Well it's been a few years since I ran away from Lakeside Dentistry, that was even before yelp was popular. However, I was just reading some article about quack dentists, and it brought back bad memories, so now I felt compelled to warn others about this place. My first appointment, I made the naive mistake of telling Dr. J that I hadn't been to a dentist in awhile. That was the perfect excuse for him to suggest the good old "deep cleaning", which is a classic dentistry ripoff. Of course that would be nothing compared to the PORCELAIN INLAYS he would later install on a molar. Huge money makers, those are. I was soon out a grand. And it wasn't until later that another dentist would tell me what a bad idea it is to put porcelain on molars. One appointment after getting that first set installed, what do you know, I suddenly needed inlays on molars on the other side. Two, in fact. That was when I decided to find another dentist. Low and behold, the other dentist suggest a regular (cheap) filling on just ONE of the teeth, at a savings of hundreds of dollars. And it hasn't bothered me since in the past 7 years or so. I would later find out that two other of my colleagues in my own department had the exact same experience with this guy. STAY AWAY. It amazes me that other reviewers are saying that his business is busy. Wow, how many suckers can there be in this town? read more

This is a very nice office to go to if you want your family to have the best experience. The front desk is very nice they give you the best customer service ever. Especially when they greet you which such pretty smiles. The office is very well kept, especially the back so organized and very clean. And the movies that they play for kids is amazing. Especially FINDING NEMO a classic !!!!!! So go to lakeside there are the BOMB DIGGITY... read more

Nice friendly environment. Felt extremely comfortable and happy. Hygientist was nice and helpful. Did a great job!

I had to write an update because I received a bill in the mail today from Lakeside charging me $30 for a missed appointment!!! I should bill them for the parking, missed work time, and babysitting costs. This is a terrible place and I cannot stress enough to avoid it. I did switch to a wonderful dentist, also in Evanston, Dr. Gordon, on Chicago. Highly recommend him. read more

Like somebody posted, they also claimed that I needed an resin inlay and that they don't do amalgam. They didn't tell me that I had a choice and that the vast majority of dental plans, including my own, don't cover the procedure. I ended up with a big billing dispute over their failure to disclose the options or the costs up-front. Other dentists I had didn't have a problem with amalgam fillings. They're inexpensive, practical and have been around for ages. read more

I almost never write reviews online, but feel compelled to after my experience here. This is a review specifically for Dr. Johnson. I recently had to switch my dental insurance and saw Dr. Johnson for the first time in an "emergency appointment" because I had chipped one of my molars. At the office, the assistant immediately took some x-rays and then I was directed to a chair where I waited for about 5-10 minutes. Eventually, Dr. Johnson showed up and looked in my mouth briefly before slapping the x-rays up on the screen. He then proceeded to recommend $3000 worth of dental to me (about $1700 out of pocket). This was quite a shock considering I have seen the dentist every 6 months my entire life, and had been given a clean bill of health on my previous visit to another dentist. For the chipped tooth, he recommended a $960 inlay which was not covered by insurance. He also wanted to fill two other areas where he thought there was a cavity. Finally, he wanted to put a crown on my back molar where he claimed there was evidence of "decay." He didn't really seem to want to answer my questions, and quickly directed me out of the office to pick up a billing invoice. In total, I saw him less than 10 minutes. I wasn't even able to get my teeth cleaned because he prefers to do the examination and the cleaning in two separate appointments, which is frankly ridiculous. After the initial shock wore off, I decided I wanted a second opinion. My insurance company gives an option for a second opinion, but after looking at all the options (and reviews) online it seemed as though Dr. Johnson was the best out of a sea of a bad options. So instead I had my x-rays sent to my hometown dentist. After he examined them, he said I likely didn't need half of what was recommended. When I finally was able to see the hometown dentist he was astonished at the appraisal. First, he said an inlay was absolutely not necessary for the chipped tooth, and instead just smoothed the tooth and gave me a filling. Furthermore, he said the other areas were not cavities yet, and reminded me that they had been watching those areas for years. Finally, he said the "decay" on the tooth to be crowned wasn't decay at all but a stain from the braces I had years earlier. He said it was clear that the tooth had started to decay when the braces were on BUT had reverted to normal tooth once the band was removed, leaving a stain behind. He said if I had gone ahead with Dr. Johnson's plan and put a crown on that tooth that it would have done irreparable damage to it. He was able to scrape away at the stain (or the "decay" har har) to prove the point. All in all, that dental visit only cost me $190 AND my dentist gave me a free teeth cleaning. The whole Lakeside experience did not sit well with me and I will not be going back. Dr. Johnson didn't want to take the time to explain things to me well (even though I asked) nor did he ask me any questions about my dental history (like if I'd had braces). If you have perfect or above-average teeth, you will probably be fine at Lakeside Density. I don't have any complaints about the office staff, but do agree that the office and the equipment seem a bit outdated. From the reviews here it seems that people really like Dr. K. so I'd recommend trying to see her if you have to go here. Plus, the office staff told me that she does the examination and cleaning in one appointment so you only have to go once instead of twice. read more

I liked Dr. Kochikaran quite a lot, and thought the actual dental service I received was very good. However, my experience with the office staff was SO irritating and unpleasant that I will never go back to Lakeside. The first thing they did was mess up the insurance claim, which in itself is not a terrible problem -- it happens often enough in medical offices, given how complicated insurance and billing are. So fine. But the second thing they did is simply bill me directly, with no explanation or no attempt to recheck the insurance, even though the services were straightforward and obviously supposed to be covered (by Delta, incidentally, which is totally common and standard dental insurance). So I called, of course -- and their response was not only unhelpful, but downright rude -- beginning with casual assertions that I wasn't covered at all (clearly untrue), moving on to resentful suggestions that I better just file the claim myself (this turned out to be the best strategy, but of course no one at the office ever talked to me until they had already billed me directly, and I called them), finally concluding with downright rude and impatient suggestions that I was attempting to weasel out of paying their bill!! To reiterate, all this was for services that were *fully covered* by insurance (as the Lakeside staff themselves had checked when I first made the appointments). I want to emphasize, these phone calls weren't just the usual miscommunication one might encounter when an insurance claim gets complex or doesn't come through right away, which happens periodically. This staff made it crystal clear to me, more than once, that they would be happier if I just left them alone, or that all they wanted was their money, and could not care less whether they got it from the insurance company or from me, so long as I stopped bothering them. I had to actually go into the office and physically stand at the counter before I could get them to finally figure out how, and to whom, the claim should be filed. By the way, It *was* fully paid, as it should have been initially, not much thanks to their help. In the end, it didn't matter to me whether this staff was incompetent, negligent, just downright lazy, or truly nasty -- the effect was the same. And as a result, although I like the dentist herself, there is no chance I would ever set foot in her office again, let alone trust her staff to sort out the billing for another visit of ANY sort. That seems like a real shame to me. read more

My x-rays, cleaning, and check-up this morning were done quickly, thoroughly, and professionally by an assistant and dentist who were new to me. During two previous visits with a dentist who set up her own practice, I was also completely satisfied with the care provided. Maybe one assistant was rather new or young, but was fine. The dentist was very skilled and knowledgeable, and yet attentive to my opinions. read more

they effing suck!!! everytime my kids and i go, we always always always have to wait for at least 30 minutes prior to being seen. i never get a call letting me know they're running behind. i'll sit in their face (because the office is so tiny) and they won't even apologize for the wait or even mention why they're running late until i ask. the new caucasian receptionist makes the experience even worse with her persnickety ass attitude. will not be returning ever!! i do not recommend their services what so ever. the students aren't up to par but i will say dr johnson is nice. that is all. read more

I recently had a very serious problem with Dr. Kochikaran of Lakeside Dentistry. I went in recently for my first appointment with Dr. Kochikaran; the appointment was for a cleaning. Dr. Kochikaran first examined me and agreed to do a regular cleaning (which would have been covered by my insurance). She then sent me to do a full set of x-rays. After the x-rays had been taken - but before Dr. Kochikaran looked at them - she told me that she would only be willing to do a deep cleaning that would cost $500 and would be covered only partly by my insurance. I told her that I would like a regular cleaning, but she refused to do any cleaning whatsoever unless I agreed to the $500 deep cleaning. I believe that Dr. Kochikaran realized that I had lost all leverage because my full set of x-rays had already been taken; that is, I would not have been able to switch to another dental office because that office too would require a full set of x-rays and my insurance would not cover another full set this year. In my opinion, this is why Dr. Kochikaran demanded that I agree to the deep cleaning only after I had the full set of x-rays done; had she demanded this beforehand, I simply would have refused and the treatment and switched to another dental office. I now need to wait a full year before I switch to another dental office, because my standard insurance policy will not cover another full set of x-rays for another year. Generally speaking, I agree with the others who have posted reviews on this site: Dr. Kochikaran appears to be an untrustworthy dentist who coerces her patients to undergo expensive treatments that are not necessary. read more

Lakeside dentistry is the worse and unprofessional, racist staffs I ever had experienced entire my life. Dentist himself is unkind and arrogant in terms of answering questions. Lady at the front desk named Randy- she needs help to see a psychiatrist first then need some crush course for how to work in a medical profession. She is rude, unprofessional, racist woman I ever heard or seen in my life. I was there yesterday just asked for accomodate for teeth cleaning since i was there for first time visit. Dentist spent like literally 3 mins and since I was here I requested if I can get a teeth cleaning. She was racist and use language F... word and frustrating looking face. Gosh that lady is a psychopath. She was telling how stressful and busy she is. I saw only one client in the tiny waiting area. I work in a northwestern memorial hospital and we take care 80-100 pts a day. What is she talking about? I will ask mayor in Evanston that we do not need such (caregiver) aka people in our Evanston community. SHe should rather be working in a street strip bar then working in a medical professional. No class, respect or respect and integrity. Terrible ! read more

I signed up for Yelp specifically so I could warn people away from this place. I had one appointment and the cleaning was fine, but then I went to make my next appointment on my way out. . . and they said they only schedule appointments three months in advance. Huh!?!? I should've quit them right there, but instead I made a mental note to call in three months (since normal dental cleanings are every six months, obviously) and, let's be honest, I forgot. Sure, I should've made a pop-up reminder on my phone or something, but then I called after five months (in July) they told me all their appointments were booked for the next three months, that they don't open the book for the following three months until August, so to call back then for an appointment in November at the earliest. This was just for a normal cleaning! What dental office does this!?!? It's a calendar, folks -- learn how to use it! It's totally unprofessional and infuriating. DON'T GO TO THIS PLACE unless you want a lot of run-around trying to make an appointment. read more