Horrible experience! When I booked the appointment, I gave them all the insurance information. But after my daughter's checkup, I was surprised that I had to pay all the cost upfront, nearly $500 for a simple check up! They told me they only do direct billing for one certain insurance. When I was there, there was only one dentist in the office and three patients waiting. We saw one parent was very frustrated with that dentist, and all other patients had to wait for a really long time. One star is only for the nice assistant. read more

What an incredible team of staff! We took our almost 3yr old for a check up...the staff was warm and patient. I honestly had no idea how they'd get my kid to open his mouth? But they did it...managed to get him to say yes to cleaning his teeth. At the end of the appointment, my kid actually screamed "dentist is fun!" Enough said, eh? read more

Dentist is great, administrative staff not so much. I was told they take my insurance but insurance only covered $100 of the $300 they charged for a child's checkup. Administrator was rude when I called to find out if he bill was correct and told me their prices were not negotiable and that they don't publish them. So here it is: $300 for a child's visual checkup and some fluoride paste, not even x-rays and they don't tell you in advance that insurance won't cover it. read more

We had an amazing visit with at Aloha! Dr. Ruehe and Hannah put my toddler at ease during her wellness check, keeping her smiling and happy while they performed an examination, cleaning and flouride application. Dr. Ruehe is absolutely INCREDIBLE with young patients! These positive experiences are priceless as they build a foundation for a lifetime of dental health. Covid-19 protocol was thoroughly followed by the team. Thank you, Aloha, for being professional, friendly, frontline health workers and heroes! We are definitely sticking with Aloha!! read more

My first Yelp review, really feel like I need to write something about this place. We read reviews about this dentist being expensive before we brought our son there. To be safe, we make sure to ask if our 3-year old was covered before getting an appointment. My wife specifically asked if he was covered. "Sure, we'll check. Do you want to make an appointment in the meantime?" "No, let's first check if he's covered, then we can make the appointment." Later that day, they told her he was indeed covered, and we made an appointment. After the appointment, my wife's comment was this "Lucky insurance is paying for this, I would never pay for this". Couple months later, we get a bill. An oversight somewhere meant that my son had not been added to our insurance. Clearly, they never checked if he was covered. I contacted them to ask if they could do anything. They suggested I pay the entire bill an make another appointment. Gee thanks, but no thanks. read more

My experiences with Aloha 1. They overcharge by about 20% for services 2. They love to recommend sealants at $100 a tooth that must cost them $5 in materials. 3. I took my son to their Telegraph office and walked in 4 minutes late for an appointment. Their receptionist said "I'm sorry your late and we'll have to reschedule." This was after I took my son out of school, drove 35 minutes to their office and there was only 1 other patient waiting. What??? 4. They make you pay in full at the time of your appointment and _then_ bill your insurance. I believe they do this because they overcharge and know that most dental plans will only pay a portion of the claim. read more

Nakako Uritani and Andee are awesome! This was my 3 year old's fourth visit at the dentist. The first three times - he refused to open his mouth. This fourth time - Dr. Uritani noticed that he loved froggies. Dr. Uritani and Andee then offered him a "play visit" of froggies galore across the exam room, on the chair and pretended to play with him. Jayden was so happy that he forgot he was at the dentist! He opened his mouth and allowed Dr. Uritani to examine his teeth and use green "froggy floss". Jayden left happy and with a successful visit. The next day, we got a picture of Jayden at the dentist's office smiling with "my first dentist visit " (techniclaly this was his fourth but his first successful one) and a handwritten letter from Andee. They are the best, and Nakako Uritani has a very good and approachable demeanor with kids! read more

Aloha is so impacted that they book appointments way too far out in advance. They are also SUPER expensive. We used them for a 2nd opinion on a bunch of work that needed to be done. We also had 3rd and 4th opinions. They billed between 50% and 100% MORE expensive than the other doctors. One of my son's cavities was deep, and in a permanent tooth. They had no sense of urgency about it and booked him for doing work 6.5 weeks later. The dentist we went with, who explained things better, made it clear that performing THAT filling, the very same day would be prudent. Aloha staff was kind and friendly. Dr. Wolmper who saw us for the opinion, was not going to be the one performing the work anyway, so we felt like we'd be starting over, all over again. We just said "no" to Aloha. read more

Dr. Ameneh Khosrovani is amazing with my 3 year old! I can't believe how wonderful an experience it is here. They make the whole process fun. My daughter is always excited to go and warms up to the staff super quickly. Plus they give me advice on how to talk to my daughter to get her to let me floss her teeth. I'm so glad I found this practice. read more

I made an appointment for my daughter at the telegraph location everything was fine until I heard the front receptionist gossiping with her coworkers and even said many curse words in her conversation. This was very unprofessional since she is the first person who greets you at the door. Also considering this is a children's dentistry and my daughter heard every word! My daughter even repeated one of the curse words later that day. Definitely not going back and it's a shame because the Dr. Ameneh was really nice to my daughter. read more

While all the doctors in this group are great, Dr. Megan Golinveaux is goes above and beyond great dental care. She is friendly, smart, thoughtful, calm, responsive, thorough and provides sensible treatment plans. And I wish adult dentists were as skilled as she is at administering anesthesia. My kids have no idea they get shots for fillings. While I was already very happy with the care she provides my 3 kids, I was very impressed with how she handled a recent issue. Our orthodontist referred my daughter to a periodontist who suggested dental surgery. This didn't feel right to me. I couldn't get a proper response from the orthodontist about whether surgery made sense, so I called Dr. Megan. She called me back, conferred with her colleagues at Aloha, called the periodontist and got the orthodontist involved in deciding whether this was the surgery was appropriate for my daughter. This was all on her own time and in the end, we decided against the surgery. I was so thankful that she is our dentist! She was the only dentist who bothered to listen and think about whether gum surgery was appropriate for an 8-year old. She's a great dentist and an all around wonderful person. read more

Not many Pediatric dentists have pateints coming back after they leave for college. That alone should convince you that Carole is a rather remarkable dentist, if not for you then for your children. read more

Both my kids have had wonderful experiences being raised with the services of Dr. Arnold Nakasato and his team, which has them with no fear of the dentist. But this week they this team took the cake in my eyes! I brought in a new little friend that was in desperate need of treatment (she's 4.5) and they brought her in and helped her through the whole process with such kindness and fun. She hasn't had access to care like we have and was "nervous" and "happy" to go. Each step was a game. Teresa even sang to her during the cleaning and treatments. The filling was even described to her as a work of unicorn art on her tooth. They know their kids and could tell what would work with her. I highly recommend the team with Aloha Pediatric to take care of your kids teeth! read more

Dr khosravani and Jenna just performed what is nothing short of a miracle on my 6 year old autistic daughter. They were super patient, gentle and understanding of her fears. She had her very first exam and cleaning without meds with not a single tear. She actually told me she had FUN!!! read more

Not sure about the dentists but the reception and admin staff are very unprofessional and rude. My son was referred to this place by another dentist with all x-rays and documents ready. but reception scheduled another cleaning and check-up and x-ray regardless of the 1 day old x-ray result. A simple treatment can only be done after another check-up and the time span from scheduling the appointment to the actual treatment is over 3 months. I crossed out this place from my health care list and found a better place. read more

My 14 1/2 year old son has been going to Dr. Katsura since he was about 3 years old and we have nothing but rave reviews for Dr. Katsura and the entire staff at Aloha! Very professional, excellent and thorough dental care, very clean and organized, always on time for the appointment, unofficial child psychology experts, state of the art equipment, kind, gentle, and responsive to off-hour emergencies/urgencies. They aren't cheap, but they never recommend unnecessary procedures. We absolutely highly recommend this practice! read more

I can only echo the positive sentiments expressed regarding Dr. Katsura and the Aloha Dental office staff in Berkeley; they are amazing! My experience was almost an exact replica of LP's: We came to Dr. Katsura after seeing another dentist in Piedmont, who had insisted that my 3.5-year old daughter would need to be put under a general anesthesia in order to repair/fill her teeth. I reached out to Dr. Katsura for a second opinion, and he performed the work beautifully at a fraction of the cost, with a little nitrous and a local (not general) anesthesia. Dr. Katsura scheduled manageably-spaced appointments to address as many fillings as he could at a time within my daughter's patience threshold, in addition to initially stabilizing her situation with temporary fillings until she was old enough to sit through the permanent ones. Prior to the Aloha Dental visits, she had been incredibly resistant to brushing, but warmed up instantly to the Dr. and the hygienists in this office. After several visits, her willingness to brush and floss changed dramatically, and now she is brushing like a pro. Quoting LP: "[Dr. Katsura] has an amazing way with kids. He is sweet and calming. But, most of all, he is super confident and just proceeds as if there is no question whatsoever that the kid will be fine and cooperate." read more

All three of my kids had their check up today at Aloha with Dr. Ameneh Khosrovani at their Orinda office. She is a gem and I don't use that word loosely. She has been seeing my kids for over ten years and I can't imagine going anywhere else. Like many people, I often have great experiences and don't bother to sit down and write a review. On a whim, I decided to write a review that is most overdue. First of all, I am shocked at some of the lower stars here. Aghast is more like it. I have heard from business owners how frustrating it can be to have unfair and inaccurate reviews. As I read some of the lower rated stars here, I am speechless. We usually see Dr. Ameneh but have had to see others as well. She is sincere, smart, perceptive and caring. Whether she is speaking to my 16 year old,14 year old or special needs 11 year old, she is spot on in her communications about preventive care and next steps. She will never rush you or your kids. She is persuasive - she will talk to them in a way that makes them follow proper hygiene. As others have said, it's that demeanor that has made my special needs kid, who is very quirky and sensitive, want to brush well and want to get his teeth cleaned at the office. She can reach kids. Maybe you can save 20 dollars elsewhere, maybe not, but her care is excellent and her results are superlative. If that weren't enough, she is also a wonderful human being. She worked with me so I could continue providing care for my kids when I was going through a tough financial period. She didn't have to but she cares AND acts on it. I can go on and on, as can many devoted family and neighbors and friends, but I will stop. If you are in the market for pediatric dental care, go see Dr. Ameneh at Aloha. You will be impressed. Promise. read more

Top notch, very caring, sensitive to parent wonderings and anxieties about various dental procedures. Its a wonderful place that knows how to make kids feel comfortable in what could otherwise be stressful experiences. highly recommend read more

My almost-3-year-old and 5 year old love going to the dentist! Dr. Ameneh Khosrovani has the gentlest demeanor, and is really in touch with their experience and emotions. Both kids have had to have fillings (bad genes?), and both have had such good experiences: she goes gently and slowly and gauges their comfort, with backup plans in case they get antsy (but they never have). Her team of hygienists and technicians are also amazing - lovely people, who seem to really care about the kids. I've watched them in action several times, and they are extremely well coordinated as a team. I highly recommend this practice! read more

My three year old daughter had a great experience at Aloha Pediatric Dentistry Thanks to Dr. Khalil of Aloha Pediatric Dentistry, and his caring and wonderful staff for a great first dental visit for my three year old daughter. Aloha Pediatric Dentistry was organized and professional. The clinic was clean, modern, and just right for kids. The staff--wow, they charmed my apprehensive three year old--magicians! I'm a dentist practicing in the bay area and I was impressed--and learned a thing or two! Thanks again everyone. -Matt H read more

I can't say enough great things about our experience with this dentist. They are kind and professional and great with kids. My child is on the Autism Spectrum and they go out of their way to have a quiet office and accommodate him. My other child came for her first dental appt and they did a great job making her feel special and comfortable. They don't take a lot of insurance plans but we're very clear about that on their website and when you fill out the paperwork. read more

I don't write many Yelp reviews and, like many, I'm probably more likely to complain than to express my thanks. But the service was so exceptionally good, I feel compelled to write about our experience there about a week ago. My 8 year old son fell from his bike and chipped two front teeth on a Friday afternoon. He wasn't in much pain and seemed to be OK with it quickly after the accident so I didn't initially think much of it, but I thought I should go online to see what precautions we might take with such an injury. Advice was mixed, but some said that it would be good for a dentist to look at so I called our pediatric dentistry office, Aloha Pediatrics in Orinda. Unfortunately, the office was closed already (late afternoon on a Friday). I called the Berkeley office and they had me take a photo and email it. I did and then the dentist called me back, asked me some questions, asked me to take a closer photo of the cross-section. She was very considerate of our time and drive (from Walnut Creek) and how my son felt, but suggested that it would be best for our son for him to come in as he might get into a painful situation later even if he wasn't in pain now. Three people stayed late on a Friday in the office while I drove him to Berkeley and they were extremely helpful, cheerful, comforting and accommodating while they took care of his two teeth for the next 90+ minutes!! What a wonderful group of people at Aloha and they gave up a very large portion of their Friday night with their own families to help my son! And they were so good with him because he was understandably concerned about his tooth and the necessary shots and work they were doing on his teeth. They couldn't have handled the situation any more professionally or personally. Thank you Aloha! And very special thanks to Dr. Uritani, Teresa and Linda who gave up part of their Friday night to help my son and were so kind to both him and his very concerned father - me!. read more

The dentists and assistants are very skilled and helpful. They are also extremely kind and caring. I have Dr. Neil Katsura. He spends cares and sends a great deal amount of time with you to explain your dental situation, whether you need a root canal or tooth extraction, etc. He has been my dentist now for almost 25+ years. I hope I do not have to leave him anytime soon. Excellent dentist! read more

We went to Aloha on Telegraph Ave for the first time this week. My son has two cavities and we tried to fill them at his former dentist's office with no luck. He cried, gagged and left feeling devastated. Aloha was a completely different experience. They were so gentle, so kind, so supportive. He had his cavities filled with such ease and the whole experience was so incredibly positive and professional. Thank you Aloha! read more

Hold onto your wallet! I took my son to Aloha Pediatric Dentistry this morning. The entire preventative care visit (not counting time in the waiting room) took 11 minutes and cost $227. That's about $1,200 per hour! read more

We just had a great experience at the Telegraph Office, my 4-year old daughter had her very first filling done with Dr. Ruehe who is amazing! She made my daughter (and me!) feel comfortable and well taken care of. She followed up with a phone call to see how my daughter was recovering from her procedure, which was a nice touch. We are new to the practice but so far I am pleased with our experience and grateful for Dr. Ruehe! read more

After many good years here (Ensenada office) for our 2 children- most under Dr. Wampler, then Dr. Miyahara, we've just hit horrible negligence. Over the past 2 years a tooth that was on 'watch' was ignored each time, and it just led to a giant filling which may need a root canal. Following their advice, we took this daughter to our adult dentist (our girl is 18 and a high school senior) and learned that 1) the giant cavity that they had ignored wasn't even fully filled and needs more work. 2) she has 8 small cavities, not the 6 Aloha just said she had, and 3) the x-rays were poor and had to be re-shot. Our adult dentist has done wonderful work for my husband and I and other friends for over 10 years and we fully trust her treatment plan. But Aloha is now not responsible and caused damage that could have been avoided. Find someone else for your children! read more

We have been coming here since my kiddos were 2 and 3 (now 10 and 11!) and we love this office. They always run on time, get us in and out, make the process painless and fun for the kids and keep me informed. We couldn't ask for a better pediatric dentist! And we love Dr. Bob! read more

Really great experience for my son and me! The office is cheery and kid-friendly and everyone was competent and very helpful. My 8-year son had his first visit and left smiling (even if he knows he has to come back to get cavities filled :( . read more

hands down the best dentist for kids. they know how to make the kids feel at ease, and make it a positive experience. my kids always look forward to coming here. i also appreciate that the front desk is a well run and efficient and appointments are on time . read more

Great service. Love our dentist and the Orinda location. Other reviews mention the cost. Are you really going to shop for a deal on your children's teeth?!? You get one permanent set! Think about that...The way they handle kids is remarkable and worth EVERY penny. read more

I brought my two young kids to Aloha today for the first time, after switching providers due to an insurance change. We had a fantastic experience and all left happy and smiling. They really know how to work with kids and make them feel comfortable. I was worried that my toddler would be anxious and resist, but she thought it was fun! They even asked when they could go back again. Aloha definitely made a trip to the dentist as stress-free as it could be. read more

This was my son's first dentist appointment. It was everything you ever want a first dentist appointment to be for a toddler! The staff was warm, patient and understanding. From the very beginning the dental hygienist engaged my son and started to explain and walk him through everything that was happening. She sang songs with him and easily coaxed him into a teeth cleaning. The dentist followed with the same engagement. It was a perfect appointment. My son has positive associations now with his dental appointment - as I had hoped. Yay!! I totally recommend 1000%!! read more

Took my son here for the first time and it was amazing! They were very friendly and put my 23 month old at ease. He actually had FUN at the dentist! Highly recommend! read more

Our family's experience with Aloha has been excellent. My nine year old is not anxious about dental visits, at all. (This was very important to me as my early visits were horrific and contributed to my fear of the dentist.) Procedures are explained in child-friendly language and each of the tools are introduced. My daughter commented that her dentist and staff talk to her "like a kid, but not like a baby". She appreciated that. I would highly recommend this office. read more

My now 14 and 12 year old kids have been patients of Dr. Ameneh Khosrovani's since they were in preschool. To this day, both kids love seeing her. She is so incredibly warm and thoughtful with a genuine love of children. The couple of procedures our kids went through with cavities were seamless and made me wish I'd had a pediatric dentist like her when I was growing up. We have also been seen by Dr. Khalil who is also very good with kids. Can't go wrong with this practice. read more

I do not recommend this pediatric dental office. It's a beautiful office, but that's about the only nice thing I can say. First of all, it's almost impossible to see the same dentist every time you go, so you start all over with each new dentist you meet. We've seen 4 or more dentists there over the past 5+ years, and each one is very different in their skill level. I agree with the review regarding Dr. Megan. She is very defensive and uncommunicative. About two years ago, my 7-year old son went in for a filling. He's had other fillings before and never had a problem going to the dentist. Dr. Megan numbed him and then without saying anything walked over to another patient and did an entire filling (took over 20+ minutes). My son who was sitting a few chairs away from the other child was starting to get antsy and nervous. She came back over and started working on my son's filling - immediately his feet started kicking and tears were streaming down his eyes (this has never happened before). I asked her to stop because she was obviously hurting him and she basically yelled at me and said, "Well, I'm not trying to hurt him!!" She then had to completely re-numb him and we had to wait another 5-10 minutes before she could start over. After that, we went to Dr. Denise Allen Bass per a friend's recommendation. She's a great lady and is really good with the kids (I do recommend her), but unfortunately the location and wait time was a little inconvenient for me. Sooo...we went back to Aloha. My daughter and son go EVERY six months for checkups. My daughter, who is now six, has never had a cavity. At our most recent appointment, another dentist (don't remember his name) tells me (in a judgmental way), "Mom, she has 8 cavities." We had done nothing different in the past six months, so obviously someone had missed these cavities over the previous appointments. My son, had 3 cavities - which the dentist identified using the x-rays taken at the previous appointment six months earlier. (The dentist confirmed that they were the old x-rays since we had not taken any that day). Again, Dr. Miyahara and others had missed these cavities. He then proceeded to tell me that one of the cavities was under a filling done less than two years ago. He tried to blame Dr. Denise Allen Bass when I questioned him about it - "Well, that cavity was filled at Dr. Bass' office." The hygienist corrected him and advised him that the filling was indeed done by Aloha. He said, "Oh well, yeah that can happen." I believe that they were negligent and incompetent and will not go back. We have now switched to Dr. Barry Kami - our family dentist. He is WONDERFUL & the staff is great with kids! He's helped my son get over his fear of fillings (after the horrible experience he had with Dr. Megan). He was also much less expensive than Aloha - their estimate is easily $500 more than Dr. Kami. Dr. Kami also does fillings throughout the day - unlike Aloha who only does them in the morning. This can be an issue if you have to send your child back to school with a really numb lip and mouth - they can easily bite or chew on their lips or cheeks causing other major problems. Sooo...if you want a dentist for your whole family, I highly recommend Dr. Kami. Not only are Dr. Kami and the staff great, but his office is ultra-modern & beautiful!! However, if you have very young children and want a pediatric dentist choose Dr. Denise Bass Allen or Alameda Pediatric Dentistry. read more