David J Bull, DDS

Dr. Bull exhibits bi-​polar tendencies. During a cleaning, I was informed that I was going to need a filling. At the conclusion of the cleaning, I went to the front desk to make a follow up appointment. After booking the appointment, I asked the receptionist if she could let me know how much insurance coverage I had remaining for the year. She began looking into it when all of a sudden, Dr. Bull came charging out of his work area and began yelling, «I’m making the call.» followed by something to the effect that he wanted me to leave. It was vary bizarre, puzzling, and totally unprofessional behavior! As a kid I grew up going to his office, returned the one time as an adult, and will never go back again!

I am glad to have found a local dental office where they focus on the patients needs first and foremost.
About a month ago I was flossing and part of my tooth came flying out to my dismay. I wasn’t surprised because a filling had fallen out about 2 year prior and I never had it taken care of bc it didn’t hurt. Well the few hundred dollar filling I was avoiding turned into a way more expensive crown.
I didn’t know where to turn to I actually called 1−800-dentist to find a local dentist near me. I was connected to Dr. Bull’s office and made an appointment with Dr.Shui.
I was able to be seen 2 days later and found out how decayed my tooth actually was. Also the tooth behind it had a crack which required a filling.
Dr.Shui and her staff are excellent. Always greeting my by my name and I have never waited over 10 minutes and that is usually bc I arrive a tad early.
I ended up with a crown and a filling. The product came out great and I am pleased to go back in 90 days for a cleaning and in depth exam.
My advice is to go to the dentist regularly bc I had to pay about 3 – 4 years worth of dental preventative care in one visit. All bc I didn’t want to shell out for exams. Never again will I slack on it and I will be going to Dr. Shui in the future.

Let’s face it, no one really LIKES going to the dentist. I don’t dread it like my sister does, but I’d much rather be at work than having my teeth scraped with sharp metal instruments. Dentists and orthodontists have always seemed so stand off-​ish to me. Like they’re interested in your teeth because that’s their job, but not really interested in you as a patient. So that’s my little spill on dentists. Based on my experiences over the last couple years, this office is not that much different than all the others I’ve been to.
This office is the closest dentist to my house that’s covered by my insurance. So I started going here out of convenience. But being that I haven’t had a horrible experience, have continued to use them. The reception staff are very friendly. Even after seeing me only a couple times (exactly 6 months apart), they greet me by name when I walk in the door. And I think I’ve only ever had to wait about 5 min. The technicians are super friendly too, at least the ones who have cleaned my teeth. I’m kind of surprised this office is still using the metal cleaning tools though, since my previous two dentists switched over to the high pressure water tools years ago. But that’s the office’s business decision and not really a deal breaker for me.
The only thing that bothers me are some of the unprofessional conversations had in front of patients. One time I was in the lobby waiting and the receptionists started talking about the way Dr Bull treated someone in some situation. And this conversation was not quite either. Of course I had no idea what they were talking about, but I did not believe it to be appropriate in front of patients. During my last visit, Dr Bull made a few joking comments to my cleaning tech, that I wouldn’t have appreciated if they were said to me, but they were just laughed off by both. And the excuse to me was that she’s been in his office the longest and he’s met her husband, who’s a nice guy. I won’t attempt to quote them because I was trying NOT to listen for fear of the conversation becoming even more awkward. But whether or not they have a good friendly relationship outside of work doesn’t justify those sorts of comments being said in front of patients.
So if you can tolerate some of the more crass conversations that you’re sure to «overhear,» they’re otherwise a good shop. They’re up front when it comes to talking about my teeth. They don’t try to upsell me on anything. And they do a good cleaning. My first time in they actually took x-​rays, spent a few minutes to review everything, and then gave me some basic and cosmetic recommendations, without obligation. I did like that.

I found this place from a groupon special that my ex girlfriend gave me. I hadn’t been to the dentist in a VERY long time so I was understandably nervous. The staff was very friendly and personable. We developed a rapport very quickly. Dr. Bull carried himself like a real professional and that gave my peace of mind that I could count on him. The assistants were awesome and gave me great advice.
The prices were better than I had imagined for the work that I got beyond the groupon cleaning and X-​rays.
I am very satisfied with my experience there. I will be back and I recommend it.

My crown replacement was a pain two years ago. But the worst part of it is that it still IS a pain!
I found another wonderful dentist that did an amazing job replacing a couple of fillings, however, he suggests to redo the root canal and the crown on that particular tooth. He said the x-​ray shows that the root canal was not done properly, there are still nerves left .
I won’t go into all details about my visit at Dr. Bull’s office, seems like he does not like negative reviews :), but they are true, so be aware!

What sparked this initiation of a new review started with a letter from Dr. Bull’s attorney, who requested that I remove the review in order to prevent any further legal action. Although there is a clear motive to protect Dr. Bull’s reputation, I have formed impressions and opinions of my own that I would like to share for those who care to voluntarily listen/​read. But firstly, I’d like to clearly define my position so that it is not misconstrued or misunderstood (as recommended by my legal counsel). I write wholly on the fact that these are my feelings, thoughts and findings, unrelated to any accusations or personal attacks.
With an overwhelming amount of response and support for my situation, I hope that this revised version serves its purpose, and that is to simply communicate my experiences and PERSONAL opinion.
With over 10 years of volunteer service helping families and young children, I can honestly say this review serves no malicious purpose. I have never wanted to directly hurt anyone and I definitely do not ever intend to. My pure intent is to use Unilocal as a communicative outlet for my personal experiences and judgments. I come from a service background with experiences in the medical industry. I have no reason to personally attack Dr. Bull on any level; I can only speak from my disappointment in the professional services this dental office provided me. My first hand knowledge of how I prefer to be treated as a patient may differ from others but I genuinely felt unimpressed. Each time I visited the office, I had hoped to be treated personably, respectfully and caringly yet each time, I left feeling disappointed. I am not attacking his ability to perform as a dentist, as a business owner or a professional in his community. I simply felt unwelcomed and underserved as a patient.
Since Unilocal is a public forum that allows real people to give real reviews, I can honestly say that I did not share positive experiences with this dental office. In my opinion, the services I paid for did not meet my expectations for value. I was displeased with the communication regarding my cost estimation and billing. I personally appreciate accuracy and directness. I spent more than I ever anticipated and would have liked. I did not feel my visits were valuable experiences. I have since then, moved on to search for a new dentist for my specific dental needs.
I am aware that there have been numerous positive responses immediately following my unpleasing review. I am glad that there are existing patients who share positive experiences. I cannot say that I am one of those.

The first experience here was a bit underwhelming. I had an appointment and they made me wait for at least twenty minutes before I was seen. Once I was ushered to my room, I sat in my chair and waited even more. The dentist was busy so they waited until the hygienist was done and sent me to her. She was unforgiving to my teeth but did a good job cleaning. Then I was sent back to the original room to wait more before the dentist could see me. He is smart, but very abrupt, almost to the point of rude. He told me I needed such and such a procedure done, so he scheduled another appointment for me. When I showed up they told me that I was on the record for the appointment but they didn’t know what it was for, so I was sent home. Just now I received an envelope with a bill and a letter. The bill said I owed one amount and the letter said I owed another. It also said my account was 60 days overdue. I’ve never even received a FIRST notice that I owe money and then they had the audacity to charge me for not paying on time. What? I’m thoroughly disappointed in this place.
On the plus side, they have a lot of state of the art equipment. Additionally, the front office staff is very amiable. However, overall the office is completely unorganized and unprofessional. I’m canceling my pending appointment and finding a new dentist.
ETA: I never said Dr. Bull was bad at his job, but his overall attitude and approach to criticism is something that could use some work. While many business owners attempt to make things better by reaching out to an upset patient, instead, after my review, no one ever reached out to me. Then a series of reviews from Dr. Bull and his staff appeared online, claiming what a great dentist he is, as a way of combating my negative one. Still no word of contact trying to fix the situation.
But the nail in the coffin was two years later when I received a letter from Dr. Bull’s lawyer, threatening that I would be sued for slander if I didn’t remove my review. After speaking with Annie S. (whose negative review also appears on this page), it turns out she also received a letter from the lawyer. Unfortunately for Dr. Bull, not only was I not trying to defame him, but rather sharing my experience in (what I feel) was a pretty honest and straightforward way. Either way, the statue of limitations in California had passed, which made it an empty threat, assuming that my intent had been malicious (it wasn’t). Oh, and slander? That’s spoken. I think what the lawyer meant was libel, but maybe he missed that lecture in law school.
Anyway, when that didn’t scare me into editing or removing my review, I received a slew of negative comments from Dr. Bull online, trying to discredit me because I wrote reviews of bars (which he then suggested meant I had a drinking problem). Fast forward to today and those comments about me were removed by Unilocal,and I haven’t been further harassed by Dr. Bull, which is a smart choice. I am glad that has all ended, but maybe someone should hire a PR specialist to learn how to better handle criticism in the public sphere.