Smile Studio Dental Clinic
According to our open methodology, this clinic scored 58.3/100 for transparency, reputation, service accessibility, and digital visibility.
Overall rank: #7 of 12 ranked clinics · Last checked: 26 August 2026
Positions by Rating Profile
- Overall Transparency & Trust#758.3/100
- Best for Expats#858.5/100
- Best for Dental Implants#952.5/100
- Best for Emergency Dental Care#860.3/100
- Best Price Transparency#640.5/100
- Best English-speaking Clinics#863.5/100
- Best for Families / Children#561.5/100
- Sleep Dentistry (GA / deep sedation)#258.3/100
General Anaesthesia & Deep Sedation
Whether the clinic documents treatment under general anaesthesia or deep / twilight sedation — "sleep dentistry", where the patient is asleep and unaware (does not feel, see, or hear the procedure). Ordinary conscious sedation, where the patient stays awake and responsive, does not count here. This is informational and does not affect the transparency score.
- ✓ General anaesthesia / deep sedation (sleep dentistry) — General anaesthesia / deep sedation documented Site sedation page: General Anesthesia available for certain cases under medical supervision, distinguished from conscious sedation. [smile-studio-gangnam-sedation]
Summary
English-speaking cosmetic-focused dental clinic in Gangnam-gu specializing in veneers and orthodontics, with implants, general and pediatric dentistry also offered. Led by Dr. Young-Kyung Kim (Yonsei University; Invisalign-certified). Publishes a Google Maps location and coordinates.
Strengths
- Information Transparency: 18 of 20 points.
- No red flags identified in public sources.
Weaknesses
- Price Transparency: 0 of 15 verifiable points (missing: prices or price ranges published; cleaning price listed; filling price listed; crown price listed; implant price listed; consultation price listed; x-ray / imaging price listed)
Score Breakdown
Every criterion below is scored from public sources. ✓ verified yes · ✗ verified no / not found · ◐ partial · ? unverified (scores 0, not a negative finding).
Information Transparency
Whether basic facts about the clinic - its team, premises, services, and location - are publicly verifiable.
| ✓ | Has a working website [s1] | 4/4 |
| ✓ | Dentist names listed [s1] | 3/3 |
| ✓ | Dentist specializations listed [s1] | 2/2 |
| ? | Real clinic photos | 0/2 |
| ✓ | Service list published [s1] | 3/3 |
| ✓ | Clear contact details [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | English website version [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Address and map published Address, Google Maps link and coordinates published. [s1] | 2/2 |
Price Transparency
Whether patients can estimate costs before visiting. Published price ranges count; exact prices are not required.
Reputation & Reviews
Public review signals. The Google rating is adjusted with a Bayesian prior (rating 4.0, weight 25) so a 5.0 from a handful of reviews does not outrank a 4.8 from hundreds.
| ✓ | Google rating (Bayesian-adjusted) as of 2026-09-26; previously 4.8 [smile-studio-gangnam-gbp-2026-09-26] | 6/6 |
| ◐ | Google review volume as of 2026-09-26; previously 72 [smile-studio-gangnam-gbp-2026-09-26] | 1.5/3 |
| ✓ | Review recency [smile-studio-gangnam-refresh] | 3/3 |
| ✗ | Clinic responds to reviews None of the 10 reviews read (dated 2024-12-28 to 2026-10-01) carries an owner reply on Google. [smile-studio-gangnam-deepen-2] | 0/2 |
| ✓ | No recurring complaints The lowest-rated Google reviews read as three different matters (reused gloves, unsterilised tools together with a doubled charge, and extra orthodontic fees after a change of owner), none repeated three times; 1–2★ ratings are 3 of 95 (3.2 %), so no complaint repeats. [smile-studio-gangnam-deepen-2] | 2/2 |
| ? | No suspicious review patterns Two 1★ reviews on 2025-09-25 and 2025-09-26, from accounts with two and four reviews, make near-identical allegations about reused gloves and tools; the five-star reviews read show no burst reaching 10 % of the base, but the pair keeps the pattern open. [smile-studio-gangnam-deepen-2] | 0/2 |
| ? | Active Facebook presence Not established: the clinic's website (26 pages read 2026-10-02) links no Facebook page and none was found under its website or Instagram name; Facebook itself could not be searched that day. | 0/1 |
| ? | TripAdvisor presence | 0/0.5 |
| ✓ | Other review platforms Listed on Naver Place, Korea's main local review platform, with 276 visitor reviews. [smile-studio-gangnam-platforms] | 0.5/0.5 |
Medical Infrastructure
The range of publicly documented equipment and services. This measures documented availability, not clinical quality.
| ? | On-site X-ray | 0/2 |
| ? | CBCT (3D imaging) | 0/2 |
| ✓ | Implantology Osstem, MegaGen implants. [s1] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Orthodontics Invisalign, braces, clear aligners. [s1] | 2/2 |
| ? | Oral surgery | 0/2 |
| ✓ | Pediatric dentistry [s1] | 1.5/1.5 |
| ✓ | Emergency care Reserves daily slots for emergency walk-ins per emergency search. [s2] | 1.5/1.5 |
| ✓ | Works with international patients [s1] | 2/2 |
Communication & Service
How easy it is to contact the clinic, get answers, and book - especially for international patients.
AI & Search Visibility
Whether the clinic is discoverable when patients search - including via AI assistants. Checked with fixed queries: "best dentist Seoul", "English speaking dentist Seoul", "dental implants Seoul", "emergency dentist Seoul", "Seoul dental clinic for expats".
| ✗ | Mentioned for: best dentist Seoul [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✓ | Mentioned for: English speaking dentist Seoul Appears in English-speaking dentist results. [sq] | 1/1 |
| ✗ | Mentioned for: dental implants Seoul [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✓ | Mentioned for: emergency dentist Seoul Cited for same-day emergency care in emergency search. [sq] | 1/1 |
| ✗ | Mentioned for: Seoul dental clinic for expats [sq] | 0/1 |
| ✗ | Structured data on website No JSON-LD or microdata of a business type in the HTML of the homepage and 3 service pages; no structured data at all. [smile-studio-gangnam-deepen] | 0/1.5 |
| ✓ | Google indexing quality [sq] | 2/2 |
| ✓ | Dedicated service pages Dedicated pages for veneers, whitening, smile design. [s1] [sq] | 1.5/1.5 |
Licensing & Credentials
Whether the clinic publishes its operating licence and the dentists working there together with their professional licence numbers. A verified “not published” is recorded as a red flag; data we have not checked yet is shown as unverified and carries no penalty.
Clinic operating licence: Smile Studio Dental Clinic — HIRA-registered dental clinic (Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service detailed-condition institution finder), Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Hakdong-ro 3-gil 2, EverM Building, B1st floor, 6th floor (Nonhyeon-dong) (HIRA detailed-criteria institution search (region = Seoul, type = dental clinic): searched name variant 'Seumail Seutyudio' (Smile Studio transliteration, typed in Hangul); returned 'Seumail Seutyudio Chigwa-uiwon', address (2 Hakdong-ro 3-gil, EverM Building, Gangnam-gu, B1F/6F) matches clinics.json exactly. 2026-08-26.) [smile-studio-gangnam-lic]
Dentists & professional licences
| Dentist | Specialization | Licence No. |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Young-Kyung Kim [s1] | Chief Director; veneers and orthodontics; Certified Dental Specialist (Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea); Invisalign-certified | not verified |
Dentists are named; their licence numbers have not been checked against public sources yet — unverified, no penalty.
Red Flags
No red flags identified in the public sources we reviewed.
Data We Could Not Verify
- Information Transparency: Real clinic photos
- Reputation & Reviews: No suspicious review patterns
- Reputation & Reviews: Active Facebook presence
- Reputation & Reviews: TripAdvisor presence
- Medical Infrastructure: On-site X-ray
- Medical Infrastructure: CBCT (3D imaging)
- Medical Infrastructure: Oral surgery
- Communication & Service: Response speed
- Communication & Service: Pre-visit consultation possible
Unverified items score 0 points but are not treated as negative findings. If you can document any of them, please send a correction.
Contact Information
| Website | https://www.gangnam.dentist/ |
|---|---|
| Phone | +82-10-8334-2282 |
| +82-10-8334-2282 | |
| Google Maps | Map listing |
| Address | 6F & B1F, EverM Building, 2 Hakdong-ro 3-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea |
Contact details are provided for identification only and may change; verify with the clinic directly.
Sources
| ID | Source | What it supports | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| s1 | https://www.gangnam.dentist/ | Clinic name, address, phone, dentist, services, hours, Google Maps link and coordinates, English support | 2026-07-10 |
| s2 | https://www.gangnam.dentist/emergency-dentist-seoul | Emergency dentistry page and walk-in slots | 2026-07-10 |
| sq | search:English speaking dentist Seoul / emergency dentist Seoul | AI/search visibility scout 2026-07-10 | 2026-07-10 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-sedation | https://www.gangnam.dentist/sedation-dentistry-korea | "General Anesthesia (available for certain cases under medical supervision)"; "While you're still conscious (unless under general anesthesia)..." | 2026-08-25 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-refresh | https://www.google.com/maps/place/Smile+Studios+Dental+Clinic/@37.5… | Google rating 4.8 (72 reviews) as of 2026-08-26, address floor B1-6, 2 Hakdong-ro 3-gil matches record on file. | 2026-08-26 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-lic | https://www.hira.or.kr/ra/dtlCndHospSrch/dtlCndHospSrch.do?pgmid=HI… | searched: Smile Studio, region=Seoul, category=dental clinic — returned 'Smile Studio Dental Clinic', Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Hakdong-ro 3-gil 2, EverM Building B1F,6F (Nonhyeon-dong) | 2026-08-26 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-gbp-2026-09-26 | https://www.google.com/maps?cid=5292894678253445834&hl=en | Google listing read on 2026-09-26: rating 4.9 from 89 reviews; star histogram 1★ 3 / 2★ 0 / 3★ 0 / 4★ 1 / 5★ 85; newest review dated 2026-09-23. | 2026-09-26 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-platforms | https://m.place.naver.com/hospital/1506134278/home | Naver Place: listing of Smile Studio Dental Clinic, 6F and B1F, 2 Hakdong-ro 3-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul: 276 visitor reviews (checked 2026-10-01) | 2026-10-01 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-deepen | https://www.gangnam.dentist/ | HTML of the homepage and 3 service pages read on 2026-10-02: no JSON-LD or microdata declaring Dentist, MedicalBusiness, LocalBusiness, Organization or MedicalClinic; no structured data at all. | 2026-10-02 |
| smile-studio-gangnam-deepen-2 | https://www.google.com/maps?cid=5292894678253445834&hl=en | Google listing "Smile Studios Dental Clinic" (Dental clinic; floor B1 - 6, 2 Hakdong-ro 3-gil, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea), read 2026-10-02 in 2 review orders (lowest-rated first, newest first): 4.9 from 95 reviews (1★ 3 / 2★ 0 / 3★ 0 / 4★ 1 / 5★ 91); 10 distinct reviews read, dated 2024-12-28 to 2026-10-01, 0 with an owner reply. | 2026-10-05 |
Change History
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | Read the clinic's Google listing on 2026-10-02 in 2 review orders (10 distinct reviews, dated 2024-12-28 to 2026-10-01; 4.9 from 95): owner replies false; recurring complaints false. |
| 2026-10-02 | Read the clinic's website HTML on 2026-10-02: structured data: absent. |
| 2026-09-29 | Corrected 2026-09-29: Google rating 4.9 (was 4.8) and review count 89 (was 72) from the Google listing on 2026-09-26. |
| 2026-09-07 | opaque_prices flag removed under methodology v1.4.0 (no evidence of bait/opacity; non-publication is scored by price criteria). |
| 2026-08-26 | License verification 2026-08-26 against HIRA (Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service): clinic confirmed as registered Seumail Seutyudio Chigwa-uiwon at the address on file. No public name-searchable dentist licence register exists in South Korea (lic.mohw.go.kr is document/barcode verification only) — the named doctor left null with that note. |
| 2026-08-26 | Re-verification 2026-08-26: confirmed website live, address/phone unchanged, clinic open. Google Maps lists the business as 'Smile Studios Dental Clinic' (plural) vs. stored 'Smile Studio Dental Clinic' (singular) — noted but not changed since the clinic's own site uses the singular form; same address/coordinates as previously resolved. Newly captured rating 4.8 (72 reviews, most recent review ~1 month old). |
| 2026-08-25 | Recorded sedation / general anaesthesia availability (informational): documented as available. Site sedation page: General Anesthesia available for certain cases under medical supervision, distinguished from conscious sedation. |
| 2026-08-25 | Re-verification 2026-08-25: confirmed website live, address/phone unchanged. A Google Maps place link embedded on the clinic's own site (gangnam.dentist) gave a canonical Maps place URL and pin coordinates, newly recorded; that listing shows the name as "Smile Studios Dental Clinic" (plural) vs. the stored "Smile Studio Dental Clinic" — noted but not changed pending independent confirmation. Could not read star rating or review count — the Maps place page requires JavaScript to render and returned no data to a direct request. |
| 2026-07-10 | Initial data collection. |
A question or a correction?
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