Dentist recommendation in Sunnyvale/Mountain View/Palo Alto?
April 8, 2014 2:37 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking for a dentist who is good at explaining what I need to have done in my mouth. I don't do well with the style of "trust me, you need $$$$ done". I'm the type of person who actually enjoyed (well, found it fascinating) watching myself get a root canal. My favorite dentist - unfortunately, on the other coast - was a professor at the local dental school. She was phenomenal at explaining what was wrong, and the relative merits of different treatments.

The last one I went to gave me a long list of things they wanted to fix, but were unable to coherently explain the relative urgency of the different procedures, so I've shamefully been avoiding dealing with this.

Reasonable prices / cash discount would also be great, as I have no insurance.
posted by Metasyntactic to Health & Fitness (10 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Memail me if you are willing to travel to San Francisco for the world's best dentist.
posted by janey47 at 2:43 PM on April 8, 2014


When I worked in Mountain View I used to see Dr Maryam Amidi and I ADORED her.
posted by joan_holloway at 2:51 PM on April 8, 2014


ditto what janey47 said. We must have the same dentist :)
posted by matildatakesovertheworld at 3:07 PM on April 8, 2014


Now I am wondering whether I have been seeing the same dentist as janey47 and matildatakesovertheworld.

The only problem is that I'm not sure that mine is taking on any new patients, but MeMail me if you want the name; you can always ask them.
posted by Nerd of the North at 4:54 PM on April 8, 2014


A little bit out of range, but I recommend Dr. Showaihat in San Mateo.
posted by freezer cake at 5:12 PM on April 8, 2014


I'm a fan of Smiles Dental in Mountain View. I ask some questions, and they're happy to answer them (although they might not be quite as thorough as you want). Otherwise I've only had positive experiences with them.
posted by unix at 5:42 PM on April 8, 2014


Future Dental Care in Redwood City (actually on the border of Atherton/Menlo Park). Excellent dentist which I have referred others to. A few years back I tried to find another dentist closer to me in the East Bay, but ended up going back to Dr. Shariati. He will discuss in detail what will happen in your mouth. Not the cheapest place to go, but well worth it.
posted by telstar at 6:52 PM on April 8, 2014


Dr. Amy Guthrie WAS in Palo Alto (looks like she's now in Los Altos). If that's within acceptable range for you, she's great! And her hygienist, Ashvin, is the absolute best.

http://www.dr-amy.com

We moved out of California several years ago and haven't found another dentist we like as well as we liked Dr. Amy and her staff. They have lots of neat high-tech stuff and love it when you find it cool too!
posted by Boogiechild at 7:16 PM on April 8, 2014


Dr. Catherine Steinborn (my dentist) is in Santa Clara, which might be a bit further away than you're looking for, but she is definitely the best dentist I've ever had, and she has a wonderful staff of hygenists as well. She explains everything well and is willing to answer any question I throw at her.

I have dental insurance, so I don't know what you'd be looking at cost-wise or if she does discounts for the uninsured, but all else being equal I highly recommend her.
posted by Aleyn at 11:48 PM on April 8, 2014


Seconding the recommendation for Amy Guthrie. She's the best dentist I've ever had, and her practice is congenial and superbly run. She's realistic, compassionate, and will work with you to figure out a practical, affordable plan.

However, in her practice, you establish a regular relationship with one of the (excellent, highly professional) hygienists for routine cleaning. During a typical cleaning appointment, you may not see Amy at all. Some people I know aren't comfortable with this, but it works very well for me.
posted by tangerine at 11:12 AM on April 11, 2014


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