Melinda Chan, DDS – Rockridge Smiles

I’ve been more than satisified with Dr. Chan and her staff. I recommend her as a dentist. Her staff is excellent as well.

After three different dentists (some worse than the others), my periodontist recommended me Dr. Melinda Chan as my general dentist. Dr. Chan is somebody you want to be your friend the minute you meet her. Besides being super nice and friendly, she is an amazing professional. After seeing her so many times, I’ve never experienced any pain or discomfort. And I’m always looking forward to see her again.

One week before a trip abroad, I had an old filling come out. Dr. Chan was able to schedule an emergency appointment to replace the filling. That was over four years ago, and the dedication, courtesy, and professionalism, of Dr. Chan and the entire staff at the practice has kept me as a regular ever since.
It’s no surprise that the vast majority of people despise dental visits. Dr. Chan goes the extra mile to make the process as pleasant as possible, and it is apparent that her patients are her foremost concern. She always thoroughly walks me through every procedure and answer my burning questions. The practice pays attention to the little details, such as offering patients a pair of shaded glasses (to reduce glare from the lamp and prevent splatter), headphones to listen to audio programs, and ensuring adequate vacuum to remove liquids before they collect in the back of your throat. I can count the number of dentists I’ve had on a single hand, and so it causes me to wonder whether the dentists I’ve previously frequented were subpar, or that Dr. Chan’s practice is truly exceptional.
Even more, the administrative staff are top notch and pleasant. They are very knowledgeable and provided guidance for my particular insurance plan. Occasionally I will receive a bill by mail for a few dollars my insurance did not cover, however it is nice that Dr. Chan’s office did not charge me up front until it is confirmed insurance would not pay it.
Although I still do not relish a trip to the dentist, I am extremely glad to have been fortunate enough to find a reliable and professional dental practitioner in Dr. Chan.

I have been a patient of Dr. Chan’s for at least 8 years. I am not a fan of going to the Dentist, however, I DO enjoy going to see Dr. Chan and her friendly staff. I have read some of the other poor reviews and I can’t imagine a scenario where anyone in this office is not friendly or helpful, as they have consistently been to me for 8 years. As well, Dr. Chan is not only knowledgeable (I want her to know what she’s doing), thorough and professional, but she is quite a lovely person. I have my share of issues with my teeth — I brush way too much, I grind my teeth, I don’t floss enough, etc. I expect my Dentist to tell me how to better take care of my teeth and if something is wrong, they will fix it! They have ALWAYS gone above and beyond for me (and my teeth) and this is why I continue to see Dr. Chan.
On a person to person level, Dr. Melinda Chan is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Anyone who says otherwise is not being truthful. I cannot stress enough how thoughtful, knowledgeable, professional and friendly Dr. Chan is. I know that she’s (only) my Dentist, but she is a good, caring, quality person.

Since moving from Seattle where I had a great dentist, I was always on the hunt for someone as good, if not better than the dentist I had in Seattle. I found that dentist, Dr. Melinda Chan! I have been going to Dr. Chan since I moved here in 2009 and I don’t know of a more competent, professional, friendly dentist. She cares about her patients, and so does the entire staff. One time I had something weird bothering one side of my teeth, she didn’t charge me anything, but fixed it right away and knew exactly what to do! My hygienist at Dr. Chan’s office is awesome! Rita is personable, friendly and thorough. I really do look forward to going to the dentist. All of the staff is courteous! I really can’t imagine having a better dentist or dentist office and I’ve been to some doozies!!! Their building has parking, is easily accessible on College Ave., and they always give you a complimentary tooth brush and floss! They even have a new way of notifying you of your appointment via text, which I like because it doesn’t interrupt my work day. There are 3 female dentists at this office and I really like them all, they know what they are doing and are unbelievably professional.

Dr. Chan was recommended to me several years ago and I’m so thankful for that! She is amazing, a great listener and very pleasant and kind overall. Her office is comfortable and full of sweet people who always seem to have smiles on their faces. Everyone I’ve ever met who works in her office has been very helpful and have made each visit a pleasant one. I used to dread going to the dentist and now I actually look forward to catching up with everyone there! I have recommended Dr. Chan to several people and will continue to do so!

I have been Dr. Chan’s patient for about a year and I cannot say enough positive things about her. In addition to Dr. Chan’s professional and congenial manner, she is knowledgeable and compassionate.
When I first visited Dr. Chan, my teeth were in need of immediate care, in spite of my regular visits to my previous dentist. Dr. Chan immediately put me on am intensive cleaning and maintenance program in addition to addressing a couple of minor repair issues.
Doctor also did a major «re-​do.» Since my Insurance had already paid for the procedure with my previous dentist, Dr. Chan gave me a courtesy discount to reduce my out-​of-​pocket cost. See what I mean about «compassionate»? Without reservation, I describe Dr. Chan in two words: «THE BEST»!!!

Show of hands… who really likes going to the dentist?
The typical dentist visit usually goes something like this; they come rolling into your cubicle after getting your spit bib and safety glasses and they pick up a small prison shank and begin poking your gums until they bleed profusely. They then say something along the lines of, «You know your gums wouldn’t bleed this much if you flossed more?» Um, yeah.
I started going to Dr. Chan in 2009 and I had some serious issues going on with my teeth. I had a crossbite, which means when I closed my mouth or chewed, my top teeth landed directly on my bottom teeth. As a result, my top teeth were worn down, chipped and just plain ugly. A former dentist of mine wanted to break my jaw and do other unnecessary surgery to make them look normal again. I couldn’t fathom spending $ 15−20K just for my teeth, so I let it go… and I hated my smile.
She spent hours of her own time designing and figuring out the best possible way to go about repairing my teeth. After a lot of thought Dr. Chan suggested a different and much less expensive route… veneers.
My smile is amazing now. I’m no longer self-​conscious about smiling in photos, I feel like a completely new person! Dr. Chan is an incredible dentist and I can’t imagine seeing anyone else. In fact, my wife and I recently moved to Santa Cruz, and I still make the trek up to Oakland for all of my dentist-​ing.
You won’t regret choosing Dr. Chan as your dentist!

Dr, Chan has been mine and my husband’s dentist for about 4 years now, My husband is a health freak and always finds the best health care professionals for our family. We had gone through many dentists before finding Dr. Chan. She is extremely professional and thorough and her assistants are knowledgeable and patient. The entire staff (the front desk administrator, financial assistant etc.) are always there to answer my questions and concerns. I really feel that we are in good hands and would recommend Dr. Chan to all my friends or anyone else who might be looking for superb dental care.

Melinda has been my dentist now for about 8 years and I can’t say how much I appreciate her and her staff.
I recently had a filling and wasn’t looking forward to the procedure or the aftermath. As it happened neither was bad and I was even able to eat my lunch without discomfort or pain afterwards.
It’s not my first filling so I can only put this down to professionalism and deftness of touch. Thus, I had to write this review.
I’m not great with dental maintenance and I feel as if I’m in very good hands here. They have very detailed records, excellent follow up and I am always amazed at the level of technology they employ. There is definitely no cost cutting here.
Highly recommended.

Be aware that the office staff here refuses to verify insurance coverage before you arrive for your appointment… and they can be pretty condescending about it. They stated that they prefer to focus on dental health rather than insurance matters (give me a break — don’t we all!) and they kept telling me that it is the patients responsibility to know whether their insurance will be acceptable!
I have to take time off of work for dental appointments, I would expect that they could take a few minutes to let me know whether or not they accept my insurance, so that I don’t waste a lot of time and money. And they were just rude about it.

I had a really bad bike accident a couple of years ago that broke seven mid to back teeth. I came here initially for emergency dental work, and Dr. Chan was very sensitive and thorough. She got me out of pain quickly and worked with my insurance so that it was extremely affordable. I was concerned about the price and needed a lot of work– extractions, root canals, crowns– so I went to UCSF Dental School to get started. Except for the bone graft there, it was generally something I regretted and I decided that the not too big price difference was worth the great care I received at Rockridge Smiles and came back to get the rest of the work done.
One thing I appreciated was the detailed treatment plan, how much the staff listened to my needs and preferences, and how well they coordinated with UCSF and Dr. Veber downstairs who they referred me to for dental implants. They were able to make complex crowns without doing crown lengthening (which UCSF had insisted on) and also care for my smaller needs like hygiene appointments and fixing old work that had been done improperly. I am soooo grateful to them and no longer fear going to the dentist, financially or emotionally. Thank you!!!

Melinda Chan DDS. is quite impressive. The one thing I noticed right away was
her gentleness. Of course, this would be the highest compliment that I could
offer. Needless to say, she is very bright, kind, intuitive and has a sense of
humor. The office staff is friendly and efficient. I would refer Doctor Chan in a
heartbeat!

Dr. Chan is meticulous about her job. A true professional. Her prices are actual reasonable. Her practice is not large and she likes it that way. You achieve veritable personalized treatment by everyone. The office staff is real debonair Like a rare thing these days. most of all she sees my kids after school and I don’t have to pull them out of school for adjustments.
I very much praise Dr. Chan, she knows what she is doing.

Why have I spent the past 15 years afraid of the dentist and slightly mortified by my mouth hole? Dr. Chan and the staff are so nice and welcoming, not judgey-​bear at all. Even though it had been an embarrassingly long time since I’d been to the dentist (and an embarrassingly long time before that visit too), everyone has been great. Even better, Dr Chan replaced two cavities for me this morning and it didn’t hurt at all! I feel so relieved and am looking forward to my teeth cleaning this afternoon. That’s the other thing, they haven’t had any trouble fitting me and my husband in before the end of the year, working with our schedules and calling us up to offer us appointments as they become available. It’s great.
So go. If you’re afraid, if you need a nice dentist who isn’t going to look in your mouth and scowl at you, go. You’ll feel a lot better afterward, swearsies.

Dr. Chan and Dr. Peterson are top notch dentists and their office is top notch also. I moved to CA 10 years ago and they were recommended to me. I count my blessings that I received that recommendation. Over the years as I moved around the bay area I’ve tried to switch dentists a few times just to have someone closer to me and have only gotten burned each time with shoddy and shady service and quickly went back to them despite the drive back to Oakland.
Like any doctor-​patient relationship, it’s all built on trust and I trust their advice completely.

I’m so excited to say that I think I might finally have found a good dentist. What I liked most is that she doesn’t present every tooth calamity as an emergency. She fully explained what teeth need what done. What’s crucial, what can wait and how much my insurance might cover.
I’ve been there for cleanings and have had the same hygienist every time!
I’ve had work done an all pain free as it should be. Look forward to a long relationship!

Dr. Chan has been my dentist since I returned to the Bay Area 10 years ago and she is by FAR the best dentist I have ever had. She was highly recommended by a colleague of mine and, over the years, I must have recommended her myself dozens of times.
Personable, thorough, and with a pleasant staff and always a parking spot, I hate to say that I actually enjoy visiting her office. I’m not big on dental work (makes me nervous, all that drilling) but Dr. Chan and her staff are always very sympathetic yet firm in their resolve to get me healthy, tooth and gum-​wise.
I like Dr. Chan, I like her staff, and I wouldn’t hesitate referring anyone into their care.

After a terrible experience with the former new dentist, I decided to find a new one from Unilocal reviews. And hit the jackpot – so thanks to ALL the great reviewers out there for steering me true.
Dr. Chan and her staff are efficient, friendly, and ultra-​competent. Turned out I needed to have a crown replaced, as the tooth was cracked under it and the crown eroded. I am not an easy patient – I can’t have epinephrine, which means it’s harder to get me numb, and I’ve been to dentists who simply couldn’t – but she did great. The temp that was put in is a masterpiece, fits so well i forget it’s there. I go back soon for the crown itself, and for a quadrant of deep cleaning – yes, they do that in-​house not send out to some high-​priced perio. Hygienist who cleaned my teeth was excellent too. Office is state-​of-​the-​art, these folks keep up! They had to x-​ray the one tooth, and it was computerized, super-​low dose, and showed up immediately on the screen right in front of me.
I couldn’t be happier. Oh – and they even have parking!

I made an appointment with Dr. Chan based on Unilocal reviews, and my fellow Unilocalers did not let me down. First, some relevant info about me: I am not really «scared» of the dentist (painwise) like some are, so I cannot address that aspect. The «baggage» I came into Dr. Chan’s office with was from my previous dentist. I have been to a number of dentists in my life, and I have mostly had great experiences. But the last dentist I dealt with before Dr. Chan was something new for me. Both the dentist and the woman who cleaned my teeth were sort of lackadaisical about the whole thing. It barely seemed like anything was done to my teeth or gums during the «cleaning.» So, I had some fear of running into another dentist who just didn’t really seem to truly care about my long term oral health.
Someone mentioned in a previous review that there was very little wait after arriving, and that was my experience as well (under 5 minutes both times.) My first appointment was for x-​rays and also to have my teeth and gums evaluated so that a treatment plan could be formulated. At the end of the «medical» part of the treatment, I stayed in the chair (now at a more normal seated angle) and the nice billing lady came in to thoroughly explain all the estimated charges, how much my insurance would likely pay, etc. I have never had this happen before at a dentist (or doctor) in such a complete and pleasant way.
Dr. Chan found a couple of places that needed fillings, and, of course I needed a cleaning! (It had been awhile since I’d seen a dentist.) I went in for the filling appt. first (that was just the way their schedule had room.) The experience was probably as good as any experience that involves a drill and my teeth could be. Most important to me, Dr. Chan performed the procedure with confidence and competence. After the filling part was done, they said that there was an opening in the schedule and they could do my cleaning right then, if I wanted. I did want, and proceeded to have the cleaning. The woman who performed the cleaning was so awesome. Unfortunately, I cannot remember her name.
My husband has had two appointments now with Dr. Chan, and will have a few more. (He has some more, uh, complicated tooth and gum issues than I do.) So far he is also very satisfied with the entire office.
To sum up and clarify, I truly liked dealing with every person that I encountered in Dr. Chan’s office. Not only that, but I felt that my teeth were going to be well-​cared for and healthy, both in the present and in the future.