Carl C Riccoboni, DDS, Jeff Riccoboni, DDS

Hello,
I’ve been coming to this Dental Office for about 5-​years now. In that time I have had a temporary tooth (cap?) replaced by a crown, multiple fillings, and semiannual cleanings. I have to say that I’m a little embarrassed that I haven’t written a review sooner because I have had such great experiences with everyone at this office.
Before I begin, let’s be honest with each other. No one enjoys going to the Dentist because of some of the sounds and discomfort one must endure in order to maintain healthy and beautiful teeth. That being said, Doctors Carl and Jeff Riccoboni make every effort to make the experience a pleasant one. Here are a couple of my experiences I have had starting with the most recent:
This morning I needed to have two fillings put in on my lower back teeth. I was very anxious because I do not like the feeling of numbness that the lidocaine causes. I also do not like having my teeth drilled into. Then again, who does? I told Doctor Jeff Riccoboni that I was feeling very anxious and jittery after he put the lidocaine in. He attempted to calm me down by talking to me while his assistant dimmed the lights to decrease the sensory detail. His father, Doctor Carl Riccoboni, put a cool cloth on my head and checked my blood pressure and pulse to make sure that I was not have a reaction to the lidocaine. My heart rate and pulse were just fine but I believe I was having a bit of an anxiety attack. Doctor Jeff Riccoboni and his assistant turned on the TV for me and sat next to me and talked until my jitters went away (about a 20-​minutes altogether). They assured me that I could cancel the session if I wanted to. They made me start to feel much more comfortable and I decided to proceed. Doctor Jeff Riccoboni took great care when working on my teeth and regularly checked in with me to make sure that I was doing okay. Most of you will not experience this level of anxiety when going to the dentist but if you do you will be in good hands if you come to this office!
A few years ago I needed to have a temporary tooth from childhood replaced by a crown now that my teeth were fully grown (two front top). I was very nervous about getting this done because I was worried that people would be able to tell that I had a fake tooth as it was in the front and anyone could see it when I opened my mouth. At that time Doctor Carl Riccoboni handled the crown. He took a mold of my teeth (easiest experience ever!) and sent me to another office so that they could make the crown to match the shade of my other teeth. Once the crown was made, Doctor Riccoboni put on the crown and meticulous drilled around the tooth to make sure that it matched the one next to it. He gave me a mirror after he was done and I was shocked! The tooth looked so real! It even looked like it had enamel on it just like a real tooth. To this day I am always proud to show off my crown. Everyone is as shocked as I was to discover that it is a fake tooth. This was one of my best experiences!
So hopefully my stories will help you get out hiding and get you to Doctor Riccoboni’s Office! You will not be disappointed

I have been seeing Dr. Jeff Riccoboni for the past year. He is very easy to talk to and makes me feel very comfortable.
I had two cavities filled by Dr. Jeff, and he was very gentle. I was worried about getting numb, and he made sure that I felt no pain. i am glad that I found a young dentist I feel comfortable with and can continue to see for a long time.

I’ve been a patient of Dr Carl’s since he took over the practice from my first dentist Dr. Frost, over 30 years ago. I’m pretty sure all the work my sister and I have had done over the decades put his son through dental school, since he’s now in practice with his dad — so please welcome Dr Jeff!
All jokes aside, Dr. Carl is an awesome dentist. I’ve had a number of serious, painful and complicated dental issues in the recent past and Dr Carl and his brother Dr Frank (my periodontist for extracting a cracked molar and replacing it with an implant) have always repaired my flawed teeth gently, with a minimum of pain and with a pretty dry sense of humor that I truly appreciate.
Cleanings? Painless and completely without that overtone of censure you usually feel when you know you haven’t flossed enough. The Debbies and Laura are sweet, funny and so good at what they do and they never make me feel bad for being a slacker on the flossing. And the music in the background isn’t worse than the sound of the drills, if you know what I mean ;)
When I tripped and fell flat on my face right before this past Christmas, breaking and chipping all four front teeth, with whom did I trust my teeth? Dr. Carl. My new veneers look like better versions of my old teeth. You cannot tell that they are veneers. I am super happy with my «new» choppers.
I also truly appreciate Camille and Veronica at the front desk, who have worked patiently with me so many times regarding payment, since I don’t have dental insurance. Even when I did, my insurance didn’t cover much of anything anyway, and honestly I’d rather pay out of pocket for Drs Carl, Frank and Jeff than see any cheaper, far less skilled dentists.
My mom and dad are patients as well. My sister lives in London and comes home once a year — and always makes sure to schedule a visit with Dr Carl, because dentists of his caliber are really hard to find even in the private insurance practices in London. I don’t think I can really say any more about how awesome this practice is, except go see for yourself. You will never dread the dentist ever again.
I don’t trust my teeth to anyone else, and neither should you!

I took my daughter here for the first time for a regular check-​up and cleaning. We saw dentist Carl Riccoboni and hygenist Laura Teran. I was impressed by neither.
Carl spent only 5 minutes with us, didn’t look at my daughter’s teeth, and didn’t go over the xrays that were taken. Before I could ask any questions, Carl left. I had to call him back the next day to ask if, based on the xrays, there were any cavities forming, and whether there was any bone loss from braces. When he spoke to me on the phone, he made up a story about how he looked at my daughter’s teeth (which he hadn’t), and then looked the xrays to determine that there weren’t any cavities. So I get the impression that he is deceptive.
The hygenist Laura Teran was not the most pleasant experience. Since I help my daughter clean her teeth (with braces, it’s hard for her to clean her own teeth), I needed to understand what parts of her mouth weren’t being cleaned well. Even though I asked, Laura would not explain where my daughter’s teeth were dirtiest. In fact, she wouldn’t even let me look at my daughter’s mouth while we were there. Furthermore, she would not answer any questions, like techniques she uses to clean teeth and what kind of toothbrush was suitable for braces. Instead, she felt threatened and got defensive by my questions. She also gave false information. Strangely, she took the initiative to go over the xrays with us even though she’s not the dentist. She gave me incorrect interpretations, like that there was a cavity forming between 2 molars and that there was significant bone loss (Carl subsequently negated her on both counts). After she got offended that I asked questions at all, the one hour of dental cleaning passed mostly in an uncomfortable silence, with me feeling disenfranchised from my daughter’s dental health.
In the end, I was sorry I went to this dental office.

I’m not someone who posts on Unilocal,but I want to share my experience of finding a dentist I have faith in and, hopefully, help someone who’s looking!
I consulted with 5 dentists before choosing Dr. Carl Riccoboni. I had a complicated case and wanted to find someone that I trusted and believed would do excellent work.
Luckily, thru a friend, I found Dr. Carl Riccoboni who is calm (a good thing) never rushed me, answered all my questions (many) and explained every detail of my treatment plan. All my upper teeth were loose and shifting from 12 years of wearing braces as a young girl. I was scared!
I used to have straight, white teeth and always smiled, but up until a month ago, I would never let anyone take my photo. Dr. Riccoboni took his time and formulated a plan that made sense to me. I am thrilled to say, he saved my teeth and gave me my smile back!!!
I’m happy I took the time to find a kind, calm, precise and brilliant dentist… I LOVE MY NEW TEETH!!!

There are several things that I don’t like with this office. Mostly my complaints are related with how they charge money from customers. To give few examples:
1. They don’t care if you run over insurance limits. Only after my second cleaning visit they told me that I am over my insurance limits and that I have to pay out of my pocket for the last two visits. Also, when I scheduled my first cleaning appointment I explicitly asked them «will my insurance company cover this?» and they said «yes». By the way there are some Dental Insurance plans where cleaning is separate from other dental expenses, so I assumed that with this overly confident «yes» she at least bothered to look up if my insurance plan qualifies for that. Apparently she didn’t and then told me that this is my sole responsibility to do that.
2. As part of cleaning I had to pay $ 43 for «Periodic Oral Exam» even if they did not do anything for me. Typically this service consists of gum deepness evaluation and x-​rays. I did not receive anything of that, but I still had to pay.
3. The prices are not that great. If your insurance company covers most of expenses then you probably wouldn’t notice, but if you go over limits then you will start to feel these numbers (e.g. cleaning $ 118).
4. This dental office referred me to a Periodontist right across the street that charges money just as ruthlessly (the same thing, insurance limits are ignored even after customer asks «if insurance would cover that» and then including services that you never received).
If you still want to get involved with this office, then remember that asking «will my insurance company cover this?» is not enough. They will always say «yes». Ask front desk more specific questions, like «could you please check if I have any unpaid balance in my account?» before scheduling next appointment. Also ask them explicitly «could you please send pre-​treatment estimate to Delta Dental?» before I schedule an appointment.
P. S. I don’t think that it is customers sole responsibility to check if he runs over insurance limits. Here are the reasons why: 1) customer does not know how much he will be charged for appointment; and 2) dentist does not always clearly explain what kind of contract he has with Dental insurance company. The only exception when that should be customer’s responsibility is if between pre-​treatment estimate date and the actual estimate date he would incur other expenses at different dental office.

A delayed review. My wife and I has used this dental office for many years and always completely satisfied. The front office, Debbie my hygienist, and Dr. Carl have consistently provided excellent care.
Dexter Hake

Being new to the area, my boss recommended Dr. Riccoboni. Due to extended unemployment I have what might be called «deferred» maintenance. I couldn’t feel luckier to call him my new dentist. As I often say, I am not a car mechanic so after years of trial and error I found a great one and travel quite a distance to see him. I have a physician in Los Gatos that I have flown from Seattle to SJC to go see.
I feel exactly the same way about my trust in Dr. Carl Riccoboni. I am very fortunate, and thank my boss for pointing me to the best!
Marty

I have always been an anxious patient in the dental chair.
My last dentist specialized in allaying the anxieties and fear by incorporating many useful strategies which I continue to use. Boo-​hoo, when she left the area, I felt a great hole.
However, Debbie, the hygienst said, come to Carl, he will take good care of you.
She was 100% correct.
I’ve had several major areas completed and for the first time in 20 years, without nitrous. Dr. Riccoboni, is patient and keeps you in the loop as he is working.
The office staff is so efficient and personable.
I would recommend Dr. Riccoboni and his office to everyone!

The best dentist around! Dr. Riccoboni’s skill and talented staff make going to the dentist as pleasurable as it could be. Dr. Riccoboni’s kind and gentle way make you feel at ease. He has done numerous crowns and other dental work on me. After the procedures, I leave confidently knowing I’ve been handled with extreme care. His strong reputation in the bay area is well deserved.
Additionally, many of the hygienists really take the time to get to know and remember you and do thorough cleanings. The office is very clean as well.

It’s not that I hate the dentist, but I do hate the sound of the drill. Sigh, as my procrastination would have it, I have to have dental «updates» to my teeth, refillings, re-​crowning, etc…
So I went yesterday, pretty much nervous and well, here I am today. No pain, 3, count them– THREE new refilled and almost re-​crowned teeth (crown still in process). Yes, there was lots of Novocaine which I always have needed. There was a CD playing Natalie Cole-​my choice, not sure why but her voice was calm unlike me, an outdoor window to gaze longingly at as I pondered my escape. But most importantly, Dr. Carl R and his great assistant provided expert, caring, quality work.
Wow, okay I am going back to get all my dental updates done throughout 2009. Procrastinate no more– well at least when it comes to dental work. Oh, remember to floss to keep yourself from sitting a little too long in the dental chair.