Penelope Yip, DDS

I am a big fan of Dr. Yip and her fabulous staff!
They are so kind, friendly and professional. From the first visit, I felt comfortable and confident in Dr. Yips care. She has also provided me with the most excellent referrals when additional specialized work was needed for my teeth and gums.
Dr. Yip loves her work and it is a pleasure to have her as my dentist.

I’ve been seeing dr yip for over 15 years. She and her staff are excellent at what they do, and friendly and kind, to boot. I’ve never received anything other than excellent care there, and after 15 years of dentistry that’s say a lot, I think. And they never up sell, like all the places my friends talk about pushing veneers and whitening treatments.

I’ve always had what I would term as «high maintenance» dental requirements. I’ve had several dentists through the years and the perfectionist Dr Yip and her very attentive staff have really turned out to be my favorites these last three years. They really have excelled in all areas to keep my smile, intact and the best it can be. When Dr. Yip feels something is beyond their expertise she makes excellent referrals. Just a note, my 83 year old mother is also a patient and is equally pleased.

A great dentist, a great staff. Dr Yip takes the time to make you feel comfortable, and really cares about her patients. Going to get dental work is still not high on my list of enjoyable actives, but it must be done, and it will be done right with Dr Yip and Dr Murphy.

Dr. Penni Yip has been my dentist for 21 years and she’ll be my dentist for another 21 years. There are many words that describe Penni Yip and her practice: excellent, excellence, supreme, skilled, skillful, compassionate, patient, thoughtful, proficient. She cares a lot about the patient’s comfort and concerns. Dr. Yip’s
excellence is mirrored in her staff. Dental and Administrative Assistants Janet, Kathy, and Megan are the best! They know what they are doing and will go out of their way to help you. When I’m there I feel as though I’m among friends. Dr. Yip and her team get 5 stars.

I was introduced to Dr. Yip’s office a little over four years ago, following relocation from Southern California. Almost immediately I could tell why they had come so highly recommended.
Over the course of the past few years, I would say not only have I built a solid relationship with a trusted practitioner, but is some ways I feel like I’ve made friends.
Everyone in the staff is really awesome, and I feel I’m in wonderful hands with both dentists and hygienists! In many ways, I look forward to visits. The professional care that I have received has without a doubt had a significant impact on the way I feel about oral care, and my mouth is loving it as well.

Great office, great dentists. Oh, and really nice equipment.
I came to Dr. Yip’s office after a bad experience with Dr. Bruce Tran’s office. She helped calm some of the anxieties I had about my teeth. Dr. Yip also recommended an electric toothbrush, but when I told her it was too expensive, she told me I could get a Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupon and buy an older model with two brush heads so my husband and I could share. Brilliant! A dentist who shares how to get a good deal? I love it! This advice helped me to finally get an electric toothbrush and my teeth really haven’t been the same since.
Dentists have gone from critiquing my flossing (which I have always done every night since I was 18) to saying, «You are a good flosser!» Really, the difference is in the toothbrush. Thanks Dr. Yip.
She is so beloved that her calendar gets filled months in advance. Her associates are cool too so I don’t mind seeing them. But if you don’t mind waiting or telling them to put you on a waitlist if there is a cancellation, you can get to see Dr. Yip.
The only reason we stopped going here was because our insurance changed from Delta Dental PPO to Delta Dental HMO (which they don’t take here).

First off, I’m not normally a person who likes going to the dentist. Growing up, I knew it to be a painful experience that resulted in more pain (braces!). But, going to Dr. Yip’s office has definitely made me change my mind about that!
I’ve been going to Dr. Yip for the last four years since I moved to Berkeley for school, and have found her office to be friendly, easy to talk to, and very knowledgeable. Dr. Yip herself is very personable, and really knows what she’s doing and talking about when it comes to teeth! She helped me solve my teeth grinding and subsequent sore jaw issues with a night guard, and gave me pointers on how the foods i was eating was affecting my teeth. Her staff and hygienists are always very gentle, and while I still won’t say that going to the dentist is completely painless, they get it the discomfort down to the bare minimum and help distract me by chatting with me as they work.
Now, while I agree that Dr. Yip’s office goes the more cautious route and takes a more aggressive approach to preventative care, I tend to think that this is a positive thing! Getting a few sealants on my teeth was pretty painless, and I can tell you from experience that getting real cavities filled is much less fun, as well as more expensive. She’s never been pushy or suggested anything that I didn’t think would help my teeth. And personally, I’d rather seal up my teeth and keep them from being susceptible to cavities!
In short, Dr. Yip and her staff are very friendly, know what they’re doing, and are very conveniently located near to the Berkeley campus, right off of the 1R stop! And the new office is very modern, with all the latest tech and super comfy chairs!

I have *bad* luck with dentists. They’re usually incompetent or corrupt, in my experience. If they’re not doing something right, then they’re still pushing me to whiten my teeth or some other nonsense.
I’ve been seeing Dr Yip for the past 3 years, and my partner for well over a decade. These are the things that inspire trust:
1. Has never pushed anything other than truly necessary treatments.
2. Has performed those treatments remarkably well.
3. Has warned me «this might pinch for a sec» when I get a novocaine shot… and I never feel it. She has always warned when after drilling at my teeth, I might be in pain afterwards, and to take ibuprofen. I haven’t felt pain yet. I’m not exaggerating when I say the soreness of keeping my mouth open for an hour was the most painful part of any of the work I’ve had done.
4. Instead of sending me to an oral surgeon for an expensive and unnecessary procedure like another dentist did, Dr Yip referred me to Dr John Kwan, who did the same thing to restore my sub-​gum health noninvasively and at a fraction of the cost.
5. She and her entire staff is friendly.
There’s probably more worth mentioning, but it should tell you that I live in the City now, and still happily trek out to Berkeley to see Dr Yip, instead of wasting my time and my oral health with any of the worse dentists here.

The best dental care I have ever experienced. Her beside manner is without compare, Dr. Yip makes me feel like a member of the family. She is careful to explain all my options, and I have no doubt that she has the health and longevity of my teeth as her foremost concern. I enthusiastically recommend her to anyone looking for a new dentist.

I’ve going to Dr. Yips office for years and even though she’s foisted me off on one of the other dentists in the office I still get the excellent care and attention that I’ve come to expect.
I think Ben G’s comments have merit though I wouldn’t have given a negative review for a dentist who recommends the very best and wants to help you keep your teeth for as long as possible. If you don’t feel you need the procedure just smile and say «No thank you.»
And how can you not want to go to a dentist who is the Supreme President of her dental fraternity? :)

I’m way overdue on this review on Dr. Yip’s office! She’s been my dentist, and Andrea my Dental Hygenist for approx 10 years now and I can not say enough good things about them and their practice. I have extreme anxiety when it comes to dental work and have just recently had my second crown placed by Dr. Yip and am extremely happy with the way it all went — and how it now feels. Their «chair-​side» manner is impecable, their offices/​suites are immaculate and bright and Megan on the front desk is always cheery. Highly recommend.

I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Yip when she was a dental student at UCSF back around the early 90’s. I had a negative 1 year experience with another dental student at UCSF and I am fairly certainly I was assigned to Penny to make up for that. Her hand– made bridge lasted over 15 years, and I only replaced it with necessary implants. I looked for YEARS to find Dr. Yip after a very negative «crown experience» with an SF dentist and was fortunate to find her again in Berkeley in her own practice.
All staff are excellent from the front office (Cathy and Megan) to the wonderful hygenist Andrea. EVERYTIME Andrea cleans my teeth I learn something about my teeth and their care — she is a great clinician and educator. Andrea and Dr. Yip have followed and managed my periodontal disease for years and were more than willing to refer me to specialists when I needed more extensive treatment. I am always glad to return to her practice after specialist visits and prefer to have my cleanings done by Andrea rather than any other specialist’s office.
Every visit is relaxed, prompt, professional and like visiting friends. I gladly drive from SF for visits and my partner recieves the same quality care that I do.

Great dentist!

Dr. Yip is a skilled dentist with a very nice personality. Her staff is professional and courteous. However, I have a generally negative impression of their office because I feel that they are too aggressive in their dental practices.
I have been to many dentists over my 36 years and my impression is that they range widely in how aggressive they are with respect to dental treatment. By agressive, I mean favoring preventive treatments that may not be entirely necessary.
My specific concern is that when they looked at my teeth they indicated that my teeth have very deep grooves that are susceptible to microdecay. According to them I need at least 3 small fillings, and are a likely candidate for around 10. They base this conclusion on the fact that when they put a metal probe in the groove it feels a little soft, which indicates iminant decay. There is zero evidence on the xrays that they took of any decay — its just the groove thing.
Now I have never had a cavity in my life, have generally good dental practices, and a family history of gum problems but no teeth problems. So to suddenly learn that I need 10 fillings seemed suspicious. I told them I would ask around and then decide. I talk to a couple of dentists that I am acquainted with through friends. I tell them the situation describing all the details. They indicate that this sounds like an aggressive approach — there is no harm in getting the fillings but they are probably unnecessary. They recommend regular use of a fluoride rinse, which makes the teeth stronger, so I start doing this.
I return to Dr. Yip for my triennial cleaning. Her colleague checks my teeth and says, yes you do need around seven of these fillings. I say, I will get a second opinion and then decide. She says okay. I go to another dentist that a friend recommended. She looks over my teeth and says there is basically no need for these fillings, she wouldn’t recommend them to a family member for example — again the term «aggressive» treatment comes up. So now I have a real second opinion, and several verbal discussions with dentists all indicating that they are strongly recommending what amount to unnecessary treatments.
Next time I went to Dr. Yips office, her colleague asked me if I was going to get hte fillings and I explained to her what the second opinions said. She appeared genuinely surprised, indicating that this is just the training that they received in Dental School and is standard practice. Also that she would recommend the same treatment to her family. She seemed sincere. So maybe there are mulitple philosophies in the dental training world. I have no idea. But I do know that I’d rather not get fillings unless they are clearly necessary, and the votes I got were 4 to 1 that they werent (plus my good dental history and family history, which Dr. Yip’s group never considered).
Another minor concern. The main reason I switched to Dr. Yip was that they offer digital xray. according to what I can figure, digital xrays only generate about ¹⁄₃ to ½ the radiation of conventional photographic xrays — plus b/​c they are digital they use a lot les chemicals — better for the environment. Well when I got the digital xrays the xray technician couldnt get some of them right and had to redo them. So the lower emmission rate was contradicted by a higher number of xrays received! Annoying…
Finally, on a more positive note, another thing Dr. Yip indicated I needed was a mouth guard for teeth grinding. The 2^nd opinion dentist confirmed that yes I clearly did need this and I did get it fro Dr. Yips office. So ultimately visiting Dr. Yip will have a good effect on my long term dental health — though I am looking for a new dentist.
BTW this is my first Unilocal review — let me know if you have any feedback or opinions or dental advice, for that matter!

Dr Yip is unquestionably fantastic, warm, smart and very capable, but her office staff left me a little unsettled. I’m a little fastidious about my teeth so when Dr Yip told me I needed to have a few sealants redone i agreed immediately. I asked her how many and she said 2 – 3, the receptionist and i set up an apt to do the 2 – 3 sealants, but when my insurance paper work came through they had set me up to do 7. I called and the office was willing to switch back to 2 – 3 but they were adamant that Dr Yip wanted me to have 7 done. To be honest, I felt tricked. I ended up choosing to see a different dentist who felt that only 1 of my sealants needed replacing.
Good dentist, questionable staff.

I am scared to death of the dentist, but Dr. Yip and her staff make it so much easier for someone like me. She is absolutely wonderful. So kind, so patient, so personable, gentle and very fast! Everyone in the office is great as well. I love Andrea, shes my favorite! She is the hygienist I see when I get my cleanings and she is great as well. Very detailed and explains everything to me. I even get a new toothbrush if I’m good! I cant say that I will ever say that I enjoy going to see them, but I love when I am done! I will be going to this office forever! And I live in San Jose, totally worth the drive!

Dr Penny Yip is the best of the best: totally meticulous as a dentist, and as sweet and gentle as they come. The same goes for everyone else in her office.
If I had TEN stars, she’d have them.

I actually look forward to going to the dentist! Dr. Penny Yip is a blast and she runs a great office. From the front desk to the hygienist to the dental assistants, everyone seems to enjoy working there and it makes the whole pain in the mouth thing almost a pleasure.