Joel A McFaul & Betty S Wong, DDS

I had some dental work done by Betty S Wong about one month ago and I must say, the experience was vey good. I plan to bing all of my future dental needs and concerns to this office. I would strongly recommend this dental care facility to anyone.

Let me first start by stating that dental visits not rank high on my top 10 lists.
Dr. Wong and her staff changed all of that.
Last December, I was in excruciating pain due to a fractured molar.
I called several dentists that day without success,.Angie sensed the panic in my voice and squeezed me in for an appointment that very same day.
A digital x-​ray later, the fracture was obvious and I decided on extraction.
She explained in great detail what she was going to do, before and during each procedure.
The extraction was painless, compared to the pain I was already in, I experienced relief as the pain disappeared with the extracted molar.
I received numerous post procedure phone calls regarding how I was feeling, if I was in any pain… and to call if I had any questions.
I’ve never had a dentist personally following up like this.
Had another follow up today. My wife scheduled one for herself.

Yes, Dr. McFaul is very personable, and he and his staff are very competent and thorough when it comes to exams and cleanings. But there are several aspects of his practice that my husband and I do not agree with, and felt would be helpful for other, prospective patients to know about.
As busy professionals, we are big on the conveniences of electronic communication — as long as they are managed competently. I called and booked my husband’s first appointment on 8÷15÷13 (for exam, x-​rays, discussion with dentist) and second on 9÷6÷13 (cleaning only), and he received email confirmations for both. When he arrived for his second appointment on 9/​6, (at 8 am), he was told that his cleaning had been re-​booked for October, and that the hygienist was not even in the office that day. He was, however, booked to speak with Dr. McFaul at 9am that morning, to discuss getting a single veneer — which my husband had expressed some vague interest in (out of politeness), during his previous visit. My husband had NO knowledge of the 8am cancellation, the 9am veneer conversation, or the re-​booking in October. He was told by the office staff that the electronic email notifications are «automatic» and there must have been a computer error. Perhaps the notifications are only set to send «confirmations» and not «cancellations»? Rather than waiting for an hour, my husband walked out feeling extremely frustrated (especially since he had already pushed back a couple of am work appointments for the cleaning) — and felt that the veneer conversation with Dr. McFaul had been a sneaky attempt to sell him on unnecessary cosmetics.
Later, we did receive an apology card from the receptionist, with a Starbucks gift card (seriously?! Ironic coming from a cosmetic dentistry practice) and the statement, «we sincerely apologize for the possible error in scheduling». «Possible» error?. Our response: Please keep your Starbucks gift card — take responsibility for the error, and just fix it. And also spare us the soft sell on unnecessary treatments.

I see Dr McFaul for regular dentistry and saw Dr Wong for whitening. In addition to being excellent dentists they, along with all the staff in this practice, are exceedingly kind, gentle, patient, and professional. I have developed a couple complications that make dentistry more of a challenge in terms of sensitivity and the gag reflex. They have met me every stop of the way with kindness and accomodation. And they are all about quality care rather than trying to upsell you on services. I highly recommend this dental practice!

My father had found a coupon to a franchise dental clinic for an x-​ray, exam, and cleaning which resulted in a recommendation from the dentist for a tooth extraction and deep cleaning. They gave him pricing for the procedures with and without the dental clinic’s dental insurance. My Cantonese father didn’t understand most of this because English isn’t his first language, so he called me to help interpret. I told my dad to hold off on the recommendations because something about going to a franchise dental clinic with a coupon resulting in a tooth extraction recommendation made me feel very cautious. In addition, their insurance option to get a better deal just sounded very gimmicky to me.
Not knowing where to turn, I contacted Joel McFaul and Betty Wong, DDS based upon the recommendation of a friend. I told the medical coordinator that I was hoping to schedule an urgent visit with Dr. Wong for my father for a second opinion. I was aware that Dr. Wong could speak some Cantonese. The coordinator was able to squeeze me in the same day and also gave me a couple options for a next day appointment. Then the coordinator told me that Dr. McFaul wished to speak to me. He wanted to ask questions to assess if it was an emergency situation to determine if we should come in right away or choose another time that was convenient for my father. He was willing to wait for me to call my dad to initiate a 3-​way call, as I am in Minnesota and my dad lives in the Bay Area. He then asked questions and I translated. He was very caring and patient throughout the interaction. I could not believe that a dentist would take time out to personally speak to me and my dad over the phone. This has never happened to me!
Part of the 3-​way phone conference involved Dr. McFaul in a conversation with the franchise dental office. My dad was still at the franchise dental office and we were trying to figure out how to get the x-​ray images that my dad took that day to McFaul and Wong’s dental office. The franchise place initially told us that only copies of the x-​rays were available. I was concerned that the McFaul and Wong office would have to take a second set of x-​rays because as I understood it, the first office could only release copies. Dr. McFaul who was on the phone with us while we were trying to figure this out, helped us talk to the office manager who explained to Dr. McFaul that they could email copies of images but to get actual digital images, we needed to pay extra, because they had to put it into a CD. Dr. McFaul advised to pay them for the digital images so that we would not need to do a second set of x-​rays at his office.
After asking my dad questions and determining that this was not a true emergency, Dr. McFaul looked up appointment times for us for the following day, taking into account that my dad wished to avoid rush hour. Yes, he had a caring approach down to these little details. I had one more question that I wanted to ask him before we hung up but I forgot my question. He told me that I could call back anytime to speak to him should the question come up again. I think he could tell that I was bothered that I couldn’t remember my question and I couldn’t remember if it was an important question. I was so impressed with his kindness and personal approach toward my dad and me. I’m just not used to being treated like family by a dentist.
The next day my dad went to the appointment to meet with Dr. Wong. My dad called me after his appointment with Dr. Wong. He felt reassured that Dr. Wong agreed with the initial recommendations. The difference is that Dr. Wong spent a long time with him thoroughly explaining what she felt was needed and why. She also talked about the various options for replacing the extracted tooth (which they would not be doing at her office) and gave him her recommendation for what route she would take and why. Dr. Wong had an assistant that helped to explain some of the more complex dental concepts in Cantonese. My dad told her that he wanted to look for a dentist closer to where he lives to follow up with any recommendations. Dr. Wong assured him that she understood, acknowledging the distance that he would have to travel to see her again, thus making him feel comfortable about his decision for what to do next. There was never a sales pitch or anything gimmicky. She only expressed a genuine desire to educate my dad on his teeth and help him make the best choice for himself. My dad did appreciate her care and time with him. He wanted to pay her for the consultation, because she very much deserved to be compensated, but she told him she wanted to provide a free second opinion and was glad that he had come to see her.
I live a 3.5 hour plane ride away. Otherwise, I would look no further and they would be my dental clinic. I admire their ethical, personal, and caring practice. This is a rarity. I hope that their practice will be rewarded for how they choose to do business.

My coworker recommended Dr. McFaul to me. I wasn’t satisfied with my previous dentist, and wasn’t willing to travel to my hometown (an hour away) to see him. Because of past experience with other dentists, I was a bit nervous when I first visited Dr. McFaul’s office.
The apprehension went away instantly. Dr. McFaul and his staff are professional and were genuinely concerned about my dental health. My previous dentist and his staff were all salesmen; always trying to sell me the latest toothbrush and procedure. But not Dr. McFaul’s office. For example, it was recommended that I start using an electric toothbrush. I saw an Oral-​B on display, so I was thinking the hygienist was going to push me that. Instead, she gave me a list and recommended that I do some research and pick one that fits my price range. I really appreciated that.
I highly recommend this dental practice. It’s nice to be treated by caring professionals and be seen as a human and not a dollar sign.

I recently moved from New York to the Bay Area. My fiancé was born and raised here and would always rant and rave about how amazing his dentist is and I would always think «How amazing could your dentist really be?» Lol. Then I met her. Dr Wong. A-​mazing! She is so thorough and so intelligent. Listening to her actually made me want to take better care of my teeth and I have always been one of those «ehhh» people about my teeth. None of my dentists in NY really made me feel like that. Like I brush but never really flossed regularly lol. She is also very personable and just makes you feel comfortable. As does her staff. Moving to the Bay Area has been a hard adjustment and the only plus for me compared to home was the weather but add Dr Wong to that list! Oh wait and I guess being with my fiancé too ;) lol

I just want to report that we tried Dr. Joel McFaul today for the first time and we had a GREAT experience!
We had «Dr. Joel» today and he was so friendly, warm, has 2 young daughters himself (age 4 & 2) and knew how to engage my 3.5 year old and help him feel comfortable.
At our last checkup at Park Smile (on 9^th Ave), the dental hygienist had just-​OK kid skills and couldn’t get my-then-2.5 y.o. son to even open his mouth for cleaning but we still paid full price (about $ 70.00 AFTER the insurance coverage), and we only saw the dentist Dr. Pearline Chang for about 2 minutes tops at the end.
Dr. Joel did my son’s cleaning HIMSELF (w/​nice hygienist Ruthie as his assistant) and got my son to count all his teeth, allow him to inspect them, clean with the rotating brush and the water pik and the suction («giraffe head»), and he demonstrated very clearly for me exactly how to brush and floss effectively, pointed out which teeth tend to get cavities, and gave me the tip that it’s OK to use just a rice-​grain size of toothpaste 1x/​day and brush w/​o toothpaste in the morning (but we should floss every day) while we work on helping my son learn how to spit out properly after brushing. My son’s main concern was whether the doctor had toy prizes at the end, which he did, and they were actually pretty good toys (Park Smile’s were definitely lower quality).
I’m happy enough to decide to switch myself from my current dentist to Dr. Joel’s office. The location is difficult for street-​parking, but there’s a good little parking structure right next to the medical building that charges $ 6/​hour with a friendly attendant. Even after paying for parking, I’m paying significantly less for a checkup w/​Dr. McFaul than with Park Smile.

We found Dr McFaul a couple days before Xmas when my 17 month old boy got most but not all of his front tooth knocked on a Sunday night and was bleeding profusely. I called several pediatric dentists (16) at 8pm on the emergency lines and only 1 called me back (Dr McFaul) at 11:45pm. I had managed to get my question answered by my dentist who calmed me down and asked us to bring our son by before we left to the airport the next day.
Unfortunately the dentist said there was part still inside and that we should see a pediatric dentist or oral surgeon he tried many but they were gone for Xmas break. We needed to go to the airport as we were flying to see his Grandma for Xmas but were also very conserned.
So I called Dr McFaul who tried several as well and get this — he actually asked us to come by and he’d come downstairs to our car and examine Buddy in his carseat so we could make our flight! We did stop by Dr McFaul examined him and said he thought it would be fine but followed up with several emails on pediatric dentist in Colorado where we we visiting and on his health. He even offered to facetime to look at the area if we were concerned — AND HE WASN’T even our sons dentist.
Needless to say he IS NOW!
Where did this service go

Dr. McFaul is tops in my book. He is professional, thorough, competent, patient, and knowledgeable. He is also has the most gentle technique of any dentist that I have seen in a long time. It is obvious that he enjoys his work, and respects his patients, and his team of staff. He seems to be an honest person with a strong moral compass.
His office staff is friendly, and they work with you to secure an appointment that works with a busy schedule. Dr. McFaul also sees patients at the time they are scheduled, which can be a rarity with medical professionals. He is very aware of what your dental insurance company needs in terms of documentation, and he works very hard with his staff to make sure that the proper paperwork is completed.
My husband is also his patient, and he is a wimp at the dentist’s office. He also remarks on his gentle technique.
I strongly recommend Dr. McFaul if you are search of a great dentist.

I saw Dr. McFaul as a dentist based on other Unilocal reviews. And it turns out that those other reviewers are entirely correct in their assessment of this office. The office staff is friendly and competent. The dental assistants (I’m forgetting their proper title) are solid and listen to you. I’m a wimp when it comes to having my teeth cleaned and they took great pains not to make me uncomfortable. Finally, Dr. McFaul is a class act. He reminds me of the old school of medical practitioner that had a relationship with their patients beyond collecting insurance payments in return for providing a service. I don’t know he is taking a lower standard of living to provide such exceptional care to his patients, but he devoted the amount of time necessary to make sure I had good dental health. This included conversations about how I sleep, past trouble with my teeth, etc.
Top marks for this office.

We are new to the area and wanted to find a dentist who was close to Pacific Heights. We found McFaul and Wong and we couldn’t be more pleased! Both the dentists are great — thorough and smart. Current on the latest procedures and technology. They really take the time to know you and learn about your particular issues; they care! The office staff is terrific — very helpful and efficient and the hygienists we’ve seen are great. ALl in all, it’s clearly a «five star» dental practice!

So during the first appointment Dr Mcfaul took 2 hours photographing/​probing/​measuring/​xraying/​tapping my mouth. I was skeptical of the exam — I just wanted a filling, not entrance past ellis island! Turned out the meticulous exam is what helps Dr Mcfaul do his thing like no one else — and I’ve had a lot of work done in my young life (root canals, crowns, fillings, etc). I’m very pain sensitive, but with Dr Mcfaul my 3 fillings were literally painless and took 30 minutes total! He is the best! And the front desk staff is the amazing too — always call to remind me of appointments and are careful w/​my insurance to make sure that all of my procedures are covered. A wonderful, caring staff all around!
Oh, and a shout out to the hygienists who finally taught me to properly brush my teeth without sanding off layers of enamel.

This really is as good as it gets! I am so grateful to have Dr. McFaul as my dentist. He is caring and efficient and seems to be in a good mood all the time! I am super pleased that he has been able to help me out many times with my dental care. He also saw my son urgently with little notice a few times. Oh and — love his staff!

I have never favored dental offices so I
Did not have high expectations for this one when I went in for my cleaning. I gotta say that the service that I got shocked my socks off.

Dr. McFaul is kind, a good listener, as well as an all-​around decent guy with skillful hands. His office is no-​frills (unlike some downtown dentists) and he doesn’t overcharge. I would even call him sweet (he refers to the wisdom his own father passed down to him about dentistry).
He has helped me with several difficult and complicated tooth problems.
I referred a friend to him who was phobic about dentists (after a very bad root canal). She adores him and feels totally comfortable in his chair.
I like anybody who is good at their job, ethical, and puts people above profits and ego. He is such a guy. A rare thing.
P. S. He takes TIME with you, and does not rush.

When my dentist of 30+ years retired, I had to find someone else in San Francisco. I went to my son’s new dentist, only to have him retire soon after my first visit. But very luckily, who replaced him was Dr. McFaul. At first I was unsure because of his youth, but I could not ask for a better dentist. His staff is very friendly and professional, while his chairside demeanor, care for patient comfort, and his extremely knowledgeable practice in dentistry has made me a convert. I would recommend him wholeheartedly to anyone with a dental need.

a great dentist. he took care of me within an hour when i broke a crown while on vacation in sf. a helpful and really caring guy who also happens to be a good dentist. reasonable fee, as well. if i lived there, he’d be my regular dentist!

Dr. Wong is an excellent dentist and a very nice person as well. I’ve gone to her for general check-​ups, cleaning, cavities, fillings, and more recently, a crown. I highly recommend her.

I don’t usually give out 5 stars. Maybe good food — but you’ll have to be stellar for me to award 5 stars especially in the medicine field!
How difficult is it to find a good dentist nowadays? Good — being someone who’ll listen to your needs, listen to you as a friend ;), a person, and have good work ethics. Oh, and more importantly, someone extraordinary at their job? I think it’s impossible, personally. Any kind of doctor who will give you a second of their day nowadays — few and far in between! Trust me, I’ve been to MANY doctors over the course of the past year.
I had a cleaning and exam by Dr Wong. She is personable… I say this not only as a friend but as a patient. I highly recommend this family practice and trust that those who come here won’t look elsewhere.