La Clínica Dental Services
Parent Q&A
Hi - Our 8 year old goes to La Clinica Children's Dental of Children's Hospital/UCSF Benioff. It's fine. The negatives: I think we see a different provider every time we go and when he was 4, they were constantly trying to give him flouride treatments, based I think on assumptions made about low income populations and food. I simply refused the flouride treatments until he was older and seemed to need one and have had all positive experiences there. He had two cavities starting last year and they used a paint on treatment that kept them from developing further, so no drilling, which was pretty fantastic.
Hi,
La Clinica Dental on 4881 Telegraph in Oakland accepts Medical. Both my kids go there and although you have a different dentist every time, they are all professional and amazing.
Try La Clinica Dental at Children's Hospital, located on 4881 Telegraph Ave, Temescal neighborhood, Oakland, phone: 510-428-3316. My son has Medi-Cal as a kid who was in the foster care system, and that's where we go. You don't get to always see the same dentist, but the care is just fine.
We're very happy with La Clinica Dental at Children's Hospital. My kids started going there when they were 3 and 5. Their experiences have been pretty positive.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2012
Re: Medi cal dentist for my toddler?
We recently took my daughter to the La Raza Dental Clinic at Childrens Hospital Oakland. They were very, nice, did a thorough job and my daughter was comfortable. Making the appt was easy. They had the ability to look up her Medi Cal infor right on the spot and were very helpful. I highly recommend them. I tried Longlife Dental and it was a nightmare. VERY long phone wait and then the person was unable to do anything efficiently.
fan of La Raza Dental
April 2012
Re: Healthy Families Dentist
The pediatric dentists at La Clinica de La Raza are truly excellent. My son started off at a fancy pediatric dentist but when we discovered he had multiple cavities we applied for Healthy Families! La Clinica has facilities in Fruitvale and at Children's Hospital; we've gone to the Fruitvale clinic for the past couple years because a client of mine was a dentist there, but now we're thinking of transferring over to Children's Hospital because it's more convenient. La Clinica is strictly no frills but they have really dedicated and superlative practitioners. I don't think it matters who you see; they're all wonderful. My son has had five fillings, cleanings, flouride treatments, and sealant put on his molars there. Hopefully now we can avoid more dental work in the future (except preventative)! Anna
Oct 2011
Re: Dentist for special needs child who accepts medicare
Please go to La Clinica Dental at Childrens Hospital Oakland. They happily take MediCal, have excellent dentists (Dr. Rothman is the head dentist and very experienced and kind, if you want to specifically ask for him), and take care of kids with a variety of special needs. I think you will be happy with the services you receive. Call 510-428-3316
Jan 2010
Re: Gentle dentist for fearful adult
Just came back from my 3 year old son's first appointment at La Clinica and can't say enouh good about it. This place really understands children from its disney decor to its smiley face x-ray aprons and from its gentle staff to its child- sized intruments.
My son was atypically difficult and freaked-out but the dentist and hygenist went out of their way to make the visit pleasant. They let him sit on my lap and lay back into the dentist's lap for the exam and cleaning when he refused the chair. They tried multiple times to get x-rays but didn't force the issue when he refused. Despite his tears, the dentist patiently cleaned his teeth and gave me great advice on how to care for them.
We saw Dr. Lee and also observed other dentists, all of whom clearly understand and (most importantly!) like children. The only thing I'd change is the prominent and noisy t.v. in the waiting room but, hey, it's distracting and tuned to PBS. First time mom
Sept 2008
Re: Dentists who accept Medi-Cal
La Clinica de La Raza has two great Dental clinics in Oakland, both in the Fruitvale neighborhood. Their dentists and staff are well trained and well equipped. They certainly take MediCal, and they treat people of all ages, so there are no problems with treating teens. There are also clinics available in Pleasant Hill, Pittsburg and Vallejo. Call (510 )535-4200 for the clinic on Fruitvale Ave or (510) 535-4000 for the clinic at Fruitvale Village (right by the BART station). If she's going to age out of MediCal on her 18th birthday, be sure to tell the people making appointments, so they can get her in quickly. love La Clinica
Yes! We started using La Clínica Dental at Children's Hospital when my kids had medi-cal and have continued using them now that we have private insurance. You will not get the same dentist every time, because they rotate days and shifts, but you do often get the same or similar hygienists. The care is excellent, and I feel confident that they are not pushing me into interventions or procedures we do not need.
My three year old son has been going to Clinica Dental all of his short life. For us it's only been check ups and cleaning, nothing major, but Clinica Dental has been just fine. Good communication, easy parking, good care. Because it's not a private practice you don't get to see "your" dentist, but rather whomever is scheduled. We've seen a different dentist each time, but they've all been very good. They are strict about time -- don't be late!
They are AMAZING there and I couldn't recommend them more highly. It's super-clean, professional, and they know how to take care of kids in what can be a traumatic and scary situation. We had terrible experiences (the opposite in all ways I described above) with two private physicians. I won't name the private practitioners, but I am obliged to warn you and any other readers to avoid Youthful Tooth on Edgewater in Oakland. One child died there, and they didn't let the mom come in as it was happening (this was in the news). There are a handful of chairs, literally a few feet from each other in a very crowded room. No privacy (or protection from the crying and screaming of the other kids). They missed a few of my son's cavities and insisted they would pull those they did find. We went to La Clinica and they found the ones that the other place didn't, and filled those they did. It was a painless experience for him. I'm so grateful that Medi-Cal allows me to go there.