This is my second go round with braces and they were very professional in explaining the mistake I…read moremade the first time around and I love all the color choices!

Worker Angelica is so rude and unprofessional gets mad if you can't make it to appointment or…read morechange it also sits and eats while helping customers. Bad experience

I recently moved back to the area and I've been looking for a new dentist. I came across Dr. Sophia…read moreEspinoza who years prior was to be my son's dentist. My son had an open heart surgery at three years old so he had some heart precautions .He was about 10 years old and he was having anxiety in the chair. She literally told him that if he didn't be still, and let her clean his teeth that he could die. I was like are you kidding me lady? She continue to tell me how my son should be still in the chair that he was old enough to know better. I told her no thank you how could you say that to a child and I left very upset. This woman is very unprofessional. She should not be treating children if she cannot tolerate children. Children are going to be scared and nervous and she just makes them more scared. Seeing these reviews on here are pretty unsettling. Maybe she only likes people of her own kind where she gets her positive reviews. I would not recommend this dentist for children as they could be traumatized.

I went in for a cleaning Dr Espinosa was gentle and did an awesome job. Before making an…read moreappointment I was looking at the reviews and some were negative saying that she was rude and that was a lie she's so sweet and really attentive in your needs or concerns. I will totally come back.

Our practice, UC Dental is located in Union City. We worked on sustainability projects with Dr…read more Ariana and Dr. Max. Being in the dentistry business for over 50 years, they are the kindest, most transparent, & professional dental providers you will meet. When you come in, you are greeted with a warm smile. They have invested a lot into their patients. Believe me, I have seen their backend operations. I heartily recommend them to anyone in the Scotts Valley/Santa Cruz region.

The dentists are holistic and caring; however, the office policies, staff, and financial practices…read morelack ethics and are misleading. I had an appointment here to get a treatment plan and quote for Invisalign, and I went in to get scanned; part of that included a CBCT scan, which apparently "cost" $800 a la carte. I say 'cost' because the practice owns the machine, and all they have to do is sit you in it and press the button. I was hesitant to even do the scan because I am claustrophobic, and I had perfectly good X-rays, but I was pressured into it. Once I got the results for the invisible aligners, I saw the cost and what it would break down to, and I wanted to wait a few months before starting treatment until I had more money to start the expensive monthly payments. However, I was told that if I waited, they would charge me over $800 for the scan! I was never told this beforehand and argued back and forth with Kim about it, and then ultimately was pressured to start the aligner treatment before I was ready to start it because they were threatening to charge me for the scan separately. I gave it another shot and was going to take my child here for an exam and cleaning. The day before the appointment, she was sick with a fever and got sent home from school in the morning, and of course I called to reschedule. They want 2 business days' notice, or they charge me $150. I'm sorry, what parent has 2 business days' notice before their kid suddenly comes down with something? I offered to bring her in anyway to avoid spending $700 on an exam, cleaning, X-rays, plus a $150 deposit in the future, which is an unrealistic amount of money to just be able to drop when you are a family with no dental insurance. I scheduled here because Santa Cruz Children's Dental wanted to charge me $800 per child for the same thing!!! They said no I can't bring her in sick, so they would charge me anyway, and then tried to act like it was a "credit" for next time. No, it's not a credit; it's a penalty. Absolutely unethical, unkind, and INSANE business practices. They charged me anyway, and I disputed the charge on my card. I will not be making further appointments here and will take my business elsewhere. They also recommended an invasive and expensive double JAW surgery for me, which, after seeking a second opinion from another holistic dentist, was completely unnecessary, as the clear aligner treatment alone is already doing the job of widening my palate and expanding my airway. This practice is questionable and ethically and morally wrong, given their financial and business practices. If you are an uber-wealthy Silicon Valley transplant, go ahead and go here, but for the middle-class families of Santa Cruz... stay far, far away. They act like $150 is ten dollars. No big deal, why are you upset? It's the dentist's time, after all. Not to mention that they have a mile-long waitlist for cleanings, are booked out months in advance, and have probably already filled it. The dentist's time and the money the practice makes are the bottom line here.

I cannot recommend Dr. Schabel & Dr. Chen's office more. As an adult paying for ortho treatment for…read morea 2nd time, I really took my time shopping around for the best team to fix my teeth back to what they used to be. NorthCoast Ortho was an easy choice after some of my other interviews. -Scheduling was quick and the staff is extremely friendly. -My complimentary consultation was done by Dr. Schabel who was very thorough and knowledgable about what treatment would be best for my particular case. There were other offices who recommended more expensive/unnecessary treatment and Dr. Schabel was able to assess and determine that those were not needed for me, saving me thousands of dollars. -Payment options were clear and they had so many different options for different budgets. -I was quoted 14 weeks for my Invisalign and that's exactly what it took to fix my teeth. I know that's not always the case, but I'm so happy with how things turned out. -Kayla, one of the office managers, was amazing and really was so enjoyable to work with. She answered all of my questions and was super nice. This business is family-oriented yet incredibly professional. Do not look around anymore and book a consultation! You won't regret it.

We could not be happier with North Coast. We are on our 3rd kid receiving orthodontia and wouldn't…read morego anywhere else. Every single person who works there will give you a smile and great attention. Both Doctors are very thorough, thoughtful and extremely good at what they do. We've had expanders, rubberbands, head-gear, braces, Invisalign and retainers between all three of my children. They are experts at all!!!

I had a very bad toothache and I did not have a regular dentist. Dr. Gomez. Gave me an appointment…read morethe same day I called. My tooth needed to be pulled and Dr. Gomez was patient and kind. I'm so glad that I found Dr. Gomez and I recommend her to anyone looking for a new Dentist.

Nothing wrong with Dr Gomez herself, but their system of "pay up front, get reimbursed later,"…read moretotally sucks! I was told my insurance would cover the visit. I paid over $300 up front and only got $30 reimbursed from my insurance. I am 50 years old and have NEVER paid a dime for an exam. ya, you heard it, just an exam! she didnt even do anything! when I called the office, the receptionist said that actually my insurance WASNT in network!!! i trusted they checked prior to me going there. I asked for doctor to call me back and it's been a week now.....crickets!

My two year old had some dental trauma that needed to be fixed. Dr Joe (dentist) and Dr Phillip…read more(anesthesiologist) did such an amazing job. You can tell they truly care about providing the absolute best outcome for their patients. Incredibly talented doctors with great bedside manner that are great with kids. The facility is very nice and clean, the front office ladies were kind to us as well. Ive never left a dentists office feeling so impressed with the quality of care. If your kid needs dental work, I would highly recommend Dr Joe and Dr Phillip.

From the moment you walk in, this office makes you feel right at home. The entire staff is warm,…read morefriendly, and truly committed to making every visit a positive one. Doctor Lola has a gift for connecting with kids--she's attentive, gentle, and makes my boys feel completely at ease. My 9-year-old son, who has Down syndrome, has had tough experiences at other dental offices, but here he's calm, comfortable, and even cooperative. Doctor Lola's board certification and specialized training in caring for children with special needs is evident in everything she does. She takes her time, explains each step, and adapts to his pace without ever making him feel rushed. That level of patience and compassion means the world to me. Finding a dental team this skilled and caring is rare, and I couldn't be more grateful for the way they care for my family.

My children were patients at Brent Porter's pediatric dentistry practice since February 2024. We…read morehave since left the practice because our experience with communication, treatment planning, and follow-up regarding our children's dental care was not what we expected. In March, my 4-year-old daughter had a follow-up after a cleaning due to tooth decay. Dr. Porter's office sent us home with a consent form for Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) and scheduled a treatment appointment, requiring us to take her out of school. When my wife brought our daughter to that appointment, she learned that no procedure was actually planned. Instead, the appointment became a consultation where Dr. Porter recommended future treatment involving anesthesia and tooth extraction. This was confusing because we had previously been given the SDF consent form, yet Dr. Porter stated he never intended to pursue that option. When asked why we were given the paperwork if it was not being considered, we did not receive a clear explanation. The recommendation was to extract both teeth, even though one had significantly less decay than the other. During that discussion, Dr. Porter also mentioned placing a spacer afterward to prevent space loss, which was concerning because this was the first time we had heard about the need for one. This was especially concerning because our son had previously had a tooth extracted by Dr. Porter about a year earlier. That procedure required anesthesia, resulting in a significant out-of-pocket cost through a third-party provider. The experience was difficult, as our son woke extremely upset and appeared to be in pain. While we were trying to comfort him, Dr. Porter commented on how rewarding the experience was because he was able to help our son. Given that we were holding our clearly distressed 5-year-old autistic child in that moment, we found the comment inappropriate and felt it showed a lack of awareness of what our family was experiencing. During our daughter's consultation, we learned that our son's previous extraction should have involved consideration of a spacer to prevent space loss. Despite this being discussed during our daughter's consultation, this was the first time we had ever heard one was needed for our son. It had never been discussed before his extraction, during treatment planning, after the procedure, or during any later cleaning appointments. When my wife asked Dr. Porter why we were only learning this now, he repeatedly focused on patient compliance rather than answering why we were never informed a spacer was needed. When I later called, I received the same response. Only after repeated attempts did he acknowledge he may have made a mistake by not bringing it up. Our concern was not whether our children needed treatment -- it was whether we were being given complete information and all reasonable options. We expect clear communication about procedures, alternatives, and follow-up care regardless of why treatment is needed. I requested Dr. Porter's office send our children's full dental records to us and Capitola Kids Dentistry, where we had begun becoming new patients. The records were not sent then or after a follow-up a month later. They were provided two months later, one day before our appointment with the new dentist, and only after the new dentist requested them directly. Our experience at Capitola Kids Dentistry was a clear contrast. They confirmed that one of our daughter's teeth did require extraction, which we expected, but recommended trying to save the other tooth with a steel crown rather than removing it immediately. They also recommended a different sedation approach for the needed extraction and immediately addressed our son's spacer situation after noting space loss had already occurred. Most importantly, Capitola Kids Dentistry involved us in the decision-making process, explained the options clearly, and made sure we understood the reasoning behind their recommendations. Given the contrast between our experience at Brent Porter's practice and Capitola Kids Dentistry, we would not recommend Dr. Porter to families looking for a pediatric dentist who clearly communicates treatment options and takes ownership when follow-up concerns arise. Our concern was not simply that extraction was recommended -- it was that extraction appeared to be presented as the only option for both children without discussion of alternatives, while a missed part of our son's prior treatment was never communicated to us and was only addressed after we raised the issue. When we did raise that concern, we found it difficult to get a direct answer rather than a clear acknowledgment of what happened. Parents should feel informed and confident that they understand all reasonable options before making decisions about their children's dental care.

I love that this office offers the laser. I actually told all my friends & doctors I work with…read moreabout him. However, after today I will be letting all of them know he's not someone you want to work with. I came to find out that they are not transparent at all about the materials they use in their office. I told Dr. Porter I don't use fluoride on my son & he said that was no problem. He failed to mention that they use fluoride-releasing dental composites for their fillings. I had a bad feeling this morning when I was taking my son in for his fillings so I asked them to give me the brand & name of the composite they use. I was shocked that he hadn't mentioned to me that they had fluoride in them because we specifically had a conversation about fluoride. When I asked to talk to him today about all of this hoping that he would be willing to order a different material to use to fill my son's cavities, he wasn't open to the idea at all. However, he did mention how happy he was that SC doesn't have fluoride in the water. I asked "so you are happy about that but then you put fluoride in people's mouths? How is that any different?" He was unable to answer the question. He just said sorry I'm not going to work with your son. Also another important thing to note is that his hands were shaking a lot when examining my son's mouth. I am definitely wondering if it's okay for a dentist to have those issues when needing to be so precise, especially with something like a laser. He also doesn't allow parents chair side when their child is having the laser/cavity filling which is a big red flag to me as well. When a doctor isn't willing to honor a parents request or even consider doing so, and then also failing to be transparent about their materials, this is not a good doctor & I will not be recommending him to anyone.

Always excellent customer service and very clean and fresh facility. Our whole family sees Dr…read more Torres and she is amazing especially with kids. I have been seeing her for 15 plus years.

Absolutely the worst experience I have ever had at the dentist. First, she recommended that I need…read morecrowns on almost all of my teeth because it will "make my teeth stronger". So she goes in with the numbing shot and extremely painfully hits a nerve shocking me and I needed a second to calm down. She THEN says to me "Are you gonna let me do this or not, I have other patients after you" so I stood up said no and left. Thank god I did. Never come here.