Hercules Dental Care – Open 7 Days A Week

With some time and work, Ashley was great with assisting and correcting the issue that I have encountered.
Throughout the process, she kept me updated and in the know. She was clear and direct with what was going on.
Thank you Ashley for clearing up the matter.
(It was a headache to have to go through this; the original star rating has been doubled.)

After moving to Hercules from Emeryville I was in search of general dentist and orthodontist. I was definitely hesitant at first to switch from my original dentist however HDC definitely made the transition a smooth experience. I’ve seen a couple of general dentists at HDC and they all know what they are doing, they are experienced, have great bedside manners, and advise you in the best possible way.
Dr. Navaretti the orthodontist is amazing, the first thing he does is check in with you regarding any discomfort caused by your teeth and then makes sure to ask if you’re happy with the way things are coming along at the end of an appointment. I love that I always get the appointment reminders via text message and have no problem scheduling or rescheduling appointments to fit my scheduling needs.
Wait times never have exceeded 20 minutes for me. At times I check in with the front desk staff and am immediately taken to my exam room to get things started. I think people tend to forget that things happen, people show up late and sometimes are running behind for their scheduled appointments and in order for HDC to keep everyone happy they’ve got to squeeze in that late patient as well as keep the next patient happy. Just imagine you being that late patient, you’d want to be seen too now wouldn’t you?
I do remember getting a bill for fluoride that was used in a dental cleaning, I’ve never received a bill for a dental cleaning in my life, so I was definitely a bit confused. My insurance covers everything. I simply brought my bill in the next appointment spoke to the billing manager and she explained it was a simple mistake on the offices behalf and I wouldn’t have to worry about it. Problem solved
Fun note: It gets a bit chilly in the exam rooms at times so they provide blankets, I think it’s amazing they do this. I’m one of those people that are constantly cold in air conditioned rooms so the blankets are definitely a plus! There’s coffee and tea in the waiting room, toys and books for kids, and a TV and magazines.

Hercules dental has been my dentist my whole life and the service has always been the same… Amazing. They are so knowledgeable and professional. The office is always clean! You can tell they genuinely care about your dental health.

I have been a patient of this place for several decades and two relocations. Now, they have remodeled and basically taken over the entire left side of the first floor of this building and the office looks really nice, but it seems as if they are passing those costs over to their patients with very high charges for routine work. This place was totally awesome when Dr. Lin and Dr. Chen were there. Apparently, Dr. Lin was my first dentist and is the owner of this 3-​location business, and no longer works out of Hercules. Dr. Chen is his wife, and she was literally the best dentist I ever had, but for some reason she has stopped practicing all together according to the front office people. So now the only thing we are left with is terrible over-​billing and second-​rate dentists that aren’t very good. Also, when you go to the «SELL ROOM» where they go over your bill and what needs to be done, don’t fall for their pitch to apply for their credit program

Worst place ever, this would had been my first time seen at Hercules dental care. But I decided to leave. My appointment was at 3:00, i knew i had to fill out paper work so i arrived 15 mins before my appointment, to my luck i waited and waited I was sitting in the waiting room for over 40 mins and nothing? are you serious? they don’t respect your time. And when I decide to leave «oh sorry» would you like to reschedule? seriously? i would never return here… 0 stars ZERO. Really unprofessional, some of the staff looked like they were dressed for clubbing? seriously? Don’t waste your precious time. or money.

Terrible. They overcharge and bill your insurance for a visit you didn’t even come in for. I do not recommend at all!

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE AT ALL! As you can see from my previous reviews, I have had issues with their billing.
They are constantly trying to charge me for WORK THAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE.
I left this place and I’m still getting billed for things THEY CANT EVEN SEEM TO EXPLAIN.
DO NOT GO HERE! Not only have they tried to get over on me but I know a few more people that have had the same experience.

I had a very good experience with this dental provider. I was referred to this dentist by my carrier, MetLife. I have a need for a root canal and potential bone grafting for jaw bone loss. I was treated with respect and dignity every step of the way. Katie and Melissa were excellent in their jobs as receptionists. Dr. Callini and Dr. Liu were excellent in treating me and providing guidance on my issues. Priscilla and Craig assisted both doctors and were excellent in the care they provided. Ellen is excellent in her job as a billing coordinator. I would recommend this facility to anyone needing advanced dental treatment

Today I went in for my cleaning appointment at HDC and the service I truly thought was exceptional. As much as I don’t like to go to doctors in general, my visit today was the way i would want a visit to dentist to be like. The Hygienist who treated me, not only did she have a pleasant personality, but most of all, inside my mouth her hands were the best! No ruff stuff! She was firm and thorough with her exam. I had to let her know that she was very good. I also like that fact that I can take care of all my dental needs in one place. If I need a specialist for anything dental related, HDC handles it right there and I don’t go to timbuktu to find help elsewhere. My experiences over the last couple of years have been pleasant at HDC.

They totally messed up my billing too. They said my insurance wasn’t valid and out of date, I went back home with terrible pain to talk to my insurance, and my insurance was still valid.
They charged me for x ray and sent me back home, just to charge me $ 133 and didn’t even do anything for my pain, I came back next day to get it fixed.
One week past, they haven’t reimbursed me for my charges that my insurance actually paid! And they just credited my account with $ 500 for care credit that I didn’t even need to apply for!
What a mess! Get better people to handle the billing and insurance.

I must say Hercules Dental has been very good to my family. We ran into them by chance when we had an emergency on a Sunday. They were open and that was a big plus. Next was the level of service and working to resolve issues. Even when they made a mistake with billing they worked to find out what was wrong and correct the error. I will continue to go to them and give referrals to family and friends. Good dentists are hard to find that’s why I’ll stay with Hercules Dental!

Wow where do I even begin honestly. I’ve been through a lot of dentists in my life and this is by far the best. The staff is one of the most friendly ppl I’ve ever encountered and you can tell they genuinely care for your well being. Recently I had to get my wisdom teeth out and when I went in for the operation the doctors were absolutely wonderful! They comforted me and made the operation a breeze. Even if you don’t have the money but are in desperate need, they will do whatever they can to help you. I’ve been with Herc dental for such a long time now that I remember when they were just a small lil dental office at the end of the hall.

the worst dental office ever!!! please do yourself a favor and never go to this dental office!!! they have the worst staff!!! worst service!!! all they do is collect your money from your insurance and your out of pocket!!! out of nowhere they just gave me a phone call for a $ 1000 bill that they couldn’t even explain where it’s coming from. very disrespectful staff as well. no professionalism and doesn’t value the importance of customer service!!! no one should go to this place at all!!! all it is going to give you is aggrevation and frustrations over their worst service and will only rip you off!!! you are doing yourself a huge favor by going to a better dental office, definitely not not hercules dental!

Terrible communication in this office! They have the worst front office staff and messed up our billing! The long story will follow but the short story is they failed to file our insurance form correctly so we were billed $ 1500. We called and they admitted it was their mistake and would fix it. Later we got another bill for $ 416 — I called to ask if it was a true bill or just left over from before. They said they would get back to me. I only ever got two bills for $ 416 and both times I asked if it was something we actually owed. The second time I spoke to someone in the office!!! She said she would look into it and get back to me. I never heard from her or received another bill so I thought it must have been leftover from when they messed up our insurance and it had been fixed now. Fast forward a year and some months later and I get a collection notice for $ 416. I have no problem paying for the service but NOBODY got back to me when I asked if I actually owed it! I even went in for a cleaning and they never mentioned it. I got called because it was time for another cleaning and nobody mentioned anything about an outstanding bill!
Here is the long story —
I went there in December of 2013 — I had an abscessed tooth and she said I needed to get two crowns. My dentist cleaned my gums out and I came back the next week to get temporary ones on. She told me it would be a week for my permanent ones. A few days later I start noticing my mouth tastes gross — like death. A week goes by and no call from the dentist so I call and am told it will be ANOTHER week!!! When I am finally able to get my permanent crown on my tooth was so gross — there must have been a gap and food was getting in there. It was disgusting! She put the permanent crowns on and on one of them I could see my old tooth and asked about it. She said my gums would grow down… a year and a half later I still can see me old tooth.
A while later I ended up having a tooth break so I called and got an appointment. I got there early like normal but I had to wait almost an hour past my time. I understand things happen — but nobody at the desk mentioned the dentist was behind. After the first 20 minutes I went to the front desk and asked how much longer to which her reply was «a few more minutes»…20 more minutes go by and her response is the same. After an hour I needed to leave — I had other things to do. They called me in I think the next day and I go in. I need another crown. Okay deal. I get a temporary put on and this one goes much smoother. My second appointment to get my permanent crown put on I had to wait another hour past my time. Again — nobody mentioned she was behind and I had to go check the front desk multiple times.
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS TERRIBLE!
So it turns out, on the first two crowns they failed to properly fill out the insurance form so everything got denied. We got a a bill for over $ 1500. We called and they admitted they had made a mistake on the form and would refile it correctly this time. Great. A month or two later we get another bill from Hercules Dental for $ 416. I called the office and asked if this was a true bill or just another complication from when they didn’t submit our insurance form properly. They said they would look into and get back to me. Months later, I still hadn’t heard back and at this time I already had all my crowns taken care of but went in for a cleaning. I had gotten just one more bill for $ 416 from them so when I was in the office (!) I spoke to the woman who was going over the billing for my cleaning and asked her about the bill… was it an actual bill or just something leftover from when they didn’t process the insurance correctly. I had only gotten TWO bills in maybe 6 months time? More? While I was in her office she told me she would look into it and get back to me. Great. As I left, I asked her again and she said the office she needed to get a hold of was closed and that she would let me know soon.
I never heard from them again AND I never got another bill again. So I just figured it must have been a mistake from when they originally messed up and they took care of it. Let me stress this again — not one person ever got back to me about if we really owed this or not. I only ever received two bills, each time asking — and after I asked someone face to face I never got another bill.
Today in my mailbox there is a letter from a collection agency saying we have been delinquent in paying Hercules Dental $ 416. I am flabbergasted. Not once we were ever told we needed to pay that bill. I asked over the phone and in person. Not to mention I had gone in for a cleaning and was never told I had a debt. More recently I was called to schedule an appointment for another cleaning and again, nobody mentioned our debt. I am never going to this place again and will advise every single person I know to stay far far away from this establishment.

I have an update in regards to my horrible experience with HDC.
After expressing my horrible experience I got a call from business manager Ann Mata she was very compassionate and concerned with my having to go through the strain that her inexperience staff put me through. She was not upset but was more so embarrassed that her staff could not get it right the first time. She was animate about making it right so much so that she not only made sure that I was getting the remains of my refund but she refunded me back my x-​ray co-​pay on top, due to a technicality again on her staffings inability to get it right the first time.
I just hope that this does not happen again. In closing I have confidence that Ann Mata will see to it that her staff is sharp and accurate when dealing with HDC clients. And she ensured me that if any of her clients ever has a concern to contact her directly and she’ll see to it that it’s corrected. I’m satisfied, Thanks again Ann.

This review is coming from someone who never goes to a dentist or doctor. Have always had a fear of dentist and doctors — hate needles!!! After all the years and money wasted away on dental insurance I finally decided to get my teeth cleaned.
1^st VISIT — Dr. Mathews cleaned my teeth. She was very rough, spoke loudly, was busy talking to her assistant about life than focusing on me and being smooth, gentle. Not my kind of dentist. She told me my gold crown had several holes in and needed to be replaced before a root canal was needed. That scared me because I knew it was going to «hurt.» I was afraid to go back especially to see Dr. Mathews. I also had a cavity. I wanted to schedule an appt to fix the cavity. She told me she would not fix me cavity without first replacing my gold crown. My husband also had work done with Dr. Mathews. He will never go back to her again.
OVER A YEAR WENT BY BEFORE I FOUND COURAGE TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPT.
2^nd VISIT — I asked for the most gentle dentist. They gave me Dr. Michelle Pilones. I cannot say enough how amazing Dr. Pilones is!!! She replaced my gold crown and fixed my cavities. I have been back for a 3^rd and 4^th visit. What is best is Dr. Michelle Pilones was gentle enough, extremely professional and friendly putting all my fears at ease. At this point, I have no fear going to see her. I am so grateful to have found her because teeth maintenance is important.
Overall the office is very clean, staff is friendly, professional. There are LCD TVs above each chair for your viewing, better yet… distraction. Plenty of parking. The office is right inside the main building doors for easy and quick access. They text and email reminders of your appointment.

I’m just not sure about this place anymore. The hygienist are so nice, I bring all my children here at once and they can’t get the appointments right. I end up being here for hours. They have made me wait so long at times. I keep coming back in hopes that the service will change here. They don’t communicate with their patients at all about their teeth health before they start any procedure. It’s so annoying. I don’t want anyone doing work on my children until I know and I have to actually go back and check on my kids to get the doctor to tell me what’s going on. I think it’s time to search for a new dentist. This is not the only time I have had issues with this office. It’s been a roller coaster.

I’ve been a patient at this Dental Office for over 3 years now for standard cleaning, check up to my ortho. The staff their along with the doctors are spectacular. I am really impressed with the excellent service they provide and that’s comparing them with any other business. The office manager Ellen Troncin is very helpful with working with the front desk in creating a warm welcoming environment. You can tell that she truly cares about the patients. Rachel at the front desk is always so cheerful which helps with a long day at work or warm you up before your teeth gets cranked. Joking! I have been in customer service myself for many years and understand how important the first impression is and at the front line. She sure does a great job at it. I will recommend this place to everyone. I can’t say enough about the entire staff. I definitely feel like a valued patient.

Worst dental office EVER!!! If you an instrument left in your tooth and they do not inform you, NEVER come here!!! Bad service too!!!

For a whole list of reasons I have always been hesitant to review Medical and Dental practices. However, I think it is possible that people who are without good dental insurance they might find this series of 3 reviews helpful
I went to this office for many years and was happy enough that I kept going. I also referred friends to this practice. When I no longer had coverage though an employer they did take the minimal coverage I had with my health insurance. I purchase a plan from Costco that is and HMO rather than a PPO and it covers almost all dental procedures. They would not take my new coverage period and they are very expensive. My search for a new dentist started.