Rodney Kim, DDS
Archived Q&A and Reviews
May 2009
I am trying to find a dentist for my son who will be three in June. I am looking for someone between Richmond and Berkeley. He has Delta Dental USA (HMO of Delta). His assigned dentist is Rodney Kim in El Cerrito and I only saw one negative review online. Has anyone had any personal experience with Dr. Kim? Has anyone had any of the dentists in this network for their kids? They all seem to be general practitioners and I was hoping to use some who has experience with kids and in a place that is ''cold'' like most adult dentists. Any recommendations good or bad would be great. H.
I posted a response recently to someone asking about him. The short answer is Dr. Kim traumatized my 2 year old. He is cold, his office is sterile and not child friendly at all. In fact, he does not have any pediatric dental supplies and told me as much. He just walked into the room -without introducing himslef and tried to jam some dental instrument in his mouth. Of course my son screamed and I scooped him up and got him out of there. He told me that he could not do a referral to a ped. dentist without an exam (which I found out was a lie, that he just wanted Delta to pay him for a visit). After talking to his staff and to Delta, we got the referral that I originally wanted to go to Dr. Sabbadini in Pinole who is absolutely wonderful. He has many (and all positive) reviews on BPN and elsewhere on the web. My advice to you is to be firm with Dr. Kim's office about needing the referral and keep in contact with Delta to back you up. Unfortunately, because of the way the insurance works, you'll need a referral for every visit. not a fan of Dr. Kim
March 2006
My daughter and I were patients of Dr. Rodney Kim in El Cerrito for three years until my insurance changed to one that he did not take. My daughter was age 2-5 when she went there. Dr. Kim is a no-nonsense, no small-talk dentist. He will try for the most practical and non-obtrusive treatments, if treatments are needed. He was a refreshing change from my past dentists who seemed more like used car salesmen. A co-worker's elderly mother is also a patient of Dr. Kim, and she really likes his work but also commented that he doesn't talk much. His office staff and hygenists have all been nice. -- pretty good teeth
Jan 2005
My family and I have been patients of Dr. Rodney Kim for about three years. I like it that we go in, have our teeth cleaned, and go out. No measuring ''pockets,'' no offers of whitening or ''deep-cleaning,'' no claims that I need a root canal (which a dentist told me 15 years ago that I desperately needed and never got and I have been fine). Dr. Kim is quick and quiet. I am so happy to finally have a denist who doesn't try to sell me services I don't need. -- happy mouth
My daughter and I love Rodney Kim in El Cerrito, we've been going off and on (depending on changes in insurance) for 17 years. He doesn't try to do anything "extra," just gets the teeth cleaned and checks for problems and we're out the door. When my daughter was 2-3 years old, however, he said that if he found any cavities he didn't have equipment small enough to fill them. So not sure about a 7 year old, so you should check with him.
Rodney Kim, DDS, on San Pablo in El Cerrito. Definitely old-school, non-interventionist, basic dentist. I recommend him.