McKethen Robert L DDS

Love them! I dont know why they got such bad reviews! I got a tooth pulled here about a year ago and it was totally pain free! I left here and even went to work that day! No swelling no pain! They gave me pain meds to take as needed but i never needed them! I met with the assistant with the blonde hair (i didnt get her name but theres only one) and she was awesome! Was my first time with her but she was very nurturing, attentive, and had a great personality overall! The ladies at the front desk are always so nice and helpful! Hey give reminder calls when your appointment is getting close and they’re always willing to answer any questions you have! And trust me-​i have a lot! The entire staff is super friendly and they seem to enjoy coming to work each day! They all get along great so it creates a very friendly environment as soon as you walk in! They are always «all smiles» which i think is great for a place that specializes in making them!

Dr. McKethen provided me with very helpful dental care for a good number of years. He was always caring, friendly, and professional in his interactions with me.

This was several years ago, but I do not want anyone going through the same experience that I went through. I thought better late than never to write this review if it could save just one person from a horrible experience. If I could give this place zero stars I would. Let me say first, that they drilled the wrong tooth.
I have never had a cavity in my life. So when Dr. McKethen told me that I had something that looked like a cavity and should be filled, I was a little shocked. He even showed me in a mirror so I knew which tooth (the one with a tiny hole), and stated the filling would blend in with my tooth and be white. So I agreed and scheduled a time to come in and had the tooth filled per our previous discussion. On my way home after the procedure, I checked in the car mirror to see the handiwork that he had done. To my surprise, the tiny little hole they had pointed out before was not filled and the tooth next to it now had a filling. It was too late.
I called the office back to talk to the Dr. McKethen, just to discuss it, but he was unavailable. I made a few more tries to contact him through his office staff, but surprise, he never returned my call. So I made an appointment to see him instead, figuring if he was going to avoid my phone calls, then we would just have to meet face to face. When I finally got in to see him, I explained the situation to him nicely, and explained what was said during our previous discussion. I figure that everyone always deserves a chance to explain or maybe point out something of which I was not aware of. He became the most arrogant, condescending, and defensive bastard I have ever seen. No apology or anything, just that he didn’t do anything wrong. He was simply put, a pr – k! I work in healthcare and deal with patients on a daily basis, so I know a very poor bedside manner when I see one. I am frankly surprised he is not sued more often and that he still remains in practice.
Obviously I left, got a new dentist, requested for my X-​rays and all my medical records, and got the hell out of there. Then he sends ME a letter to inform me of that I was no longer his patient. Really? I would run away from this place if I were you.
Oh, and my new dentist reviewed my X-​rays and pretty much said I didn’t have any cavities and it would be shocking if I did. At least I didn’t lose a limb or anything, so it was not worth my time to pursue the situation legally. It was a wrong filling in the wrong tooth, it happens, and in the end I lost a few hundred dollars, but at the very least, please have the professional courtesy to admit it when you are wrong, or at least act professional and try to rectify the situation instead of being a complete douche bag. Just patient care 101. I really hope this does not happen to anyone.

I came here for a check-​up and the front office lady was really nice! I had to fill out a form since I was a new patient and then she made me take a picture, which was kind of weird, but whatever… Anyway, I’m finally called in to the back and a nurse does my x-​rays (there is a machine that does the x-​rays from the chair-​which was convenient and pretty advanced) and afterwards she checked my teeth herself– which I thought was kind of weird, but whatever… However, I had to wait for a while in my chair for the dentist. FINALLY, after one and a half magazines, somebody came to attend me. He said his name, and I was like what??? I thought he was just a nurse, he definitely wasn’t Robert McKethen, who I had been expecting. Also, I found it weird because he had been attending a patient in the room next to me, though I had an appointment and had been waiting there before the patient even arrived. It seemed like he had an attitude that I could just wait, which I found rude and unprofessional. Finally, he didn’t explain my x-​rays very well, saying I had a «couple» fillings I needed done and something else. How many is a couple? He mumbled I’ll be back or something I understood to mean that he would be back to explain my treatment, but after waiting there for more than five minutes, a nurse finally escorted me to the back, where the front office lady took the responsibility of detailing my treatment. If not for her, I would give this place one star, and that’s only because of the convenience of the x-​ray machine.

Wow, I just had my first appointment yesterday and Im so happy I found
A dentist as nice as this one. The office is top of the line, I love it, it has nice high ceilings that gives a beautiful touch to the office. The office in general is very clean. The staff there are very friendly and helpful, they explained everything about my insurance coverage and the treatment I need. Their office manager is super nice, she has a great personality and cares about the patients. Now, my favorite part was when I had to see the Dentist. His name is Dr. Melgar he’s very gentle and he knew how to explain what I needed. He spent his time giving me my best options. I love this office and I would certainly take my entire family.

Worst Dentist Experience Ever. What you need to know:
— Robert McKethen is completely rude, disrespectful, and condescending. He uses vulgar language (all vulgar language you can think of).
— McKethen did well below-​par work on my teeth. A cleaning took less than 10 minutes? Anyone who has been to a decent dentist knows this is not the case. My mouth even hurt the next morning, and he didn’t even finish it. You couldn’t tell anything had been done.
— I’ve been there twice, and never seen another person… very bad sign.
— The employees are nice and helpful WHEN McKethen is not around, once he is, they seem afraid to talk and keep head down. I feel sorry for them.
Regardless of nice office and staff, Do not waste your money, time, and respect on Robert McKethen.

The front desk women are very nice. The office is attractive with parking in a private lot in front. I only had to wait about 10 min. before the x-​ray technican came for me. She was very nice also and did a full mouth set of x-​rays. Then I waited about 10 min. before Dr. McKethen came in the room.
He introduced himself, and looked at my paperwork and asked me how old I was, and when had I last seen a dentist (all info i had already filled out in the papers he had in his hand). He asked what insurance I had. He asked what dentist I had been seeing. (ditto) I said I had been going to Clinica de la Raza but I had a difference of opinion regarding their treatment plan, as I have limited funds. He then asked in a challening way ‘well, how much money do you have! $ 100? $ 1000?!” I said I had saved $ 1000. Then he said gruffly «$ 1000 isn’t even going to touch what’s wrong with your mouth!» I said I’m aware of all the problems that 2 decades of TMJ have caused… but we could start with the fact that right now I have a loose tooth.
I understand that someone (the dentist in this case) could be in pain, or didn’t sleep well, or had a fight with their wife, etc., and I want to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but i also want to be treated with respect if not some actual kindness. I was mystified why he was talking to me in such a hostile and challenging manner. So I said calmly «is there a reason that you’re acting so pissed off with me? we are only at the beginning of a long road together». Then he unclipped the chain with the paper towel from around my neck and said ‘you can leave now. we’ll call you.’ And he got up from his stool and left!
After I got my jacket and purse I went toward the front reception desk and he was sitting there. He looked up at me and said «we’ll call you. goodbye.» The next day I called about getting my x-​rays and they said they were mailing them. Then they called and said I needed to come in and pay for them and get them. The cost with my dental plan would have been $ 64 and then they wanted to charge me for an examination. I said I disagreed with the exam part since he never looked in my mouth. So the woman put me on hold and then said «ok, there will no charge for the exam. But we have to charge you $ 120 for the xrays because we need to keep a set here». WTF… are you kidding me? Not.
By the way, let me say that the latest info on dental xrays is that you should not have more than 1 full set a year (which they darn well know). Then I get a letter in the mail that says «due to the communications problems WE have been experiencing, we feel you lack confidence in our office…» Total CYA.
If you still want to go to Dr. McKethen after reading this review, best of luck to ya.
P. S. Found a fabulous new dentist in Pinole.

I was in this office a couple of weeks ago, and OMG! first off he was rude, secondly, he smelled like an ashtray. He’s a lousy dentist who doesn’t want to help anybody. Why is this man still in business??? He should close his office, and go back under his rock!

So I tried to get my x-​rays mailed to me and they said they would check with the dentist first. I get a call back saying he’s going to charge me $ 30 for the x-​rays since they’re his property. My last dentist sent them to me for free when I had to switch dentists due to insurance.

Dr. McKethen is the man! I don’t understand what there is not to like about his office. everyone there is nice and most importantly the care is top notch. I hope that I never have to go to another dentist. His office is beautiful and clean and I have never had to wait past my appointment time to be seen.

I have to agree with the last review. I would not recommend anyone to this office. I have been a patient for the last two years and the only reason I stayed on for so long is because I rarely go but when I do have to find my way into the office or have to call and speak to a front office person, it’s never pleasant or helpful. I have even sat in the waiting room and heard them talk about other patients and one can only wonder what they are saying about you when you leave. If you have other options look else where.

Dentist was a complete d**k to my kids and disrespectful to my family. Don’t waste your time.