The best dentist in town!!! Whether you just need a cleaning and maintenance, or a reconstructive procedure, he is your go to! It genuinely feels like you're part of the family when you visit, and his level of care feels superior. The team is also so welcoming and friendly, and you can't beat the beautiful courtyard and convenient location downtown :) read more

I am writing this in response to the review written in 2014 waged against Dr. Bruce by my ex-husband, Tom D. Since it seems that this misleading and twisted accounting of facts is going to remain on the internet for a long time, I feel I need to post a rebuttal. Dr. Bruce does not deserve this attack. He has been my dentist for over 30 years and has treated all three of our children after they grew out of their pediatric dentist. He has always done beautiful, high-quality work. Our daughter does have problems with anxiety, particularly with dental work, and when younger was usually put out with anesthesia in order to have her dental work done. Dr. Bruce performed a lot of work on our daughter without having to be put out, and she experienced no anxiety and no pain whatsoever. I later told Tom that even if he found a cheaper dentist, I would be willing to pay a little more to go with Dr. Bruce, just for the peace of mind in knowing that our daughter was comfortable with him. Tom was typically not involved in the medical and dental care of our children I saw that they had proper medical and dental care and then billed him for half as per the court order. The bill in this case was very high and was based on a worst-case scenario with payment required upfront. I had warned Tom that there would be a large dental bill coming, but I did not know how much at that point. When I took our daughter in for the dental work, I received the bill, paid it, and later sent it to Tom for reimbursement for his half of the payment. Quite simply, Tom wanted to find a way to get out of paying his half of the bill. Tom refused to pay the bill, saying that I had not notified him in advance and did not let him get a second opinion. He accused me of being in a conspiracy with Dr. Bruce to overcharge him in order to get more money out of him, even going so far as to pretend that he had a recording of Dr. Bruce admitting to that. Dr. Bruce jumped through hoops trying to explain the dental work to someone who know nothing about dentistry. Tom and his girlfriend visited Dr. Bruce's office, where Dr. Bruce spent considerable time trying to show them why it had been necessary to treat our daughter's teeth as he had. I believe they were not there to try to understand, but rather to try to intimidate because Dr. Bruce is my dentist. I agreed to get a second opinion for the remaining dental work from a dentist we could agree on. The other dentist at first would not give me the results of his exam because Tom told him not to. Finally, he decided he couldn't abide by Tom's request and he indicated that he felt unduly pressured by Tom to formulate an opinion based on insufficient data and a bad copy of the negatives. He clearly stated that his opinion was based solely on what had been presented to him and might not be representative of all the facts. Dr. Bruce offered to have the other dentist come over to his office where he could show him the original negatives and discuss his course of action. That meeting took place, and the other dentist sent us each a letter stating that, after reviewing all the facts and looking at the original negatives, he concurred with Dr. Bruce's approach to the matter. Tom's next course of action was to take the matter to the local Peer Review Committee, which required more time and energy on Dr. Bruce's part (more hoops for Dr. Bruce to jump through). The Peer Review Committee, comprised of many local dentists, listened to my ex-husband's side, Dr. Bruce's side, and conducted a thorough examination and evaluation of our daughter's dental situation. Their determination was that Dr. Bruce's treatment was done well and within the standard care for dentistry. According to this group of unbiased dentists who understand dentistry, Dr. Bruce had done absolutely nothing wrong. I then had to take Tom to court to recoup his half of the bill he was refusing to pay. His argument was that I had not given him a chance to check out other dentists before the work started and therefore he should not be responsible for any of the bill. I finally got the payment, but I had to go through hell to get it.As a final note, I find it worthwhile to mention that Tom has a history of threatening professional's licenses. The behavior doctor caring for our middle child finally refused to deal with Tom because of his "devious" and "manipulating" behavior. Tom threatened her license. Additionally, Tom agreed to have our daughter see a psychologist at the recommendation of her pediatrician. When I submitted the bill to him for payment, he claimed he had not given permission so would not be paying the bill. Fortunately, by then I had learned to get everything in writing, and I forwarded a copy of his emailed consent to him. Tom then contacted the psychologist, and in so many words accused him of trying to "milk" our daughter's treatment. I would recommend Dr. Bruce to anyone looking for an excellent, quality, caring dentist. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Bruce's since I was a child and continue to follow-up with him in my adult years. As a child being treated, I particularly appreciated Dr. Bruce's patience, jokes and the movies we watched during our procedures/cleanings. As an adult who works in the medical field, I am impressed by the hygienists attention to detail, professionalism of the front office staff and nearly pain-free dental work. Dr. Bruce has created a kind, nurturing environment where all patient's can feel comfortable. I highly recommend Dr. Bruce for all of your dental needs. read more

I am the father who submitted the original report to "Rip-Off Report" some six years ago. I disagree with the mother's assertion that the Dentistry Peer Review Comittee found that Dr. Michael Bruce had "Done Nothing Wrong". When I realized what Dr. Bruce had done to my daughter, I was prepared to file charges with the police. I elected to submit the allegations to a "Dentistry Peer Review Committee" to seek justice as was suggested by one of the Dentists who performed an evaluation of my daughter's medical records provided by Dr. Bruce. The items included x-rays of her upper and lower teeth, a fraudulent treatment plan, as well as the invoice for the treatment of 21 fillings. Dr. Bruce was required to justify his decisions and actions in a Peer Review. The accusations were serious and could have led to criminal charges. The suggestion that this Peer Review was merely a "nuisance" mis-characterizes the gravity of Dr. Bruce's actions. The Peer Review Committee held the findings of its review until the statute of limitations for filing civil charges against Dr. Michael Bruce had expired. Contrary to the "Mothers" claim that the Peer Review Committee determined that he had "Absolutely done nothing Wrong"; the determination was and is as follows: In regards to the 21 fillings that Dr. Bruce billed us in advance for, 11 of the fillings were never performed, as they were not required. The "Peer Review Committee" as well as Dr. Lowery and Dr. Walseth confirmed that there was no sign of decay present.. However, the Peer Review Committee found that because Dr. Bruce was not allowed by the father to follow through with the treatment of these 11 teeth as he intended, Dr. Bruce would not be disciplined for this regardless of his intentions. In regards to the 10 fillings that Dr. Bruce did perform, the Peer Review Committee found that only one tooth showed evidence of Decay in the x-rays provided by Dr. Bruce. However, the oral examination performed by the Peer Review Committee determined that any hard evidence of foul play had been destroyed when Dr. Bruce had drilled for the fillings. Thus the findings of the Dentistry Peer Review Committee were inconclusive, and allowed Dr. Michael Bruce a reprieve, but in no way concluded that Dr. Bruce had done nothing wrong. Two other dentists who are highly respected dentists within our community concluded from the x-rays and their oral examination that Dr. Bruce performed work that they would not have recommended or performed, that his treatment was over aggressive, and egregious. Dr Michael Bruce is prohibited by order of the Superior Court SBCA from treating our children. I find it incomprehensible that Dr. Michael Bruce would take advantage of and violate the health and safety of a child in his care. The motivation for such child abuse would seem to go beyond mere financial exploitation, akin to a time and place where death camp doctors tortured children with pleasure and impunity. read more

Dr. Bruce has been my dentist for over two decades. I grew up in Santa Barbara, and although I've lived in the Bay Area for a number of years, I haven't been able to find a dental practice that gives me the same level of service as Dr. Bruce's. His office has a congenial atmosphere and is exceptionally clean. The office staff are the friendliest people you could hope to meet, and handle scheduling and billing/insurance promptly and effectively. I completely trust Dr. Bruce's office with my oral hygiene and health. On the cosmetic side, I've had really good results with their custom-fabricated teeth whitening trays and gel. I've basically given up on finding a local dentist... I just wait until my next trip to Santa Barbara to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bruce. read more

My family has entrusted out dental care to Doctor Bruce ever since moving to Santa Barbara about 30 years ago. (My daughter still drives up from LA for her tooth care.) He is careful to provide nearly pain-free dental work, and is always happy to provide explanations for every procedure. His staff is warm and nurturing, even coming in on a weekend once to see to a crown emergency I had. I would recommend Dr. Bruce to everyone! read more

Dr Bruce has been my families dentist for over 35 years. He is a perfectionist and explains everything throughly. Dr. Bruce staff is exceptional..many have been there for over 25 years. Many of my friends also see Dr Bruce and have had some beautiful work done including implants. read more

My mother passed recently and I am very thankful for the care and expertise that Dr. Bruce and his wonderful staff gave her over the many years, especially over the past year after her fall in March. We appreciated their scheduling flexibility and genuine concern and understanding. It was nice to know that she was always well taken care of at Dr. Bruce's office. I am grateful that he is my dentist! read more

I'm not in the habit of writing reviews unless I have an extraordinary reason for doing so. My entire family have been patients of Dr. Bruce for nearly 30 years running. As a consequence of all this experience, including numerous crowns, fillings, bridges, injuries, cleanings, etc,,that we have received the very best care available. In fact, my youngest daughter flies home from Brooklyn for this very reason. I am extremely grateful that my family continues to receive the extraordinary care this office provides us. Many thanks. read more

I've been a patient for 36 years. His office is pleasant and the staff are helpful and happy. His work is superb.

Dr. Bruce is a great Dentist and has been my dentist for over 30 years! I get to watch movies while I get my teeth cleaned!