UCSF Division of Pediatric Dentistry

I recently had my son fall and hit his front tooth. I was upset to find out that his regular dentist didn’t have «time» to see him that day. The clinic at UCSF was willing to fit us into their busy schedule that day. We were very happy with the care we were provided!

We’ve been coming here for years and we’ve had an excellent experience. The dentists are good with kids and answered all my questions (and I usually have a lot!). They finish each appointment with a sticker and a toy, which my son always enjoys. The only thing I wished were different is that we’ve seen a different dentist every time, but they keep all the electronic notes so it’s not really an issue. Just a personal preference.

My experiences here lately have actually been so bad that one of my friends said if she didn’t know me, she’d think I was making it up because it’s all so outrageous.
Long story short (well as short as I can) I brought my son here in Sept 2012 after having a root canal done at another dentist. He needed a crown put on it, as well as some other dental work.
It turned into an epic saga. We went every 2 – 3 months over and over and over, only to be told different things by every single doctor. One wants to get his wisdom teeth pulled, another says they are fine but he needs braces, another says he doesn’t need braces but he needs fillings in teeth that didn’t need them before.
This went on & on until I saw a dentist in Nov 2013 in the post doc clinic (where we were sent to get the crown started) who actually shamed me for not getting his crown done sooner, told me he could fracture the tooth and lose it at any time and it’s imperative I get this done as fast as possible. I told him every.single.visit I ask them about the crown and they say something else needs to be done first. He said listen, we can’t do the crowns in this clinic. We only do temp crowns on baby teeth. This is his adult tooth and he needs to be seen upstairs again where they can do that work. But they did do the crown prep.
So I make another appt and we’re seen in that clinic and told they don’t do crowns here at all, that I need to go downstairs to the post doc clinic! I told them they sent me here! So they kind of gave up and said they don’t know. I insisted on seeing a supervisor, who was very condescending & rude, and eventually got him an appointment with the adult dental clinic.
I told them I will ONLY take him if they can guarantee the 1^st thing they will do is the crown. If they want to continue to put it off, we will find a new dentist. I was told they cannot guarantee me that, only the dentist can BUT they can guarantee that after the 1^st exam, they will tell me if they can do the crown or not. Understandable.
So I took him in the next week and met Renee, she was very nice. She did an exam but said they didn’t have time for a cleaning. And he needed a cleaning before the crown can be started. SO on to appt. 2. Where she said they didn’t have time for the cleaning but they would do crown prep for a DIFFERENT tooth. She showed me the bad decay and I was shocked NO ONE had ever mentioned that tooth to me before!
OK so she did that and said she would send the request for approval to insurance. Next visit, again no time for a cleaning but they did another filling and I was told all the work is now done except the crowns and that they had sent the requests for approval, we just wait. On that visit I was treated HORRIBLY by the front desk staff because I forgot his insurance card (even though its on file) and was told his insurance was inactive, told he can’t be seen, they refused to call my insurance co. It turned out they were entering the wrong #, which I was told was my fault for not bringing the card. I was treated like a criminal, as I was told that people actually bring in other people’s insurance cards so they have to see it every time. I was also told I have an outstanding bill for the crown prep done in the post doc clinic, even though I had never been told there would be a fee, nor have I received any bill to this day? The teacher also never introduced himself and mahandled my sons mouth while ignoring us multiple times.
Several weeks pass, its now Feb 2014 and I get a call saying he needs to come in for a cleaning. Before I could return the call, I’m told in another message that he needs a cleaning and a consult with an oral surgeon because he may need his wisdom teeth pulled before they can start the crowns. Before I could return THAT call, I get a 3^rd message saying she has approval for something (couldn’t understand) and to call back. I called several times, we finally touch base
And she says they have not even sent out approval for either crown and will not do so until I get an oral surgeon consult even though I already refused it months ago due to 2^nd and 3^rd opinions saying it’s unnecessary! She insisted he come in for a cleaning and we can start working on approval for the oral surgeon consult. I told her we will never be coming back. I cannot believe they have wasted 18 months of our lives and he still does not have crowns on either tooth that was shaved down, making them even more susceptible to breaking.
I have filed complaints on 2 occasions. #1 was never responded to. #2 was responded to and she talked in a very nice tone of voice but basically said everything is my fault and there is nothing that can be done about anything, beyond bringing up general concerns at future staff meetings.
It’s really sad that these are the future dentists. They are not being trained to treat their patients right at all.

I take my kids (at same time) to the pediatric dental clinic and the care they receive is fabulous… the initial cleaning and evaluation can be annoying since it takes a long time and they turn it over to the brand new students —but if the kids need any major dental work and laughing gas — they are seen by seasoned students… and they have them in and out quickly… the fees are extremely reasonable. I hate to think how much I would have paid out of pocket if we had gone to a private dentist.

I was really impressed with this place. I was worried at first hearing that this is students but it takes are crappy insurance. My four year old son broke a few teeth above the gum line.
Our Dr. was great and so friendly. He made my son feel comfortable and not scared at all! I was really happy with the results. I’m going to try to find the name of our Dr and post it.

I am reviewing only the pediatric dentistry experience here.
I decided to bring my son here because we have been using UCSF for medical services since prenatal care. The dental visit itself was fine and quick, no prolonged agony for a tot. But I’m dinging one star from my review because this school, which is training specialists in pediatric dentistry, has no good waiting area for families: the pediatric waiting area is a joke! Any semblance of toys is stuck behind the check-​in counter high on shelves, and you don’t really dare ask for toys because the receptionists on headsets are busy and may glare.
Luckily, for pediatric patients, the exam rooms are more child-​friendly and have fun things to look at and play with. The pediatric dentist I saw with my son was a very capable dentist, and I would return to see her or another specialist.
Parents, if you decide to take kids here, bring a bag of toys for your wait time.
Philanthropists, this school of dentistry badly needs a proper pediatric setting for its pediatric dentist specialty.