Dr. Sean S. Hakimi, DDS

ELDERLY PATIENTS - BEWARE OF THIS DENTAL OFFICE! On 9/22/22, my elderly mother went to this dental office on Lyons Avenue for a new patient appointment with Dr. Behrad Nia (he also works at the La Crescenta location). They conducted an exam and took x-rays and took an imprint of her teeth. She had an infection on tooth #19 which was not treated. Instead, she was given a treatment plan totaling $10,731. She was rushed into signing some documents for a $6,000 loan and she was told she needed to pay $775.80 as a deposit for this loan with Sunbit. The $775.80 was immediately pulled from her bank account using her debit card. On 9/26/22, she returned for a second appointment and received a deep cleaning. They also took another imprint of her teeth, as they couldn't find the initial imprint taken on 9/22/22. On 9/26/22, she was charged $1,880 on her debit card. On 10/12/22, my mother went for a second opinion. That dentist indicated that the work indicated by Healthy Smiles aka Smile Design was not medically necessary. On 10/20/22, my mother and I spoke with Anna Andrade, the Office Manager, on the phone and requested a refund as well as cancellation of the loan from Sunbit. My mom's first payment was due on 10/22/22. Anna indicated she would advise the owner and someone would be contacting me. To date, no one has contacted me and the loan has not been cancelled. When we reached out again on 10/27/22, Anna then said it would take up to 30 days for Healthy Smiles to cancel the loan. In the meantime, Sunbit (the loan company) is holding onto $775.80 of my mother's money which they pulled from her bank account, and Healty Smiles is holding onto $6,000 from Sunbit for which no services have been rendered. It is illegal to accept payments for services not rendered. It is also unethical to take advantage of an elderly person. My mother did not understand what she was signing up for when asked to sign the documents. She is 80 and anyone speaking with her can clearly tell she is hard of hearing and not able to understand things easily. In fact, the second opinion dentist called me after seeing her and highly recommended that she have someone attend her appointments with her going forward. Dental providers are NOT allowed to obtain payment prior to services rendered. Healthy Smiles aka Smile Design has collected $8,655.80 and is earning interest for services which have not been rendered. So far, I have filed a complaint with Delta Dental regarding this illegal and unethical billing practice. It is truly disgusting to think that a company would take such advantage of an elderly person. I will continue to utilize all remedies at my disposal until Healthy Smiles aka Smile Design refunds my mother the full amount of $2,655.80 and cancels the loan with Sunbit. Her refund must be reimbursed and the Sunbit loan cancelled by Wednesday, 11/16/22, or I will be contacting the local Sheriff's department to file a complaint of elder abuse and I will also be filing a complaint with the American Dental Association. SAVE YOURSELF THIS HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE & FIND A REPUTABLE DENTAL PRACTICE!

Dr Hakimi is the best dentist I've been to in years. It's hard to find such a warm, honest doctor with a great bedside manner yet also a wealth of knowledge and skill. I feel so fortunate having found him after such bad experiences with 2 past dentists who literally did work that I didnt even need just to get paid. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Dr. Hakimi and staff my smile is now better than it's ever been. I now have confidence and a happy healthy smile.