Cosmetic Dentistry

Parent Q&A

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  • Hey everyone!

    Does anyone have a dentist they love in Berkeley or Albany area who has done good crowns and fillings work for them? Bonus if they are good with kids and can be a family dentist, but I’m really looking for me! 

    The dentistry recommendations here tend to focus more on Oakland and Pleasanton recommendations, or else are really dated and recommend folks who have retired. 

    I really like our dentist, Dr Wolfgang Boeck in Berkeley. He is honest and very skilled — I’ve had several crowns, including an implant crown, done by him. My daughter started going to him when she was 10 or so. 

    I have loved my care with Dr. Lawson @ Family & Cosmetic Natural Dentistry. I especially love her more holistic approach. On Solano in Albany.

    This is a little further out then you are looking for but I highly recommend the Dental Center of Hercules. Their dentist Lovely is so good and gentle and she also works on kids! We live in El Cerrito and travel out there just to see her.  We have been going to Lovely for probably 12 years now and have had our fair share of procedures, including cosmetic, and everything has turned out great with little to no pain.

    Highly Recommend Barry Kami DDS - https://www.barrykamidds.com/. I was driving up to Walnut Creek where we had lived a decade ago but was referred to Dr. Kami 12 mo ago. He fixed a very tricky cavity on the front of a visible tooth, and just did a custom crown. Both were completely pain-free and done beautifully. They actually have cutting-edge tech in-house for scanning + x-ray, and can make crowns onsite in 90 min. I will flag that they require 100% payment upfront, and then submit to your insurance who will cut you a check for the covered portion. They submit very quickly and it's never taken me more than 30 days to get my check from dental insurance for their portion, so it aligns to paying credit card bills but want to be transparent about this as know not everyone can front the expense. If you can, you won't find a better dentist!

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  • I checked the archives but there most recent question was from 2016 so I was hoping to see if anyone has had any more recent experience with a local dentist (greater Bay Area) with experience in bruxism and significant teeth wear. Decades of grinding/clenching have been really hard on my teeth and I'm ready to do something more than just prevent future wear. Has anyone had a really positive experience with a dentist locally with regards to restoration and cosmetic dentistry. Thank you in advance!

    Dr frederickson at dental studio SF is the only person i would trust with anything cosmetic and honestly anything dental. I have lots of experience with dentists sadly. He is stellar

    Dr. Watkins in Berkeley, on Woolsey St is the man! 

    He did an excellent job on my complicated case a couple years ago. Can’t recommend him enough. Extremely happy with the result. He also fixed my friend’s teeth and looks amazing.  
    He doesn’t take insurance, though. That’s the saddest part, although he submits the claim to your insurance if you have anything to be reimbursed by them, which helps. 
    His info: (510) 845-1505

    info [at] robertwatkinsdds.com

    Tell that Silvia from Brazil referred you. He will remember, because I am a perfectionist! :-)

    Total Health Dental makes crowns in office and has a cosmetic practice. Consider looking into the cause of the bruxism and if it's at night, consider a sleep study.

  • Veneers/Cosmetic dentistry

    Dec 12, 2016

    Hi all, 

    I am hoping to find some great recommendations for cosmetic dentistry. I have a job that is certainly helped by having a nice, but natural-looking smile. I broke my front tooth out as a preteen and have been stuck with clunky-looking caps and a weird gumline ever since. Between that and my teeth aging and shifting, I am starting to look not so swell. I would like to find a dentist (ideally) who a) does work that they stand behind, b) creates natural-looking/.flattering results (no hyper-white, chicklet teeth, please), c) is not in the business of up-selling, and d) pays attention to the mechanics and health of the whole mouth and jaw. Can anyone speak to experiences they have had, or folks they know of? Thank you!

    Claude Sidi, DDS. He's in SF at 450 Sutter (easily accessible by BART). He's been my dentist for over 20 years, and his work is impeccable. He's everything you are asking for - very, very careful, very knowledgeable, and the results are excellent.  415-391-9748.  As a plus, his office is very well-run; staff are organized, friendly, efficient, and great at dealing with insurance issues.  

    I haven't had any cosmetic dentistry done by them yet, but can recommend Dr. Sandor Hites in Berkeley. (510) 845-6494. It is a "holistic" practice and they definitely look at the structure of the whole head and jaw. I need to have my veneers replaced soon and hope to have that done by them.

    I recommend Dr. Scott Levine in Berkeley. http://www.berkeleydentistry.com/ A friend of mine went to him when his veneer expired (similar situation to yours), and the results were so great that I went to see Dr. Levine to repair a chipped tooth that needed to be repaired. My family has now been seeing Dr. Levine for 10-12 years. He has repaired a number of different chipped teeth of mine (I grind my teeth.), and his repairs last and look extremely natural after one attempt. He does not upsell. Bonus - there is a free parking lot behind his practice, and his staff is wonderful and stays with him for years, because he's a great boss and family guy.

    I'm happy to recommend Dr. Ray Castro who's located in San Pablo on Vale Rd. The whole office staff as well as both the dentists make the dental experience wonderful in every way. They're website is www.bvdds.com and the phone is 510 260 4943 or 236 1662. 

    I got lumineers from Ricky Singh in Berkeley before my wedding years ago and love them!  He definitely meets a, b and c. Not sure about d. 

    Dr. Tom Jow,  (also at) 450 Sutter Street, Suite 2525 is excellent.  His crowns look like real teeth. I highly recommend him.

    415-392-5300

    I'd like to recommend Dr. Brian Assael. I think he's the one you're looking for. He's in Berkeley near Alta Bates. He specializes in this and has an artistic eye. You can see lots of photos of his patients before and after. His office number is (510) 984-3976   

    My family dentist. Ariane Terlet, did such a nice job on a veneer on my top front tooth that I almost started crying with happiness when I saw myself in the mirror!  I had avoided smiling in photos for years. That tooth had a chip in it and also had a fine crack running lengthwise, which had become discolored, and n photos it made it look like I was missing part of my tooth. Ugh. I tried to ignore for years, and even stopped going to the dentist for a while because I didn't think anything could be done. One day I manned up, and she put a veneer on it, and also veneers on a couple other teeth where the enamel had worn and had become discolored. My teeth look so great now! Dr. Terlet is a wonderful dentist. My whole family has been going to her for years, and a bunch of my friends too. She always has the latest equipment, she is very tuned in to whether you are comfortable, and she does not try to talk you into things (thus, my failure to push forward on the veneer for a few years.)  She is also the director of Dentistry at La Clinica, which speaks to her integrity. She's in Berkeley near Alta Bates.

Archived Q&A and Reviews



Expert cosmetic dentist

Dec 2009

I need a recommendation for an expert cosmetic dentist for porcelain veneer in Berkeley. Expert, experienced and ideally, affordable... Many thanks for any advice anonymous


I'm not sure what counts as affordable to you, but Dr. Brian Assael in Berkeley is an excellent cosmetic dentist. He gave me four porcelin veneers on my top front center teeth, and they are beautiful! He is meticulous and will sit and talk details of teeth shape, color, size etc. endlessly with you if you want. He enjoys cosmetic dentistry and it shows. He's very good at it, and has a big book of photos to prove it. Check him ou: http://www.berkeleydds.com/ (His webpage isn't so great though...don't go by that.) Andi
Claude Sidi has been my dentist for over 20 years, and is both an affordable and expert cosmetic dentist. Although I do not have veneers, I have seen the results of his work with other patients, and it is both meticulous and natural-looking. Dr. Sidi has done bonding on the tops of a couple of my teeth, as I have problems with wearing; you would never know by looking at them. I still commute to SF to see him and would not think of going to anyone else. Dr. Sidi's offices are located in the 450 Sutter building--an easy ride on BART to the Powell Street station with a nice 10-minute walk. Also, you won't meet a warmer or more interesting fellow; he's just a lovely person and his staff is exceptional. 415-391-9748. Sarah

East Bay dentist who does good veneers

Feb 2005

Can someone recommend a good dentist in the East Bay that does good veneers at a reasonable price. I have a chip in my front tooth and fillings don't stay. My dentist quoted me something like $1200 per veneer. I don't know what reasonable is, but he seems a bit like a wheeler dealer and I am not comfortable just going for it. Advice would be much appreciated. thanks broken smile

Recommendations received:

  • Cynthia Cox
  • Donald DiRocco

    Artistic porcelain veneers

    Nov 2002

    I am looking for a great cosmetic dentist. Someone who does porcelain veneers and won't make me look like I've just aquired a set of false teeth. I don't smile much as I don't like my teeth; they are discolored from antibiotic use as a child; misshapen with an overbite, and I have too few apparently, which causes other problems. In short, my teeth have lots of cosmetic failings! I saw a DDS in SF by the name of Castaneda who quoted me 43K for upper and lower teeth. It seems awfully high to me, but i have nothing to compare it to. In any case, it is out of my reach entirely. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone competent, well regarded, and artistic? I am willing to travel, even out of the country as I've heard you can do this stuff for less elsewhere. However, my first priority is to get the best job done. Thank you.

    Recommendations received:

  • Angela An SF
  • Jerry Bellen SF
  • Maggie Chao and Scott Keith SF
  • Sean Moran SF
  • Claude Sidi SF