City Center Dental Spa

March 2009

Hi all, I'm desperate for a decent dentist that takes DeltaCare USA. These are the providers they list in the area. If you have any experience (neg. or pos.) with any of these providers, I would be extremely grateful!! (Unfortunately, DeltaCare USA is an 'individual' insurance plan and NOT the same as regular Delta insurance. So sending me your favorite dentist who takes Delta but isn't on this list will sadly not help. Sigh.) Thank you so much!!

I would steer clear of City Center Dental Spa in Oakland. Their office is beautiful and they seduce you with cookies and juice (strange for a dental office, I know). But you get pressured into doing treatments, encouraged to take out loans to cover work that has to be done ''immediately'' or something horrible will happen to all your teeth. I did the work, and had to pay additional 5k out of pocket, because they made a mistake with the insurance company. I've not received a bill explaining the cost or what was done. On top of all that, a year later, I still have pain in the teeth that were treated. This, unfortunately, seems to be a very typical experience. anon

Jan 2005

Does anyone have any experience with the dentists at City Center Dental Spa at the Rotunda (in downtown Oakland in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza)? It is one of the few dental offices that take my insurance plan and I would appreciate any comments on them. The dentists in the practice are John Burns, John VanCamp, and William Castillo. Thanks.

I went to ''City Center Dental Spa'' in Downtown Oakland for the same reason. (My insurance changed and they became on of the few providers.) They spent a lot of time doing initial assessment. I mean two hours when they told me it would take 45 minutes to an hour. I appreciate thorough but... Be careful. They recommended a lot of work... about $4K worth. Strangely none of it was covered by my provider Delta Dental. I had them do one thing and the Dentist (Castillo) was skilled. They made me feel that it was necessary to do the work...all of it and ASAP.

I felt pressured and unsure about the rest of the work and went back to my old dentist who offered a second opinion at no charge. He said he tends to be ''conservative in treatment'' but there was only one issue in his opinion that needed immediate attention. I let him do the work on this filling. It has been a year and a half since my first contact with City Center Dental Spa and have had no painful consequences of not following their advice. I have considered a complaint to the board regulating Dentistry but don't have the time. I would be very cautious about having them work on you. jb

I just started going to City Center Dental. They seem nice and the dentist I saw was very professional. I got the sense that they might push the cosmetic stuff a bit but other than that, I liked them. Plus they give you hand massages or a lavender pillow - it's a nice set-up, especially for those of us who hate going to the dentist. anon

City Center Dental Spa ... Every filling has had to be re-done at LEAST twice, (for both my husband and myself) and recently (November 04), the dentist drilled and put a temp crown on the WRONG TOOTH!!!! To add insult to injury, he tried to convince me that I was having pain in that tooth anyway. -Tooth Ache in Oakland