Seeking a Dentist in the East Bay

Parent Q&A

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  • Dentist's dentist wanted

    Jun 24, 2022

    For most of my early adult years I had a great dentist - he retired years ago and since then I've been through too many dentists who have just been not great. Here's the deal, I have a LOT of fillings, crowns, etc, I don't have great teeth to start with. After so long and so much work I'm REALLY aware of a good vs. not good dentist. The last one I found was pretty good but is on his way out and the new dentist is a hard NO trying to sell me everything under the sun.

    I'm looking for a recommendation for a TOP dentist - HONEST for starters, who won't try to tell me I need things done that I don't, SKILLED where I don't leave feeling the rough edges of a filling because they didn't take the time to make sure it was done right, UP TO DATE on the latest in their industry and a CLEAN office that doesn't look like it's from the 70's. If you have a great dentist, PLEASE share - you can message me privately, I know we get protective of our dentists, belive me! TIA

    I recommend Modern Dentistry in San Francisco. He is the dentist for most of the Giants. Nice modern facilities and he's really honest and nice. Expensive though because he's not in-network for Delta

    I love Dr. Mizono’s office in Albany.  He came recommended by an orthodontist who got to see everyone’s dental work.  He was right, everyone there is great! 

    I’ve been seeing Dr. Nuttle in Pinole for 20 years and love her! Her number is 510-724-5100 She’s experienced, straightforward, listens, and honest. 

    i highly recommend peter heckler in orinda. modern office, excellent staff and hygienists. everyone is top notch professional as well and very welcoming. peter is an excellent dentist, a genuinely nice guy AND does no upselling. he works with his patients in a very ‘team’ oriented way. easy access off the freeway.  my husband and i both travel from alameda to see him. he’s well worth it.

    Rajiv Anand and Jethani 2300 Durant Ave Berkeley.  They took over from James Olson DDS a few years ago when he retired (gradually) and are both Excellent in every way.  Parking lot in the back.  Excellent hygienists as well for past 45 years.

    Dr. Ferrier, DDS - Lafayette, 925-2830313. Extremely honest, never tries to sell extra procedures, excellent work.

    Dr Nami Cho in SF, Union Square. Professional, friendly, no upselling. She took over this practice a handful of years ago and it’s still going strong, even through the pandemic. Office staff and hygienists are great, too. 

    I really love my dentist Dr. Wenli Loo in San Francisco. Her office is north of Union Square so parking is not great, but I'm ok taking public transit. I went to her even when I lived on the peninsula.

    Just a few weeks ago, I felt bite pain for a few days on one molar and I went in for a checkup just to make sure everything was ok. (Like you, I have A TON of fillings.) She looked at the tooth carefully, took several x-rays, and said she couldn't see anything wrong. She explained that sometimes we bite down a little misaligned and bruise the tooth a little. I went home happy that my tooth didn't need further treatment. (I have Guardian PPO so I'm not sure if she would have charged anything otherwise, but AFAIK I wasn't billed.)

    There have also been several instances where she's told me about a tiny cavity I could see that she was monitoring, but didn't want to fill right away. And with diligent brushing, flossing, and coming in for my cleaning every 6 months, I haven't needed it filled yet.

    When I actually did need a crown, it was because I had cracked a fragile tooth on something. She made the experience fairly comfortable (given what it was) and made extra sure everything was flush and aligned and exact. I've never had an issue with fillings leaking with her, like I have with other dentists. Sometimes I feel like I diligently take care of my teeth because she's so diligent in taking care of them!

    Her office is super clean and modern, and the windows open so I've always felt safe COVID-wise in there. A bonus is that even though she only sees me twice a year, she always remembers to ask about my family, especially my widower dad and my new baby.

    After my beloved dentist of 25 years retired, I started seeing Dr. Matthew Herrington In Lafayette for the last year and a half and can highly recommend him. Office staff are efficient and on top of things. He is wonderful: very straightfoward and talks though my options and lets me decide. The dental work itself is great, too. He was meticulous about the feel of the crown in my mouth and the color matching. They have very good covid protocols, too. The office is cold because they have powerful air filters running in every treatment room. My husband works in dental insurance and believe me, he is a stickler for how things are billed and will not tolerate upselling in any way shape or form, and he also really likes this practice. 

    Dr. Jeremy Velasco in downtown SF, just a ten minute walk north from Powell Station. My family and I have been seeing him for a decade, he is THE BEST. Never upsells on unnecessary procedures, meticulous work, and often will skip charging me, or will discount, on one thing or another, because he knows I’m paying out of pocket. Also the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. I just love him. He has a thousand five star yelp reviews. Check him out. And good luck!

    Run to Dr. Cynthia Cox. She's in Oakland (34th and Telegraph) and is the best dentist I have ever had. I have dental trauma from a terrible dentist in my childhood, and she's the only person who puts me at ease, looks at my teeth without judgement, and is honest about pricing and what needs to be prioritized in terms of work, etc. I can't recommend her enough. 510-601-6500. 

    I love Dr. Kobayashi on San Pablo in Albany. The staff are friendly, efficient and welcoming, and Dr. Kobayashi is smart, involved, and doesn't try to upsell us. For example, I know many dentists have a standard procedure of removing a child's wisdom teeth- his perspective on my kid was that the molars are coming in fine, they're not impacted, and there is plenty of room in the mouth so extractions aren't necessary. Very clean office that feels modern.

  • I’m looking for a caring, professional dentist for adults who accepts insurance from Direct Dental.  I’ve had bad luck in the past with my dental care and have unfortunately developed complications that now need expert care.  Can you recommend a dentist with exemplary skills and kindness who has time available in his or her schedule to see a new patient?  I would be deeply grateful to hear from anybody who has a recommendation for me!

    My dentist Dr. Kobayashi on San Pablo is excellent. My daughter and I have been going there for years, and my brother started going there as well.  Office staff (Jessica in particular) are stand-outs. 

  • Moms and Dads:  I've browsed through the past listings in the archives, but many of the reviews are 10 years old or more! I would appreciate a recommendation for a dentist in the area Berkeley - El Cerrito. I have multiple cavities and crowns and have more to do, so I'm looking for an excellent dentist who doesn't oversell but is good at evaluating what is needed and good at making it work. If you would add a sentence or two of the type of work you have had done by your recommended dentist, it would be much appreciated. Please answer through BPN. Thank you!

    Berkeley Hills Dentistry

    Dr. Vagan Tapaltsyan, DDS, PhD
    1760 Solano Ave #309, Berkeley, CA 94707

    It is one of best dental offices that I've been to. The dentist and receptionists are kind and willing to help patient understand what's going on. I would recommend to go to this office.

    Highly recommend Dr. Vagan Tapatsyan (Berkeley Hills Dentistry on Solano Av in Berkeley). My husband, I and four of our friends go there. We’ve done different treatments and everyone is very satisfied and happy with the work done.

    August 19, 2020.  We see Dr. Erwin Yeh at Walnut Square in Berkeley.   We've been at his practice for a good five years, myself, my husband (both middle-aged and getting to that point of needing more work) and our young adult son.   We've had cavities filled and crowns as well.    We came to Dr. Yeh after going to what we thought was a good practice, with more conservative dentists.    But with Dr. Yeh, we realized that our previous dental practice was very corporate.   Dr. Yeh's practice is like a family-owned practice.   We also found that our previous dentist had pushed more interventions than we really needed.   Dr. Yeh is a serious, lovely person with a great deal of integrity and all those who work in his office are just wonderful.  Check it out. 

    Wolfgang Boeck, DDS is excellent. I highly recommend him.  I had a lot of work done by him: many crowns (one of them a very complicated case of a tooth that was declared hopeless by another dentist), two implant crowns. 
    He is German and has both German and US dental degrees. 
    He is quite expensive, that’s the only downside. :)

    Recommend Ken Mizono on 730 Kains Ave in Albany 510-525-2900 and Meeta Doshi at 2999 Regent st near Ashby Ave in Berkeley

    I've been going to Dr. Devigal, in North Berkeley, since I was a kid. He's wonderful, however I have good teeth. My dad, however, has horrible teeth and he also loves Dr. Devigal! I have only ever gotten my teeth cleaned, and a mouth guard fitted. My dad though, has had some cavity work done, as well as some crown maintenance.

    Ellen Pacleb DDS on Solano in Albany. Excellent conservative dentist, and hygienists. Well managed COVID. 

    Check out Dr. Cho.  I would give her a 5 star rating.  Been with her for many years and was with the dentist who retired for decades.  She's no a nonsense dentist and gives me what I believe to be honest and accurate recommendations as to what treatments I need and how quickly I need them.  I still have all of my teeth, so she/we must be doing something right. 
    Not only is she a wonderful dentist, but she also has worked with me to schedule treatments to minimize the benefits I receive from my insurance company.  

    Jennifer H. Cho DDS 
    2915 Telegraph Ave Suite # 303,
    Berkeley, CA 94705  near Ashby, 
    (510) 996-4955

    We like Crown Dental on San Pablo near Schmidt. been going there for years.

    Another vote for Dr. Erwin Yeh. They are very busy, but always polite and I appreciate that both the dental hygienist and Dr. Yeh take time to patiently answer questions. I've never experienced them pushing any treatments.  Good luck! Fortunately there are many good dentists in these areas.

  • Does anybody have a recommendation for a good and trusted dentist who also accepts Guardian Dental? 

    I have Guardian Dental, and my dentist, Scott Levine — who has been my dentist for decades — takes it. I'm really happy with him and his office.

    https://www.berkeleydentistry.com

  • Pediatric Dentist

    Jun 12, 2019

    Hello!

    We are looking for an East Bay dentist who specializes in pediatrics and does well with reticent toddlers. Any one have a favorite they'd like to rec?

    Thanks!

    We have been happy with POW in Albany. Have tried both Aloha and Dr. Nick and prefer POW for a variety of reasons having to do with how they handle treatment - feel like POW is more considerate of children and their temperaments.

    Aloha Pediatric Dentistry.  Have been going for 16 years, 2 kids.

  • Dentist in West Contra Costa

    Jul 10, 2018

    My old dentist retired, and I am looking for a new dentist in West Contra Costa for me and my two young children.  I prefer old school dentists who take a non-interventionist approach.  I am particularly interested in someone who will not push me to remove perfectly fine metal fillings to replace them with composite fillings.  I also prefer someone with decades of experience.  This comes from a bad experience with a dentist in the area who pushed me to replace a filling that didn't need to be replaced, cracked my tooth while doing it, then couldn't figure out what the pain was from despite multiple return visits.  I finally had to go to my childhood dentist in San Ramon (an old school non-interventionist guy with decades of experience) who figured out the problem right away and was able to fix the damage.    

    Rodney Kim, DDS, on San Pablo in El Cerrito. Definitely old-school, non-interventionist, basic dentist. I recommend him.

    Dr. Thibault in Pinole- I found him after seeing a dentist in Walnut Creek that wanted to drill seven holes in my teeth for no reason. It’s hard to find honest dentists.

  • Hi there,

    I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a dentist in the East Bay who specializes in the removal of old fillings to minimize absorption of amalgam in the body.

    Thank you!

    No responses received.