Brian M Assael, DDS

There’s a reason Dr. Assael has nothing but five-​star reviews. He deserves 10 in my book.
I’d been through a handful of so-​so dentists before Dr. Assael and was gun shy and skeptical of all dentists at the point I found him. From the first moment he spoke and started to examine my mouth, it was evident that I was in such awesomely competent hands that I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
It is hard, in a quick review, to explain what makes a dentist great. Knowledge, confidence, communication skills, compassion, physical skills, the staff, the office. Dr. Assael gets five stars on every one of those. But there is also that ineffable part, the part that tells me «I can trust this person.» He has that.

I’ve always disliked dentists, but Dr. Assael’s office is as good as it gets! My first time in, he gave me a great pep talk about flossing regularly. He was careful to not guilt me into it, but provided some really good reasons why I needed to be more diligent, which was exactly what I needed to hear. For the last year I’ve been flossing regularly for the first time in my life.
I needed some minor work done, which he made painless and comfortable despite my TMJ. He was warm, chatting with me about his daughters, and extremely knowledgeable when I asked him some questions. Not only that, I’m always in-​and-​out within 30 minutes when it’s just a basic cleaning.
His staff is equally as friendly. Not only that, because I’m self-​employed and have terrible insurance, they generously gave me almost 50% off my last cleaning as a discount! I’ll continue to recommend Dr. Assael to everyone I know.

Dr. Assael is awesome. He’s so friendly and extremely thorough with his work. I’ve had some only minor work done but he’s always walked me through everything he planned on doing. Super friendly, super easy to talk to, puts you right at ease because let’s be honest, who wants to go to a dentist ever?! HIs entire staff is so nice and helpful. The best dentist I’ve ever had and I’d recommend him to anybody! Thanks Dr. Assael! You are one of a kind!

Dr. Assael is FANTASTIC. A couple of years ago I went to a cheap dentist because I was an idiot and she completely messed up four of my teeth. Dr. Assael came to the rescue — took out her horrific work and redid everything perfectly. I had some long-​term issues and ended up having to get two root canals because of the original mess, and Dr. Assael basically held my hand through the whole process. He’s the rare kind of specialist who has both technical proficiency and just enough artistry to understand that detail work is really important. The work he did on my teeth not only eliminated my pain, it also felt so comfortable in my mouth that I barely notice the difference. He also gave me a break on the price when I didn’t have insurance, which was awesome. He’s an all around nice guy and a really good dentist.
Oh, and his receptionist Teresa is the kind of woman who remembers everyone and everything, and always has a kind word and a smile. If I were her boss, I’d pay her whatever she asked!

The epitome of service, quality and old-​fashioned values! Always feel at home here. Up to the minute technology meets old world neighborhood dentist!

I met Dr. Assael about 30 years ago in the dental industry when we worked in the same office. He was a passionate and driven doctor and I was his RDA. It was a pleasure to work with him because he was caring, personable, professional and provided the highest quality dental care. Working in the dental field I understand the difference between good and bad health care. Dr. Assael has been my dentist ever since we met because I can trust him. If you want the best quality dental care ever, go see Dr. Assael and his staff. You will be very happy.

He’s no longer in my dental insurance’s network, but I miss him. Dr. Assael is competent, friendly, efficient, and always did a good job. He was good with our children also. His prices are relatively high, and the insurance he takes is limited, but perhaps that goes with the territory.

Broke a tooth on a Sunday and came to Unilocal to find a dentist. After seeing nothing but five stars for Dr Assael, he was an easy choice. I called at 9:00 AM on Monday and was in the chair before 11:00 AM. The only comment that gave me pause was a review that said he might be more expensive. However, in my case, he suggested repairing the tooth at 5% of the cost of a gold crown. I left his office in under an hour with a repaired tooth. I made an appointment for next week for general dentistry as I now have a great new dentist

Dr. Assael is hands down the best dentist I have ever had. I moved to Southern California this year, and have yet to find a dentist who even comes close! He managed to make dental work as painless as it can possibly be, and I finally stopped dreading visiting the dentist. Theresa is wonderful, and always makes sure your appointments are scheduled as needed. I miss the whole office!

This is the best experience I have ever had at a dentist or doctor. I had a toothache and my regular dentist was super unhelpful and wouldn’t give me an appointment until days later. I called Dr. Assael’s office and they brought me in for an emergency appointment that morning. The receptionist was so helpful and sweet, and Dr. Assael was super knowledgeable and patient. He took the time to explain my options to me and didn’t pressure me into a decision either way. He didn’t act rushed at all even though I knew that they had squeezed me in and he was way behind. They were respectful of the fact that I don’t have dental insurance and so were careful to only do the procedures that were absolutely necessary at the time. A truly wonderful practice; I will be going here from now on.

Very nice first vist. Dr Assael is very meticulous and caring. Seems genuinely interested in his clients’ well-​being. Glad our family found his practice.

all who go to Dr. Assael are the lucky ones.

I’ve been coming to Dr. Assael since I was in middle school. I’m 27 now and finally I have dental coverage, but I cannot stress the importance of the dental security Brian and Theresa have provided me over the year I didn’t have any. They accept cash, and will work with you to get you back in action rapidly, as well as to sustain a decades old culture of courtesy, hygiene, and compassion in the office. As long as Brian and Theresa keep the office open, and I can plan ahead, I’m not going anywhere else!

My experience with Dr. Assael, his staff and practice was absolutely fantastic. Everything is very well organized, the exam rooms and all equipment is very modern and very clean — and yes, he uses state of the art digital x-​ray equipment. You see blue skies and trees from the dentist chair which is also very soothing and comforting.
Dr. Assael made sure that he explained every procedure in detail as well as any pros and cons of the various treatment options. He has profound knowledge in his field and the passion for his work clearly translates to how deeply he cares for the well-​being of his patients. His warm-​hearted humor and anecdotes make you feel so relaxed that going to the dentist becomes a very pleasant experience.
ALL his staff is also very friendly and kind-​hearted — I had the absolute pleasure to meet Theresa the receptionist and Ma, one of Dr. Assael’s assistants.
Dr. Assael’s practice doesn’t make you feel like a number or insurance case but meet you like a real human being. Dr. Assael is the dentist you always hoped you would find someday but thought he doesn’t exist — well, think again — I am so glad I found Dr. Assael and would not hesitate a second to highly recommend him to my family, friends or colleagues.

My entire family and many of my friends go to Dr. Assael — he is the best, and Teresa is the sweetest receptionist ever! It’s actually a pleasure to go to the dentist. If you’re looking for a dentist, call him right away — and if you already have a dentist, switch to Dr. Assael!

My teeth are so clean!
I’ve had 4 – 5 appointments now, and I still think Dr. Assael and his office are amazing. He’s done a root canal and permanent crown, filled another cavity, and given me a cleaning.
All of his work has been phenomenal. He is gentle with his novocaine needle and a perfectionist about his care. He explains what he’s doing without overwhelming you. He made sure that my temporary crown was comfortable, and went out of his way to make sure I was satisfied with the color match of my permanent crown when he put it in. He has personally called me several times in the evening after appointments to make sure that everything feels good. He cleaned my teeth himself, and they feel absurdly clean. In fact, they feel more clean than they did when my last dentist (3 – 4 years ago) gave me a $ 600 «deep-​clean» (which in hindsight I think was worthless). He takes pride in his work, which has shown in every single appointment. He clearly wants you to be satisfied and to have the healthiest mouth possible — definitely a dentist with integrity.
Plus, he’s just a really nice, likable guy. The night before my last appointment, my bf surprised me with a stay in a nearby sf hotel, so Dr. Assael was telling me about a great hotel at a nearby beach, and before I left, he called his wife to get the name of it for me. Sweet :)
Did I mention that they not only took my delta dental insurance, but also worked with me to make sure it covered as much as possible, and that my out-​of-​pocket cost was minimized as much as possible? Yes, yes they did.
I’ve gone from fearing dentists, to telling friends and co-​workers about my amazing dentist. I can’t sing his praises loudly enough. If you want a great dentist, call Dr. Assael.

I’ve never had a better dentist.
After a long ordeal of looking for a good dentist in Berkeley I found Dr. Assael by looking through the Berkeley Parents Network for reviews. I had been to three different dentists for a filling that was causing me problems — basically I spent about a year not chewing on one side of my mouth because of it. Three fillings, from three different dentists, all of whom thought it would be better to try and sell me teeth whitening rather than fix my tooth (and my teeth are white enough, thank you).
Anyway, Dr. Assael said he would try his best to fix it and he did — he’s a miracle worker as far as I’m concerned. And best of all he doesn’t try to push expensive procedures or products that you don’t need. He along with the rest of his staff are very kind people and have a sense of humor. Oh yes, and anyone who geeks out over dentistry like Dr. Assael does is ok in my book.

Dr Assael is the unofficial dentist of my workplace. All my co-​workers recommended him and they were not wrong: he’s great. Good sense of humor, very gentle and thorough, and very aware of the reality of insurance; i. e, scheduling and procedures so that insurance will actually pay for them. He cleaned my teeth himself and filled a cavity the same day (so I didn’t have to spend one of my two annual insurance-​allotted office visits on that) He and his excellent staff were really concerned that I be comfortable and informed about my teeth: he used a little micro-​camera to show me my cavity and how my wisdom teeth were coming in. He was very liberal with the anesthesia and gave me more when I said I wasn’t numb enough. Also, his office manager Theresa is just the sweetest thing on two legs.
Great experience, great dentist, great staff. Highly recommended. Takes any insurance that allows you to choose your own dentist. Also has (limited) off-​street parking that you don’t have to pay for.

«Let’s have fun with this!» Dr. Assael said as he turned on the TV connected to the magic little camera-​wand he would put inside my mouth. And off he went to drill out my cavity, taking pictures along the way! Yesterday marked a major milestone for me – my very first filling – and I’m glad my awesome new dentist did it.
After 3+ years of driving back to my old hometown for checkups, I decided it might be a good idea to find a dentist closer to my current residence. I made my first appointment with Dr. Assael about a month ago. He is out of my insurance’s network (I have Guardian), but, as the website states, he accepts any insurance that allows patients to choose their own dentist. Of course, I double-​checked with Theresa at the front desk. Since that first cleaning and yesterday’s filling, everything has gone off without a hitch (yes, including the insurance stuff). Everything about this practice is just pleasant, and everybody is so kind. Ack! Just book your next appointment there already, OK?

I just paid $ 843 to a dentist because they weren’t on my provider list, didn’t check my information prior to the appointment, and were unwilling to work something out.
I heard about Dr. Assael’s office from a co-​worker of my wife and verified on Unilocal.Prior to going into Dr. Assael’s office I provided my insurance information (I’m on my wife’s plan) to the front desk. I assumed that they checked the coverage before my visit. However I was unaware that the plan had changed (my bad) and my dental insurance did not cover Dr. Assael.
About a month after the visit I got a call saying that since I had no insurance they were going to bill me. I said, I wish that you told me this before I came in and had work done, but send me the bill. The bill came and it was $ 843.
I called the office and asked if we could work something out. i explained that the bill seemed very high, that I had offered to bring in my previous dental radiographs and gave them the name of my previous dentist (they told me no need as they are covered by insurance), and that I never would have gotten the two minor cosmetic fillings for some buckling had they told me i was uninsured. They told me sorry.
I said I’d really like to resolve this and I am happy to pay for the work that needed doing (repair of a cracked filling) as I had been in a bit of a rush to get it done but that I was unhappy paying the full amount, and that I would likely post something to Unilocal.
At that point the front desk person accused me of blackmail and got rather nasty.

My experience at the actual appointment was good. Dr. Assael seemed skilled and was very personable as was his assistant. Also my initial experience with his front desk was positive.
So I would rate the dental care a 4 or 5. But for the cost and my negative experience with billing/​pre-​checking my insurance, and name-​calling, I’m giving them a 1.