading to the jawbone due to the instrument broke through the tooth. I ended up getting a tooth extraction and bone graft, and paid a lot of money for the procedure. Now I could recall he appeared to be very weird when he saw the x-ray and probably, he noticed the perforation was caused by his procedure but didn't want to admit it. He was supposed to know excess pressure can break the tooth wall. I also watched a common root canal procedure on Youtube and the modern technic is so gentle not requiring compression of the instrument throughout the whole procedure. He still practices very old technique, and his procedure is just aggressive. I even got injured on my bottom lip during the procedure. When I checked his reviews, I've seen successful root canal stories but now I saw some people experienced the same issue I had. I deeply regrated I chose this guy carelessly. Avoid this guy if you want to save your teeth otherwise you will end up losing your teeth and money. read more

Needed a consult on whether I was able to get a root canal for a broken tooth and found Dr. Liao on the list of in-network endodontics (there weren't many to choose from). Dr. Liao was super patient explaining to me the situation of my tooth and while I was only scheduled for a consult, just so happen someone cancelled their appointment so I was able to get the treatment done. The process scared me a little but it was over within 30 or so minutes. I dont like going to dentist of any sort but when there's no way to push it off, Dr. Liao's calm demeanor put me at ease, assuring me my situation was not as bad as what I thought it would be. He definitely saved me from having to removed the tooth entirely which saved me from a lot of future worries. read more

The team was incredibly kind and helpful. The office confirmed my portion of the payment prior to the visit and called me to confirm the appointment. For the visit itself, I did not wait long. Dr. Liao was professional and informative. read more

If I could leave 10 stars I would. Dr Liao is the absolute best. He explains what is wrong ,the best way to fix it and he does so skillfully and with excellent precision. I have been seeing him for work on my teeth when needed since 2017. Betty, his assistant is also a welcome sight. Her words of comfort really make me feel at ease. I hope you never need the services of an Endontist, but if you do, you absolutely must come here. read more

I came in for a root canal, it was quick and painless. Top quality care with an experienced staff. Dr. Lao is amazing, he and his staff will not disappoint. I highly recon's., read more

Amazing experience ! The entire team were so nice . He explained everything before we started and was over with minimal pain . I strongly recommend him. read more

I'm so happy to be a patient of Dr. KENNETH LIAO. I'm the most scary person when we are referring to go to the dentist . I requested the laughing gas because I was so nervous however, I was able to get my root canal done without it. The Doctor and his assistant were very pleasant. He is not only an excellent dentist with a lot of experience but he is also a very sweet man. He has a great bedside manner which is important when a patient is nervous and terrified about seeing the dentist. They did everything to relax me and assured me that I was going to be fine during the procedure. I appreciate the professionalism shown. Words cannot explain the experience, but I will put it this way, if I could give him 100 stars, that's what he deserves. I highly recommend him. Thanks so much to Dr.Kenneth. read more

Dr. Liao made me feel comfortable about my treatment options and took the time to explain things clearly. I'm usually pretty nervous about dental work but he was very patient and is clearly very competent! read more

The office moved with impressive speed. Dr. Liao explained every step clearly. I saw him adjust quickly to unexpected problems, while keeping me informed and reassured. read more

Following the office hours stated on Google, I tried calling to make an appointment. All Good with that. They even said they take my insurance. I needed a root canal. However something told me to double check with my insurance and they informed me that he is no longer in network. So I tried calling them for two days prior to my appointment to check with them and if not, cancel my appointment. Called and called 5x each two days I tried to reach them. I even left two messages. Never got a call back until the day/time of my appointment asking me if I was coming to the appointment. read more

I'm glad all of these bad reviews didn't scare me off. I would give Dr. Liao personally 5 stars and the office itself 3.5/4 stars. I was referred to him for an emergency root canal after another dentist messed me up and I had an infection. Dr. Liao was very gentle and did a great job. He is so nice, and seems to genuinely care. He had me come in for a free follow up just to see how it was healing. His assistant/hygienist is also very nice, and the guy at the front desk too. The office itself is a little run down, not modern at all. They do things old school such as use a paper prescription pad and they make the x-rays there instead of digital. It only takes an extra 2 minutes to print the films so it's not a big deal. Dr. Liao doesn't do anything but root canals, so he's very good at doing them, not like a regular dentist that doesn't specialize in one skill. Not many dentists accept my DMO/HMO insurance, so this was really my only option in Astoria, and I was definitely scared leading up to appointment day but it all worked out. You can feel safe about covid precautions too. Every other chair is blocked off, there is plexiglass around the desk and everyone was wearing a mask. read more

Truly my favorite dentist! And I've been to them all in Astoria!!!! He has fixed disasters of the others. My roots canals, bone graphs are always pain free. I was just there on Friday. Had 2 teeth done. He had to cut the gum and did 2 bone graphs. Done in an hour. It's Sunday, no pain, little swelling and back to work on Monday. The only endodontist I trust and I have been to them all! As far as people commenting on "fast", fast equals less pain. Highly recommend! read more

Very friendly reception and assistants and the procedure I had was done fast and clean

I've had 2 root canals here. I've always been afraid of the dentist, but I trust Dr. Liao and his assistant 100%. They are gentle, thorough and I haven't felt any pain there. Very grateful to have found this practice. read more

Dr. Liao is excellent. No pain. Would recommend him very much.

I would highly recommend Dr. Liao to anyone needing the services of an endodontist. I initially met with him for a consultation in which he was very thorough in explaining my situation and what needed to be done. His assistant, Betty was friendly as was the receptionists at the front desk. The day he performed my root canal, he assured me it wasn't going to hurt and it didn't. I had a very good experience and would go back again. read more

At my local dentist office,I was told that I had to get my root canal redone because it was infected (not very common but it can happen) and they referred me to Dr. Kenneth. I was skeptical at first because of the cost but after having the procedure done and almost completely healed, I am so relieved that I went to this dentist office. Dr. Liao was able to save my crown and save me some money in the future. He answered my questions and was very thorough. Everyone in this office is a delight! read more

It was hard to find endodentis in our network it finally we got here and the dr is very professional and good, though dry hard to find parking in Astoria. read more

I agree with a lot of the other reviews. He is unprofessional, and this was also the most painful root canal I've ever experienced. I unfortunately picked him off of my insurance's list of participating providers because I needed a root canal in a hurry. You get what you expect in these cases. He actually threatened to leave the root canal half completed because I screamed in pain when he hit the nerve ending several times. I informed my regular dentist that I would not EVER set foot back in his office. read more

DON'T GO TO DR. LIAO!!! My dentist referred me for a root canal. Dr. Liao is very cold and doesn't tell you anything. He didn't allow any time for the anesthesia to kick in, so he essentially operated on my teeth without. Most painful experience of my life. I've experienced 2 root canals before going here, so I know this is not normal. I was literally screaming. At one point, Dr. Liao stopped to say, "Don't scream. You'd scare my other patients." As if it didn't even occur to him that he operated on me without proper anesthesia! Sure some discomfort is to be expected, but not excruciating pain! The entire root canal procedure lasted only 20 min, so that should tell you something too. read more

After reading the other horror stories concerning this guy, I figure I oughtta throw in my own two cents: Firstly, he was referred to me by Dr. P., the lousiest regular dentist I've ever had. They've all stunk - better home care has resulted in my never having needed one for years - except for a gum problem that has pretty much gone away after I RECENTLY DISLODGED A PIECE OF PLASTIC JAMMED IN THE GUMS. Secondly, Warren Baine, a hygienist referral by, yes, that same Dr. P., jammed and twisted a small plastic shard (translates into "irriitant") under my gums. The location of the gum with the above-mentioned double-pointed plastic shard was later operated on by Dr. P.'s endodontist referral, Kenneth Liao - yet another "unfortunate" referral by Dr. P. - Dr. Peter Blumenthal oops, I said it. Kenneth Liao (pronounced LEO) dug a $1300 hole in the gum to clean out the gum infection caused by Dr. P.s Baine Referral, and recommended daily massages of the gum in the infected area (presumably for life) BUT HE DIDN'T REMOVE THE PLASTIC SHARD LODGED IN THAT SAME LOCATION. Very un-American of him, I'd say. read more

Thank you so much Dr.Liao for taking care of my daughters root canal. We really appreciate it. Pain free now. Dr. Liao and her Assistsnt were very caring, patient and friendly. Thank you again. read more

WATCH OUT FOR HIM HES UNSANITARY, VERY ROUGH AND RUDE..This was one of the most painful procedures I've felt .. I was 17 when I had got this procedure done and let me tell you...This man was very disrespectful to my mother and very very cold..my mother was sitting on one of the chairs when he walked in and asked for the chair which I thought was for him so she said "yes I'll just sit on this one" he told my mom "no you can just stand" mind you this man didn't even use the chair because all he did was look at my x Ray.. when the day of my first procedure came I felt so much pain, he was rough and I told him repeatedly I was in pain, he was yanking the objects out of my mouth...towards the end he said he was going to take an x-ray when the lady showed up 15 minutes later to do the X-ray and had me wait a long time for him to come back into the room for him to continue. For my second appointment and my second root canal he dropped one of the tools, picked it up wiped it on his clothing and went to put it back into my mouth... that was when I told him "you are not putting that in my mouth after it was just on the floor" he told me "I wiped it, it's clean" I told him " I don't care you are not working in my mouth unless I watch you get up and get a new one" he looked at me and wanted to continue working, I refused to let him work till I told him again to go get sanitary tool.. he then left the room for about 20 minutes to work on the patient next door to me in which he was arguing with. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS DOCTOR TO YOU..IF YOU ARE REFERRED TO HIM DO NOT GO AND RUN FAR AWAY!!! read more

OK, I'm here to set the record straight. I was referred to Dr. Liao for root canal by my new dentist. I didn't look at any reviews until the day I was supposed to see him, and boy, was I scared by what I read in the other reviews. Since then, I've had two root canals done by Dr. Liao, and I made sure I waited until after I had a chance to really make sure everything turned out OK before posting this review. I had two molars done, one week apart. First of all, he was very kind to me and friendly. He took three x-rays on each of the two teeth, before, during, and after, to make 100% sure he got out the entire root. He was careful to make sure I couldn't feel any pain, and gave me a second shot of Novocain when I needed it. After more than a month, I have no pain or discomfort, and now have the posts in ready to get caps. My thanks to Dr. Liao, because when people say something is like "getting root canal" I can honestly say, for me that hasn't been a bad experience at all read more

Got a root canal performed by Dr. Liao. The staff was professional. Dr. Liao explained the process. I've always been very dentist-phobic due to the pain I've experienced with other dentists. I'm happy to say i felt no pain. The root canal was as pleasant an experience as a root canal can be. There was no pain after anesthetic wore off. i went back for a post procedure check up 3 weeks later and all was well. read more

Very friendly and funny dentist! Great bedside manner and made sure I was not in any pain at all during my root canal - barely felt a thing. Would highly recommend to others read more

What an amazing experience. The individual care I received from everyone there truly makes this a pleasant experience. I was so PAIN FREE, I almost fell asleep while they worked on me. That is no joke! read more

I'm the first one to say I don't like goin to dentists. The dentist I've been goin to since I was a kid is retired so I had the arduous task of finding a new dentist. I was quite aware that I needed a root canal for quite some time now ( a few years). But I could never find someone I was comfortable with digging in my mouth and my experiance with dentists from the DC 37 union roster hasn't been too stellar. I finally narrowed it down to 2 endodontists. I called Dr. Liao first and left message on answering machine. (I thought to myself, another cattle house ?) I proceeded to call the next Dr. and the next available appointment was like 2 weeks away. So I made the appointment. I finally got a call back from Dr. Liao's office the next day. I was wary at first of their scheduling but in my conversation, they had mentioned Dr. Liao was only in the office 3 days a week because he was teaching at NYU Dentistry. My ears perked up, I though to myself how bad can he be ? Plus he's teaching at my alma mater. I cancelled the other appoinment and decided to go with Dr. Liao. It was a great call. The office is off the beaten path in Astoria in a private house. It is a clean environment. The waiting area has like 6 chairs and there are two operating rooms. The receptionists are soft spoken and professional. Dr. Liao was friendly and informative. He explained the whole procedure. The actual procdure took about an hour and I had to come back because one of my roots needed some followup. My followup visit was just as easy as the first visit. He's efficient and thorough. I would brand him the "Root Canal Ninja". He'll execute them with deadly precision. Two thumbs up from me. If I have to go through this again, I'm goin to him. read more

Dr. Liao is the only dentist I trust. For years i have tried different general dentists and they all have taken advantage of me, treating minor things while letting major cavities go till it's too late, charging my insurance ridiculous amount of money, and treating teeth that don't need to be treated. finally when i needed root canals and I was referred by a friend to to Dr. Liao, who was able to treat my teeth. after a third root canal i finally confessed that i don't have a general dentist i trust, so he actually helped introduce me to a general dentist that he trusted. none of my root canals required a revisit. in fact, one of the previous general dentist I tried, was trying to claim my root canal needed more work, but after talking with Dr. Liao and doing my own research, the additional procedure was completely unnecessary, the general dentist was trying to squeeze money out of me for unnecessary procedures. but thanks to Dr. Liao, who actually did the right procedures but now have also have helped me find a general dentist that i can trust! read more

It's two horrible experience. Me and my brother both be there for root canal we thought he is endodontist , more professional. Unfortunately the results worst than we expected . I paid $1100 by cash and my brother have full cover by insurance but he still requests to paid extra $200 out of pocket . Unbelievable!! The clinic is very old and dirty, including the equipment and the assistance . Very disappointed!! Very scary experience!! read more

I received three root canal re-treatments from Dr. Liao. i was pleased with the first two treatments....the staff was polite and friendly. However....my third re-treatment did not go smoothly. About a week- week and a half after the treatment i developed an abscess at the gum line near the tooth. I wasn't certain what was happening so I went to my general dentist's emergency walk-in hours....then general dentist took X-Rays and told me that my root canal had clearly failed...the canal had been punctured. The general dentist informed me that Dr. Liao should/would have clearly seen that the canal had failed when he took the final x-ray after my procedure. Dr. Liao DID take a final X-ray, but made no mention of the failure. In addition to speaking with my general dentist I also sought a second opinion from another endodontic specialist, the second endodontist agreed that the canal had failed. I will say that he does take the time to explain the process....which is helpful....but I would not feel comfortable going back to his office at this point. read more

I see there are some mixed reviews on Kenneth Liao but I don't understand the negative reviews really. I came in to get a root canal done on my back left tooth which I had understood from general dentist is harder to operate on since it is so far back in the mouth. I was nervous, scared to say the least, about this experience as I have just heard so many horror stories about root canals in general and I had never had one before. Dr. Liao completely put me at ease: he was extremely professional and had great bedside manner. But most importantly, the procedure went off without a hitch and I felt minimal pain during the process and after the process. Highly recommend read more

The stuff of nightmares. Had an incredibly quick root canal performed by Dr. Liao several years ago. After it was discovered the root canal had leaked causing an infection at the root of the tooth, I went to several oral surgeons (upon the referral from general dentists) who confirmed the root canal performed by Dr. Liao was HORRIBLY inadequate. In fact, Dr. Liao actually has a REPUTATION in the industry amongst his colleagues for performing poor root canals!! I'm flabbergasted that this guy is in business. One surgeon even offered that it looked like Dr. Liao's handywork upon reviewing the xray of the poorly done root canal before me mentioning it! Wow. Another dentist stated several of his patients also have failed root canals by Dr. Liao. In short, due to the terrible root canal, I ended up having to have the tooth EXTRACTED!! Quite traumatic. Please, beware!! On a side note, there seems to be some major misdirection, misleading and downright manipulation of patients in the dental industry as I went to not one general dentist for a second opinion on my failed root canal, but three. All three referred me to an oral surgeon. I naively followed the referral process, since these guys are after all "professionals", right? Well sadly, no. Oral surgeons do not perform or re-treat root canals! Endodontists do! Why did all three general dentists refer me to oral surgeons who do not perform this work? The oral surgeon will "guide" you to either have an apicoectomy (a very invasive surgery involving sawing through the gum and jawbone) or an extraction (both of which they perform, naturally). They will actually guide you AWAY from what you may need and what I now realize I should have been offered, a re-treatment of the inadequate root canal (which an endodontist not the oral surgeon performs!) saying usually your tooth will crack in the process of re-treatment and you"ll end up needing an extraction anyway. While this may be true in some cases, it may not have been for mine and I should have been given the choice, not misled. Extraction is an extreme and irreversible "last resort" measure that should not be offered as the first solution. If an endodontist deemed the tooth was not re-treatable, THEN an extraction could be considered. It would seem general dentists and oral surgeons have a cozy relationship with each other but not with endodontists. One has to wonder why. Extraction also has its share of complications I am regretfully learning. Namely an extremely slow healing process of the hole left behind (don't let them tell you they will stitch it, they put 2 stitches, 1 in front and 1 behind the huge HOLE where the tooth was) making brushing and eating difficult and requiring constant salt rinses to get food debris out. Let's not even talk about the odor. There is also the possibility of infection. Adjacent teeth may spread over time and the matching upper or lower tooth may shift. The tooth being gone, an implant with a bone graft is immediately offered. Terrific. Conveniently this would also be performed by the oral surgeon, for additional big money. Implants and grafts can lead to a host of other complications. It makes sense, they are foreign elements being introduced into the body and the body's natural reaction is to reject them. Please research. The existence of a gigantic and tender gap in your teeth will make chewing solid foods difficult, brushing around it a daily painful chore and also affect the confidence in your smile and image. In other words, extraction opens the door to a host of other problems and more work for the oral surgeon. It is not a simple, finite solution. NONE of these complications with extraction were explained by any of the 3 oral surgeons I was referred to! One has to wonder what type of industry this is. Again, all these issues arose from the original botched root canal by Dr. Liao. It seems we are living in a time where it is up to the patient to protect themselves as doctors will not. We must do all the research prior to any procedure then INSTRUCT the doctors as to what type of care we actually need. I should have been more cynical in the 2 months I spent researching this stuff. I kept thinking, "those horror stories won't happen to me, my guys are professionals". I allowed the seriousness of my condition to cloud my thinking long enough to forget that your teeth, while precious to you, mean nothing to this industry. Well nothing but profit. Dentistry, I've come to learn, is not an exact science, and they will happily experiment with you and if the treatment fails, they can yank out your prized teeth in a jiffy. They are quite proficient at it. I hope this review serves to warn others about Dr. Liao and others like him and avoid the same horrible experiences I endured, and am enduring, and find better, caring dentists. I'm sure they are out there somewhere. Notice multiple 1-star reviews then "5 star" reviews? Beware! read more

After my root canal done by Liao, I went to my dentist to get a crown put on. My dentist informed me that the root canal has to be corrected because the filling was too thin, so a post can't be put in. He said someone that same week had the same issue with Liao's procedure. Now I have the fun choice between paying even more money for someone else to correct it OR going back to Liao and risking yet another insufficent root canal. Yay! read more

I attended Dr. Lioa's not only once but had to go back to him yet again because the first time he did not do the right job. I had to pay out of pocket for the second root canal because my insurance only covers the first root canal. He does not try to help you save money but instead tries to rip you off. STAY AWAY.!!!!!! read more

Dr Laio is one of the most unprofessional doctors I've ever encountered. I went in for a root canal and half way into the procedure he left and didn't return for 20 minutes! I went for a check up and weren't allowed to use my phone while waiting there, again, for him to return for 30 minutes. I do not recommend this place to my worse enemy! read more

Please don't go through what I did. Dr. Liao seemed so nice and offered me some very informative information about the root canal I was having some discomfort with. It had been initially done by my regular dentist who thought that I should see a specialist. However, the whole scene changed the day I went in for him to "re-Treat" my root canal. Dr. Liao didn't explain a single thing he was doing while he was working on my tooth. I felt every bit of pain and he also burned my tongue. The root canal lasted under 15 minutes and there was another patient seated in the same chair I was in before I could put my coat on. I ended up in the ER two days later and needless to say my regular dentist was appalled when she saw the xrays of my tooth 4 days after I saw Dr. Liao. I was so scared to go back to him so I saw another Endodontist before the week was up. She also could not believe how scantly filled the canals were. I finally worked up the guts to visit Dr. Liao in his Hewlett office. Not only was he annoyed that I had seen other dental experts but he also said, " How dare anyone condemn my work?" To add insult to injury he charged me $200 for removal of the existing post and charged my insurance so much that I had no allowance left for any further dental services. The issues I have had since have been a nightmare. I have had numerous infections and have had to spend out of pocket to alleviate every issue his lack of skill AND consideration have caused. He is a horrible "specialist" . I wish I had consulted a lawyer but the pain had me so confused. Do not buy into the nice appearance of the practice. They are only nice until they are paid. Do a little research and you'll find that Dr. Liao is known for not filling canals well when he does root canals read more