I hate to be the first person to write a 1-star review for him, but my experience just was not up to par as the other reviewers here. To be honest, after what I experienced, I don't see how there aren't more negative reviews. I first heard of Dr. Tabor through the Alameda Magazine, and after reading the positive review here (at the time, there was only 1 review for him on Yelp), I decided to give him a try for my twice yearly teeth cleaning. When I went into the office, the first thing I noticed was that the entire place is pretty dated. It's small, and lighting is not that great in the waiting room, but it seemed quaint, and I still figured as long as the service was good, it wouldn't matter anyway. As a quick background, I have always taken pretty good care of my teeth, and have not had any cavities since I was very young. Before coming to Dr. Tabor, I had gone to dentists in the Sacramento area and the South Bay, so he was the first dentist I tried since moving to Alameda.
Back to my teeth cleaning... when I got called inside to get my teeth cleaned, I noticed to my dismay that all of their equipment seemed dated, as well. In fact, the dentist chair that I sat in was so old that there were cracks in the chair, and the stuffing was coming out around where my waist was. The dental assistant went in and started cleaning my teeth. The whole time, she seemed amazed at how clean my teeth were - it kind of worried me, because the way she went on about it, you'd think that none of the patients ever had cavity-free teeth before. I have to say that this was by far the fastest (and also worst) teeth cleaning I ever had. Sure, my teeth had always been in pretty good shape, but I seriously doubt they did as much as they could have. When I got home later, I ended up flossing my teeth again, and actually got some more things they missed (how does that even happen?!). I don't know if I was there on an off day, but I definitely was NOT impressed. Dr. Tabor came in afterward and also took a quick look at my teeth. He was very friendly, and we chatted for a little bit. He asked me how I heard about him, I told him the Alameda Magazine, to which he replied that he actually knew a person at the magazine, which is how he makes sure his practice is advertised there. So that totally explains why I never saw any other dentists listed there, or why Dr. Tabor's office is ALWAYS listed as the recommended office by the magazine. Talk about shady... After going home disappointed with my teeth cleaning, and feeling disenchanted by Alameda Magazine, I was probably ready to give the office a 2 star review. The reason why I give this place 1 star, though, and why I will never go back, is that I found that I actually got bitten by FLEAS that were living in the dentist chair cracks. I ended up having about 5 bites on my waist area, exactly where the crack was located in the dentist chair. I definitely got it here, and not elsewhere. It was just the last straw. The people here all seem to be friendly, but the services here seriously need some work. Based on my experience here, I would have to say - if you care enough for your teeth (and your health!), look elsewhere! I have, and I'm never going back. read more