Dentists in Lakewood, CA: Local Guide

Quick answer: Lakewood, CA has 62 dental practices in the Dental.me directory. 39 are rated on Google, averaging 4.46★ across 2,015 reviews. Top by independent Dental.me Score: Lakewood Orthodontics, Joel F. Brodsky DDS Inc, Honey Bee Pediatric Dentistry. Compare them below and shortlist two or three near you to call.

Lakewood is one of those Southern California dental markets where the numbers tell a sharper story than the map does. There are 62 dental practices operating inside the city, but only 39 of them have collected enough Google reviews to carry a public rating — and just 30 maintain a working website. In other words, roughly half of Lakewood’s dentists are effectively invisible to anyone searching online, which means the choice most residents actually face isn’t “which of 62?” but “which of the 39 who have shown their work?” This guide is built entirely from that visible slice: 2,015 real Google reviews and the rating distribution behind them.

The good news for anyone choosing a dentist here: the quality is front-loaded. Of the 39 rated practices in Lakewood, 20 hold a 4.8-or-higher star average — that’s better than half the visible market sitting in the top tier. Lakewood doesn’t have a thin bench of one or two standouts; it has a genuinely deep top shelf. What it lacks is transparency at the bottom, and knowing that distinction is the single most useful thing you can carry into your search.

What Lakewood’s rated market actually looks like

Before naming names, look at the shape of the data. The 39 rated practices split into four clear tiers, and the concentration at the top is the headline.

Two ratios are worth pausing on. First, the review depth: 2,015 reviews spread across 39 rated practices averages about 52 reviews per office — enough volume that a 4.9 average in Lakewood is a meaningful signal, not the product of five ratings. Second, the website gap: with only 30 of 62 practices online, a Lakewood dentist who has invested in a real web presence and earned a strong rating has cleared two bars that most of the local field hasn’t. When both are true, pay attention.

The rating distribution — where the 39 sit

Here is what that distribution means in practice. The 20 practices at 4.8+ are your default shortlist; statistically, most of Lakewood’s best patient experiences live in this band. The 8 practices in the 4.5–4.79 range are still strong — often excellent clinicians whose average is dragged a few tenths by a scheduling or billing complaint rather than clinical work. The 7 in the 4.0–4.49 band deserve a closer read of their recent reviews before you book. And the 4 practices rated below 4.0 are the ones where the numbers are actively waving a flag. That’s the entire risk map for Lakewood on one chart.

The names behind the top tier

Six practices anchor the upper end of Lakewood’s market, and they’re worth knowing by name because they combine high ratings with the kind of review volume that makes those ratings credible.

• Leong and Pandhoh Dental Corporation — 4.7 stars across 181 reviews, the most-reviewed practice on this list. When a general-dentistry office holds a 4.7 through that many patients, it’s a durable signal rather than a lucky streak.
• Lakewood Orthodontics — 4.9 stars across 178 reviews. The city’s headline orthodontic name, and one of only two practices here to pair a near-perfect average with triple-digit review depth.
• Joel F. Brodsky DDS Inc — 4.9 stars across 120 reviews, a long-standing general practice with the review history to back the average.
• Honey Bee Pediatric Dentistry — a perfect 5.0 across 54 reviews, the top-rated dedicated pediatric option in the city.
• Kenny Young Kim DDS Inc — 5.0 across 39 reviews.
• Milagrosa M. Cabanban DDS Inc — 5.0 across 38 reviews.

It’s also worth noting how the specialties map onto these names. Lakewood’s single most-reviewed office is an orthodontic practice, and its top-rated pediatric option is a dedicated children’s clinic rather than a general office that also sees kids — both signals that the city’s strongest reputations have formed around focused, specialized care rather than one-size-fits-all general dentistry. If your need is orthodontic, pediatric, or cosmetic, that focus works in your favor. If you simply want a reliable general dentist for cleanings and fillings, the two 4.9-rated general practices listed above carry the deepest track records in the city.

Notice the pattern the data draws for you: the three perfect-5.0 offices each sit in the 38–54 review range, while the two 4.9 practices carry 120–178 reviews. Neither is “better” automatically — a 5.0 over 40 reviews and a 4.9 over 170 are both excellent, and which matters more depends on whether you value a flawless recent track record or a larger, longer sample. You can compare all of them side by side on the Lakewood dentist directory.

Specialty by specialty — what Lakewood is deep in

One reason Lakewood punches above a city of its size is specialty coverage. Cosmetic and whitening options are unusually plentiful, and orthodontic and Invisalign supply is strong — useful, because Lakewood’s most-reviewed practice by a wide margin is an orthodontic one.

Reading the specialty map: with 15 cosmetic dentists and 15 teeth-whitening providers, Lakewood is well-supplied for elective and smile work — you have room to be selective. 12 orthodontists and 12 Invisalign providers make alignment treatment one of the easiest specialties to shop locally. Coverage thins toward the surgical end: 7 endodontists and 7 periodontists, and 9 practices offering dental implants. And for urgent situations, 10 practices list emergency dentistry — browse them at the Lakewood emergency dentists page rather than calling around blind. Start with the specialty that matches your actual need:

• Cosmetic dentists in Lakewood (15)
• Teeth whitening in Lakewood (15)
• Orthodontists in Lakewood (12)
• Invisalign providers in Lakewood (12)
• Emergency dentists in Lakewood (10)
• Dental implants in Lakewood (9)
• Pediatric dentists in Lakewood (8)
• Endodontists in Lakewood (7)
• Periodontists in Lakewood (7)

How to actually choose — a Lakewood-specific method

Given how this particular market is shaped — deep top tier, wide website gap, solid review volume — here’s the sequence that works best locally.

1. Start inside the 4.8+ band. Twenty practices qualify, so you can afford to filter for the top tier from the first click instead of settling. 2. Weigh review depth against the score. In Lakewood specifically, prefer a 4.7–4.9 backed by 100+ reviews over a 5.0 built on a handful — the city has both, so you get to choose deliberately. 3. Confirm the specialty match. A great general dentist isn’t automatically your best implant or endodontic choice; use the specialty pages above. 4. Check for a real web presence. Since fewer than half of Lakewood practices maintain one, an office with a working site and online booking has usually invested in the patient experience. 5. Read the newest reviews, not just the average. A recent cluster of complaints matters more than an old five-star run. Every one of these steps is doable from the Lakewood directory in a few minutes.

If Lakewood doesn’t have your match, look next door

Lakewood sits in a dense corner of Los Angeles County, and some of the strongest specialty options are a short drive away. If your specialty is thin locally — or you simply want a wider comparison — these neighboring directories are the natural next step:

• Long Beach dentists — the largest neighboring market, deepest specialty selection
• Cerritos dentists
• Bellflower dentists
• Artesia dentists
• Paramount dentists
• Hawaiian Gardens dentists

Wherever you land, the method is the same: start from ratings, weigh depth against score, and match the specialty. For a broader look at what treatment should cost before you book, see our national guide to dental costs.

Dental.me organizes dental directory data so patients can compare offices with confidence. Use each practice profile and its available website, map, and phone details for current appointment, payment, and care decisions.