This used to be Dr Wickum's office. Dr Valle is amazing. He is very gentle, super friendly and thoroughly explains what he is doing. All of his assistants and the office staff are incredible. I have NEVER had a negative experience here and I am no longer afraid of going to the dentist. My mouth never hurts after procedures and he does a lot of preventative work/ consultations so minor stuff gets nipped in the behind before it becomes a code red. If you are looking for a new dentist definitely give this office a call. read more

Dr. Valle and his team are the best whether it's for just a cleaning or additional work. The office is no pressure or upsell. I enjoy going to the dentist now. read more

This is a very well operated office. On an imaginary list of everything I desire in a dental/medical office I would mark each check box. Dr. Valle is competent, confident, skillful and attentive. The same can be said of the hygienist. The assistants and office staff are pleasant and efficient. The office is clean and modern. I especially appreciate their routine practice (surprisingly overlooked at many dentist offices) monitoring the fluids secreted and going into your mouth so you never have to swallow it. I grew up when nitrous oxide and a prescription of warm fuzzy pain pills made going to the dentist a pleasant experience. My mouth has gotten more sensitive over the years while practices have grown more and more restricted. I have accepted the current trends and was not motivated by the allure of "sedation dentistry." I did not even consider inquiring about how that might assist me and my nervousness. There are other important things this dental office addressed on my list but if I ever truly need it this office offers "sedation dentistry." I had to have a filling replaced without nitrous and I was nervous. What I worry about a filling procedure is if the tooth is drilled free of decay or an old filling and the novocaine still allows random jolts of nerve pain. Before heading to the appointment I took 3 extra strength Exedrine even though I may have been as nervous as I was going in for cataract surgery, believe it or not. It helped that I had already undergone the cataract surgery and the experience turned out to be a thousand times less uncomfortable than anticipated. In both cases I had to accept things and proceed, regardless of concerns. But every step of this dental procedure encouraged me to relax more, namely Dr Valle's calm execution of skill. You can sense you are being handled skillfully and trust good hands of a good dentist and hygienist. Here, both have a feel for the boundaries of pain. I probably have relatively high standards regarding dental/medical offices. Not mentioned yet, I want to feel I can be healed in the environment and I want to leave healed or on my way to being healed. I am certain this is possible at Dr. Valle's Santa Cruz Dental Care. read more

Coming from a dentist family and being treated with very human dentists my entire life, this was the worst experience of my life. Never met a dentist so rude. He spent maximum 10 minutes "examining" my mouth in a 2 hour appointment. Rude and made me feel an unnecessary pain. He just want to sell teeth cleaning and crowns. read more

Highly recommended. I had pain and call them and they squeeze me in despite they have busy schedule. Thanks read more

Great attention to detail, clear upfront explanation of his process, and great staff all around!

Has been my dentist for over 10 years and wouldn't go to anyone else! Now I bring my daughter to him.

Dr Valle is a nice guy and a very approachable professional. I was pleased with the attention i received and expertise I observed in all the staff at Santa Cruz dental. After my initial cleaning I've been back for a filling and I'm happy to say it was the easiest experience I've had at a dentist's office. I especially like how Dr. Valle takes the time to explain his procedures and makes it easy to feel relaxed in a potentially uncomfortable situation. read more

Dr. Valle is nice. However, he did a Root Canal on me that did not work. He does not have the expertise to do certain kinds of root canals. He missed one of the roots in my tooth and it got infected and now I am back to a different endodontist. In all, the root canal cost $1,000 from Dr. Valle and $1,700 more to get it right. In short, be weary of getting a root canal from him. Regular dentistry might be ok, but my new dentist is soooooo much better. He doesn't do root canals, he lets the experts do it. Also, my new dentist cleaned my teeth and gave me lots of preventive care that has helped my gums and teeth tremendously. It's important to have good dental care because I have had lots of issues in my past. read more

I had a giant, painful swelling mass on my gums, and Dr. Valle and his staff were kind enough to book me for a last-minute exam and x-ray appointment to find out what it was. Dr. Valle was calm and kind, and explained everything to me in a way I could understand, and also patiently answered all my questions. He explained to me what the x-ray was showing, where the abscess was, and why it was happening. His staff was super friendly, and I really appreciated that the receptionist was really clear about the prices of everything I asked about, since she knew I was paying out of pocket. Thank you Dr. Valle and staff!! read more

DR Joseph Valle is the best dentist I could not be happier, I do not have to wait long. I am very happy they are very friendly and professional read more

I am a really nervous patient, and I love Dr. Valle. He explains everything he's doing, and why, as he's working. I find that very comforting, but he also checked in to make sure I wanted to hear all that because some people don't. He'll use the non-epinephrine lidocaine, which is important to me since I get so panicky, and he'll even sedate you if you want. Also, he's just a really nice guy. The staff there is awesome, too. When I first called, I was in the middle of switching insurance, and the admin put in a lot of work tracking things down to make sure I'd be covered. read more

Dr. Valle is an excellent dentist. I first met him when he was the hygienist at Santa Cruz Dental Care and Dr. Wickum was the dentist. He returned to school to get his dentistry degree, and his experience in both jobs gives him a unique insight into patient care. He explains everything he is doing and is genuinely concerned about his patients. An excellent dentist. read more

I asked to not get any shots for my filling, and thought it was a long shot or that he would put up a fight. Dr. Valle completely understood and said it would be possible, used a numbing gel and was very careful. There was very little pain, I expected a lot more for what he was doing: filling a deep cavity on the side of a molar. He explained everything very well and is a really nice guy. I've switched dentists three times in the last 4 years but don't need to anymore, have been going here for 2 years now (and I go more than a normal person). Tori is super friendly and professional, and so is the teeth cleaning lady whose name I can't remember right now. Best place. read more

Dr. Valle is awesome! He is very efficient and thoroughly explains the procedures when he's doing them. Highly recommend him!

Santa Cruz Dental is a great place! Dr. Valle is calm, relaxed and gentle. He used to be a Hygienist and sometimes he cleans my teeth! They have the equipment to crown your teeth in one appointment, so you don't have to get numb twice. The women who work the front are always very pleasant and helpful. And, no one at this office pushes you to get things done to your teeth. I'm glad to be a patient. read more

I get great care from Dr. Valle. His office staff are very friendly and the quality of care is excellent. I have had some fillings done and was very comfortable - no pain, good results. I always leave knowing my teeth are clean and any possible problem areas are being closely monitored and corrected before a big problem emerges. I appreciate the explanations in advance of having anything done. I even had my teeth whitened, and my smile never looked better. -- Erika T. read more

Excellent service and quality care. Dr. Valle was very thorough in his examination and provided a lot of insightful information upon my first visit. In addition to quality care, Dr. Valle and his staff were very courteous and very helpful. Although I do not live in Santa Cruz, I continue to go to him for dental care. I highly recommend this office. read more

I have been with Dr. Valle for four years and always get good care and the dental hygienist usually do the cleaning, but sometimes Dr. Valle has performed the cleaning. They both do a good job and are very gentle. When Dr. Valle works on my teeth, he informs me exactly what to expect and what he will be doing, which makes me feel at ease. There are three things I love to do to take care of my self; having my hair done, getting a massage and yes going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. read more

I have very healthy teeth and I am in my mid-twenties, I was looking for a good dentist to go to for years to come. I went to this Dr. Valle about two years ago and got a cleaning and a few cavities filled. The customer service was great but the dental work was horrible. I have had to get two of the cavities they did re-done because there were leaks. My boyfriend who went to this dentist as well got a gum cleaning procedure done and they assured us that the insurance was going to cover it, otherwise we probably wouldn't have gotten it done. Turns out the insurance didn't cover it and he had to pay over $500! Today he went to another dentist for a cleaning and has to get one of his cavities redone too! This is the worst dentist I have ever been to and I would not recommend him to anyone. They are way too expensive and their work is very poor. read more

I developed phobias to dentists in childhood when my dad took me to a dentist who did not use anesthetic. Over the years, I have seen multiple dentist for root canal, gum surgery, and crowns. I travel from Sacramento to see my new dentist Dr. Valle; I think he is gentle and explains his treatment recommendations thoroughly; he goes over the xrays with me and shows me the area on video camera. He revised a crown another dentist had put on my front tooth and the cosmetic result was so much better match color and alignment with adjacent tooth than before. I do believe that he is all about preventive care ,but I do not think he is trying to do more than is necessary. His hygienist staff is very caring and thorough; the front desk is always helpful regarding any billing questions and I understand when I leave the office what to expect regarding my coverage . My son and husband are also patients. yolanda V. read more

My most favorite dentist ever. I have a small mouth and he is able to work in my mouth without me freaking out. I had such high anxiety until I met him. Now I am comfortable. He also replaced a crown that had been done five years ago and my bite was off. My bite is now in place again. He is meticulous about my flossing and watching my gums because I had some gum disease when I got there. He is putting a crown on a broken tooth that the previous dentist was going to cut out. I am so happy. He explains everything and he is very kind and gentle. I so needed that read more

I rarely write critiques and even more rarely favorable ones. I'm almost 70 and, unfortunately, have been to too many dentists in my life; in part because of bad teeth to begin with, because of moving around, and because good dentists are as hard or harder to find as good car mechanics. Dr. Valle was recommended by my dentist where I previously lived (East Bay). I've now been with Dr. Valle for over three years, and I give him a solid five stars without reservations. He minced no words that the patient has to do his daily part if long term dental care is to be successful. With his guidance plus his professional work I today enjoy a level of restored dental health that I never expected I still could achieve. Among the nine dentists I've been to in my life, he is the best one. read more

Scary dental hygienest was so rough I had to leave before my whole mouth was done. Decided to give it a second chance and Dr. Valle did the cleaning himself. This was better. Then, this week I got a message on my machine that I have an appointment for yesterday. Did I schedule that six months ago? No recollection, no postcard. I left a message cancelling the appointment. Today a bill for eighty bucks for a missed appointment! Whoa. Not recommended. read more

I live in the valley (Sac area) but travel to Santa Cruz & Monterey regularly. Unfortunately I inherited pretty bad enamel, and have seen more than my share of dentists. When I developed a terrible toothache on a trip, I called first thing in the morning and they got me in that morning and took care of me right away. The front office staff was was great - friendly and really helpful. On another trip I decided to have a small chip on one of my front teeth fixed - nothing serious (not like the toothache!), but it had been bothering me. Dr. Valle smoothed it out beautifully. I'll definitely go back. read more

Have a mouth full of those old silver fillings from the 70's and my teeth are shifting and have some discoloration. I addressed my dental concerns with Dr. Valle and he provided expert detailed advice on developing a course of action to address all my dental needs. We are in the first stage of my dental plan and he is in the process of converting my old fillings to white fillings and during my last visit he was so gentle that I practically fell asleep during the visit. He and his staff are awesome! Great dentist and has become the dentist for our entire family. read more

Santa Cruz Dental Care has always had a top notch staff: from front desk to dentists. They also have tome of the line equipment and a soothing atmosphere . They have always been very professional for the 13 years that I have been attending their office. Joseph Valle first started out as my dental hygienist and then went back to Dental School in SF, and came back to revive the office and rally the troops. Its too bad I only get to see you guys every 6 months. read more

Dr. Joe Valle is as good as it gets! He is a wonderful, compassionate, state-of-the-art dentist with an amazing staff, Tory, Lorena, and Molly. I really appreciate Dr. Joe's approach to whatever idental issue I bring into his office. He is very gentle, no pain, and he is all about giving the patient options to deal with the issue. I have been his patient for several years now and I am so glad I have him and his awesome staff to rely on-they are the best. read more