Robert C Golden, DDS

Bob Golden is an amazing dentist. He is kind, honest, and relaxed. He does his own cleanings — a dentist from the old school. He gives you the straight dope, but keeps judgement to a minimum. I haven’t needed much dental work beyond regular cleanings and fixing a chipped tooth, but Dr. Golden took care of that perfectly. His assistant (whose name escapes me at this moment) is also very sweet and accommodating.

So freaking glad I found Bob.
I figured out that I had actually ridden with him on ALC training rides and ate his cookies years before, but that is beside the point. Well, maybe not. He has values, and is smart. He values honesty, and happiness, and living life.
Spending a lot of money on having perfect white teeth doesn’t make you happy. His answer — don’t worry about normal staining.
Having periodontal problems or needing gum surgery doesn’t make you happy. His answer — preventative care.
I think I’m a little happier because I saw Bob today.

Well, I went to Dr. Golden based on the Unilocal reviews. The reviews don’t do him justice — the man is beyond amazing! I had not seen a dentist in almost 3 years because my last experience was so horrible. But I was just diagnosed with dry mouth and decided that I needed to get to a good dentist. My first appt — as soon as I told him what I had, he knew what it was, gave mye special toothpaste and made me feel like it would be alright! I had one filling that had come out. he did the cleaning himself, is funny and you can tell, just has a great heart for people. yesterday was my appointment to have the filling redone. Absolutely painless and he refused to put in my mouth what most dentists do – gave me a choice and I trusted his advice. He has a patient for life!

Dr. Golden is FANTASTIC. I saw him for a second opinion. He saw far fewer cavities in my mouth than the first dentist I’d gone to. I was told by my entodontist that all of the dentists in the area go to him, which is the highest compliment. I just moved all the way across the country, and I am going to try and make appointments with Dr. Golden when I travel to the Bay Area, as I trust him, and it’s not easy to find someone this good. He’s also funny and great to talk to.

Dr. Golden («Bob») is one of a dying breed of health practitioners. He is not only a superb dentist, but genuinely cares about his patients and their oral health. I have been Bob’s patient for approximately 21 years, and am convinced, were it not for him, I wouldn’t have any teeth. I have severe maxillar (upper jaw) problems due to REALLY bad dentistry years ago. Dr. Golden has worked solo and in conjunction with a maxillo-​facial surgeon (Dr. Larry Franz, also amazing!), a periodontist and prosethesis labs to make a very messed up mouth look absolutely normal. Nobody knows the whole right side of my face has been reconstructed and that a whole lot of the teeth they are looking at are false. He is not only a superb and caring dentist, his prices are below everyone else’s, he does all his work himself (including cleanings), he is honest, fair, and hella funny. It was my lucky day (and rest of my life) when I was referred to him — by an orthodontist in SF who was his student at UoP School of Dentistry, where Bob taught for decades, having finally left just last year. So in addition to everything else, he is up on everything that’s going on in dentistry, even if he takes a very conservative approach (i.e., he won’t do anything to a tooth that he doesn’t think is absolutely necessary) in his own practice. And one more thing — no matter how busy he is, if you really, truly have a dental emergency, he will fit you in. He has no interest in seeing anyone suffer any longer than they have to. Finally, Bob is such a humanitarian — he just finished his 2^nd year riding from SF to LA to raise money for AIDS — and he’s not even gay. He has a heart of gold. He is one helluva dentist as well as one helluva guy. You cannot go wrong with him!

Dr. Golden continues to provide thoughtful top notch care for our entire family. Our 9 and 7 years old kids have great relationship with Dr. G! He has always shared the practical choices for ensuring our kids teeth are healthy.
If you are searching for either adult or child dental services… I highly recommend Dr. Golden!

It is hard to shop around for doctors, so I understand the importance of Unilocal reviews. Like others have said, Dr. Golden is honest, doesn’t try to sell you crap you don’t really need, friendly, and knows what he is doing. I don’t have many teeth problems or dentist phobias, so I am not the pickiest dentist reviewer, but Dr. Golden is a solid, good dentist. You can’t go wrong with him.

Dr. Golden saved my smile! I had a bike accident that left me with a chipped front tooth and an urgent need for a good dentist. Dr. Golden saw me immediately, put my mind at ease and fixed my chipped tooth to look exactly the same as it did before the accident. I have gone back to Dr. Golden for a regular checkup, too, and he was knowledgeable, kind and efficient. He did my teeth cleaning himself, which suggested to me that he’s down to earth and into reducing overhead. The views from all his dentist chairs are phenomenal, which is reason enough to stick with this practice.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Golden since I was in Kindergarten. Now I’m almost 30. He has always been funny, effective and gentle (though I have no one to compare him with). He never encourages you to do unnecessary things and in fact has discouraged me from ridiculous procedures such as deep cleaning. In sum, he’s great!

i started going to Dr Golden consistently after returning to the bay area a few years ago on the recommendation of my father. i am now sure that i will be going here as long as i live in the bay area. the man inspires incredible confidence in his abilities as a dentist — underscored by the fact that he teaches future dentists as well. he is warm and friendly, has genuine interest in you (even beyond your teeth/​gums), yet also somehow runs a very efficient shop. i used to hate going to the dentist, and now i don’t mind (and he’s gotten me to floss, finally).

Bob is old school and new techniques. He keeps on teaching at the dental school and is really effective, honest and personable. I’ve been seeing him since moving to Oakland in 2005. I’ve had a few procedures/​crowns/​fillings over those years. He does the cleanings himself and really gets to know your mouth. Spins a good yarn, too. Plus he is an A’s fan, so of course he rocks.

Dr. Golden is simply the best– old school but keeps up on his professional education and also teaches in San Francisco. I’ve been going to him ever since started at his office on Franklin Street. I now live in Santa Clara and drive up to see him for my regular check-​ups and my husband became is a patient of his too. He treats you like he has known you a long time and will engage you in conversation while he is examining and cleaning your teeth. I answer back with grunts and «uh-​huh» and «uh-​unh». His stories are often comical, and you can tell this guy just loves what he does. He is simple, no frills and direct. When my daughter was born and started teething, he advised against using oral-​gel because it burns the gums in order to numb the pain and suggested alternative remedies. My family will be seeing Dr. Golden until he retires.

Dr. Golden is an HONEST, friendly, knowledgeable dentist who really cares about the health of his patients. Several people had recommended him to me, and after seeing him for a little over a year now, I can totally understand why. He really knows what he’s talking about and takes the time to explain everything to his patients. He even helps you understand how keeping your teeth healthy can keep the rest of you body healthy. And best of all, he doesn’t try to upsell you on BS that you don’t need.
Before going to Dr. Golden, I went to another dentist that told me I needed about $ 2000 worth of work done on my teeth, which included a «deep cleaning» (which sounded horrible and would’ve brought me back to them 4 times that month). But when I went to Dr. Golden, he told me the truth. And the truth was I didn’t need any of that crap!
I also have to admit that going to the dentist is one of my biggest fears. I’m seriously terrified of dentists. But Dr. Golden is so chill, so calming that I forget that I’m afraid. He just chats with you and makes you feel like you’re seeing an old friend, not a scary doctor who’s putting sharp things in your mouth.
His office is right by the BART and is really convenient for us SF folks.

Dr. Golden (known as «Bob» to many of his patients) is old school. My family and grandma’s family has been going to this Oakland institution for years. This guy is the real deal.
No fancy video monitors like other dentists.
He doesn’t need it
He teaches every monday to future dentists at the university of the pacific dental school in SF. Bob loves kayaking, VW buses and a good deal. I can spend the whole afternoon talking to «Bob». He has really good workmanship. Dr. Golden is like family!
If I can recommend anyone or any place on Unilocal — Dr. Golden is it!
He gets my top recommendation.

Thanks, Bob.
I went to Dr. Golden to get a second opinion. He told me the truth. Imagine that, a doctor who tells the truth. He showed me exactly how deep my periodontal pockets were, and they were not the depths claimed by the disreputable dentist I had been to two weeks earlier.
No bullshit, no marketing, not beholden to Big Pharma.
He’s a surfer, too, which pushes the review to six stars.
[I’ll have the review of the disreputable one up when I get a chance. But while you’re waiting, DO NOT go to Mark Cage at Gentle Dental in Oakland (1624 Franklin #615), unless of course you like throwing away money.]