Marina Dentistry

Two ways: call the office directly, or send an online request and let the office call you back to set the time.

• Call — fastest, and the right choice if you're in pain. Every office's number is on the contact page and on its location page.
• Online — use the appointment request form, choose your office, and the team follows up to confirm a time. The form is a request, not a confirmed booking.

Not sure which office? Start with choosing an office.

Five things cover almost everyone:

• A photo ID.
• Your dental insurance card, if you have one.
• A list of medications you take, including doses if you know them.
• Any recent dental records or X-rays from a previous dentist, if you can get them — or the previous office's name so records can be requested.
• Your questions. Write them down; visits go better when you ask them.

Arrive a few minutes early for paperwork, or check the new patients page for your office's forms before you come in.

Yes. Call the nearest office, say it's an emergency, and describe what's happening — new patients are not turned away for being new. Phone is the right channel for emergencies; don't wait on a web form.

Emergency dentistry is listed by Beachside Dental Group, Marina Dentistry, and Rio Hondo Dental Group. What counts as an emergency, and what to do while you wait, is covered on the emergency dentist page.

One boundary worth stating: swelling that affects your breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or trauma to the head or jaw belongs in an emergency room — call 911 or go to the ER first, then call the dentist.

Start with geography. The four offices sit in three different parts of Southern California, and for most patients the nearest one is the right one.

• Beachside Dental Group and Pacifica Dental both serve Huntington Beach and coastal Orange County — they share one building at 18800 Main St, each in its own suite.
• Marina Dentistry serves Marina del Rey and the Westside of Los Angeles — Venice, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Culver City.
• Rio Hondo Dental Group serves Downey and southeast LA County — Pico Rivera, Bellflower, Norwalk, South Gate, and is the group's office for Denti-Cal and Medi-Cal patients.

Two useful tie-breakers: the treatment menus differ by office (each location page lists what that office offers), and Rio Hondo is the group's office for Denti-Cal and Medi-Cal patients. If you're still unsure, call whichever office is closest — the front desk will tell you plainly whether another office is a better fit.