Montclair Smile Design

I can not say enough good things about Dr. Becker and the Monclair Smile Design staff. I’ve always been afraid of going to the Dentist but now I am so comfortable going in and getting the dental care I need. The staff — the ENTIRE staff– is so friendly, professional and polite! I feel incredibly welcome every time I walk in the door. And Dr. Becker is so compassionate, so knowledgeable and so good at explaining things that I have utter confidence in the treatment I receive there. I rarely write reviews but feel like Montclair Smile Design is such an exemplary business, and one that I am so thrilled to have discovered, that I wanted to share it !

Dr. Catalano is so amazing, compassionate, gentle, conscious and a true fine artist! He is very committed and passionate about producing the best and most effective treatment plan for his patient, and getting the most beautiful result. Since I was in trouble because my previous dentist badly hurt his shoulder at the last minute, Dr. Crist came to work even on a Saturday morning. WOW! I am very impressed by his work and his professionalism. He was a blessing in disguise. I highly recommend him to every one. Infinite heart felt gratitude Dr. Chris!

Don’t like going to the dentist?
Neither did i!
…but this team and business is wonderful! It actually made me look forward to a break from work. :)
Everyone is very professional, nice, happy and seems to love what they do.
The premise is high quality and beautiful, too!

Competent and really nice people. I feel that the quality of care is reflected in the price and well worth it.

Dr. Becker and her entire staff have made the whole dental experience pleasant as opposed to terrifying, which is how I’ve always felt about going to the dentist. I’ve always had the «best» dental care, but I always suffered through cleanings and fillings and associated the dentist with a tortuous experience, but after my first visit to Smile Design I was amazed that it doesn’t have to be like that. Dr. Becker has a real gift, and she can provide a pain-​free dental experience. I see Ari, hygienist, for cleanings –another truly talented individual. Lindsay and the client service staff are extremely competent and professional and provide a white glove experience.
I take better care of my teeth because the whole staff inspires me to, and I have a great smile as a result.

Not your ordinary dentist visit. The staff is most gracious and welcomiong, Dr Becker is more than concerned about the wellfare of all her clients and it shows in the total package.

I was very impressed and happy with Montclair Smile Design!!! Dr. Anne Becker was gentle and informative. They have text message reminders and someone actually called me the next day to see how I was feeling! Now that’s what I call caring for your clients. Thank you Montclair Smile!

Recently had 3 fillings done by Dr. Catalano at Montclair Smile Design. He did an amazing job– they look great and best of all feel great. Whew! The office is beautiful and the staff are super on top of it. It is well known in the area that Dr. Becker has a passion for dentistry and all of her before and after pictures are good proof of that! Would give another star if I could.

I have been dealing with major tooth drama since March 2009 when my bottom left molar suddenly cracked and more than ¼ of my tooth fell out. The hatchet man of a dentist I saw decided that my other molar was cracked so he chiseled it down to a stump and put a temporary crown on. Then I needed an emergency root canal for an abscessed tooth — you know, the one he effed with wasn’t the one I went in to get fixed. That one, the one that broke on its own, that one’s fine … but here I am two years later and my other crown has fallen off twice, I’ve had to get a new one remade, and the effer STILL hurts. So yeah, I know bad dentistry. I’m happy to report that my experience at Montclair Smile Design has been the exact opposite of my last dentistry experience. The front staff is courteous and helpful (my PCP’s office could learn a few things from these ladies!) and generally very pleasant. They know who I am when I come in — even though I know they read it on the appointment sheet probably a minute before I walked in, it’s the little things that matter. Dr. Becker herself tells you exactly what she’s doing and why. She lays out all of her your options and helps counsel you on which is the best one and why. Sure, she ain’t cheap — between my husband and I she’s likely made a pretty penny off us. But our teeth are the better for it. Oh, and my last few fillings? I fell asleep in the chair. Me, the one who is terrified of crackpot dentists wielding torture devices, was relaxed enough to doze off. That’s the biggest stamp of approval I can possibly give.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Becker and her staff for years. They continue to provide the most sophisticated, impeccable care I’ve ever experienced. Dr. Becker is incredibly thorough and skilled, using the latest procedures and technology. Indeed, she’s kind of a laser beam, crystal clear in pinpointing problems and laying out options, and then performing stellar work. When an outside specialist is necessary, you’re referred to the best (birds of a feather — e.g. one was later featured in SF magazine’s Best Doctors issue). Her staff is, of course, highly skilled. And like Dr. Becker, they apply firm, concerned pressure if you’re not doing your part. Finally, everyone is so kind and engaged, the office so calming and clean. I actually relax there, because I have such trust in what they do.

Went in last month when a tooth issue got so painful, I was ready to shoot myself in the head. In desperation, I called them and they squeezed me in right away.
Just to let you all know, I’m a huge chicken when it comes to a dentist thanks to a childhood trauma getting a tooth pulled. Needless to say, even though I was in pain, I was still freaked out during my visit. Everyone in the office was very understanding.
I was lucky to get Dr. Catalano. He was patient, compassionate and completely understanding of my fear. He told me I needed the tooth pulled and they would do it right away. He called in a prescription for some valium to help me relax as well as some aftercare meds, which I picked up before the extraction.
During the procedure, both he and assistant Tara explained everything to me, told me what they were doing before they did it and took their time to make sure I was comfortable (the valium helped too!). I went in for a follow up last week and the treatment from the staff again was superb.
I highly recommend Dr. Catalano to anyone who is looking for a dentist. He is absolutely wonderful as is everyone there. If I could give 100 stars, I would

Same thing that happened to Richard A. happened to me! Mine was $ 1000 over!!! During my treatment Dr. Pham quit the practice and the ball was dropped on my procedure which took a couple of steps and no one knew what was happening with my case. D. Becker finally finished my procedure and then I get a bill for $ 1100 when I was told my insurance was great and was not told I would have to pay this much. To make matters worse, my crown they put in fell out last night while I was watching TV, not eating anything. $ 1,000 crown just pops out? Not cool, heading to a new dentist to try to repair. Just my 2 cent, or rather grand opinion!

BEWARE OF THIS DENTIST. Dr. Becker is incredibly RUDE. I have found that her dental charges are much, much higher than other dentists in the area. I personally don’t mind paying more if the services are above par, and when I saw her partner, Dr. Pham, he was fine, but he left. When I saw Dr. Becker, she offered me up insults and condescension with her consult. I would not recommend her to anyone. She insisted on additional services that did not seem necessary, and were very costly. RUDE, OVERLY EXPENSIVE, NOT RECOMMENDED.

BE CAREFUL OF THIS DENTIST. I received a bill and was shocked to see the cost was nearly double what I had been told for a routine cleaning. To add to this, the doctor stated I needed «deep cleaning» for a cost of nearly $ 800. A periodontist — a specialist — only charged me $ 200 for the same procedure. In the end, i felt Dr. Becker was both unethical and unprofessional in charging me for what was only to be a cleaning. I suggested an adjustment to her bill to pay for only the service I had expected but my offer for an adjustment was rebuffed. I would be very careful about her services and fees before agreeing to her services and even then be wary of having to undergo unexpected extra services and costs you did not plan for.

Dr. Pham has to be by far the best dentist I’ve ever had! And I thought I had a good one before… Their office and equipment is top of the line, everyone working there is very nice and most importantly they know what they are doing and do it WELL.
I’ve had regular cleaning, root planing, fillings and few crowns done by them. Their prices are somewhat high, but I still consider it good value.

Is this as good as a dentist gets? Lets take a moment to find out. (If you don’t want to read the whole review, the answer is YES)
1) I’ve been to many a dentists since I was a young child. I’ve gone through wisdom teeth ops, to retainers pushing my teeth out, to braces for five years, to numerous x-​rays, moldings, drillings, fillings, and dental cleanings. I have to say, Montclair Smile Design, and in particular Dr. Chris Pham, is THE best dentist I’ve ever met. The quality and thorough knowledge of his expertise makes going to the dentist a true learning, unstressed experience (I was given the option to listen to my ipod while they worked on my teeth as a means of comfort).
2) Have you ever gone to a dentist and had trouble understanding what it is they were planning to do with your precious teeth? Not at Montclair. Dr. Pham is really knowledgeable and will do his best to make sure you understand what it is that needs to be done to keep your smile shining.
3) Another great attribute of Dr. Pham is he will do his best to make the dental session as pain free as possible.
4) In addition, the staff (front desk, dental assistants, and hygienists) are some of the most polite, helpful, and experienced people you will ever meet. The professionalism that Dr. Pham exhibits is definitely passed down through the whole office.
5) The dental office itself holds the latest technology and tools. Its nice to know that Montclair Smile Design has stretched great lengths to bring this to the customer.
6) The scheduling and timing of the appointments is probably the most fastest I’ve ever experienced. I barely waited in the waiting room when I came in for my appointments. And i was early.
7) And as a nice little perk, there’s a small fridge in the wait room that holds free bottled water ;)
In all, I definitely recommend Dr. Chris Pham and Montclair Smile Design to anyone looking for a new dentist. It was a truly life-​altering dental experience.

well worth the drive from south san jose to montclair. the office and staff (Dr. Chris Pham, DDS) is top notch and very professional. I have been to a few dental office in my time and none even comes close to the up to date technology and regards for patient safety. the office is clean, has free bottle water, great selection of magazines, clean restrooms, friendly staff and relaxing. Dr. Pham explain the reason for my visit and procedure in detail. I was very surprise how pain free the whole procedure went. Montclair Smile Design is highly recommended.

i come from a small town (los banos) where there was only 1 dentist for the longest time (of course, now there are a couple of more). i would drive 2 hours while i lived in the bay area to reap the benefits of my parents’ covering my dental. when i got my first «real» job with medical & dental i was besides myself. i figured since they’re paying, i might as well get the best. i called around, checked out websites & came upon montclair smile design.
i wish i knew about the parking spot reserved for customers because parking is a bitch in this area, which caused my late arrival for my first appointment. walking up the stairs you see huge photos of people smiling & various quotes… a little intimidating. while in the sitting area, they have a little tv that continuously plays dental things — crowns, replacements, etc. — a little gross & more intimidating.
the staff and dentists (anne becker & chris pham) are wonderful. this place was like being transported into a dentist’s office in the jetsons compared to the office in los banos. computers every where, little mushroom sculptures outside the window (created by anne’s husband), purple trays wrapped in plastic wrap, everyone knows your name & water bottles that you don’t pay for. after the consultation i needed a lot of work — root canals and cavities. also, i need to floss, who doesn’t. i’ll take my free floss, please. thank you, and i’ll see you in 6 months.

here’s an indication that i am qualified to properly review montclair smile design:
they always take a photo of their clients to staple to the inside of their file. my photo is me, wearing pigtails, a pink striped t-​shit dress, white slip-​on keds, and grinning widely with my two front teeth missing. i believe i was about 4 when the photo was taken.
needless to say i’ve been a client of dr. becker’s for awhile now. the office is spotless, with only the newest and fanciest technology in each of the rooms. being on the cutting edge of dental hygiene is key, but also having a great chairside manner is important. all of the hygenists are great. friendly, easy-​going, and smart enough to know that you probably can’t answer a multi-​part question about your entire college career with a polisher in your mouth (so they wait until after you spit).
dr. becker is also responsible for providing me and my father with some of the most flawless porcelain veneers known to man. i don’t want to brag, but my smile is bangin’. her job was so seamless that ten years after she fitted me with my veneers, she was doing a routine cleaning and had forgotten my incisors were fake until i reminded her. when the person who did the job can’t tell that they did a «job»? that’s some fine dental work there, my friend.
montclair smile design will cost you — they seem to be pricier than most, so i’ve heard (i wouldn’t know any different). but excellent oral health is well worth it.
ps, i have a confession. i don’t floss. i know, i know. you’ve told me a million times. i’ve gotta floss. i’m sorry. i just… can’t…do it!

I had my best dental/​medical experience in years at Montclair Smile Design. I went for my first appointment earlier this week, and was immediately impressed by the courtesy of the staff and how promptly I was taken in for my appointment. The facility is very nice, and they water bottles are even provided in the waiting room. My dentist Anne was absolutely wonderful. She did not rush me through my examination; she was extremely friendly, thrrough in her explanations, responsive to questions, and had a great bedside manner. Knowing that I need to take good care of my teeth is nothing new to me, but Anne really elaborated on the importance of brushing consistently AND thoroughly. What’s more, the goodies you get at the end of the visit are awesome! In addition to the regular toothbrush and floss, patients receive a Breath Rx package with a tongue scraper, tongue spray, breath spray, fresh breath mints, and mouthwash! I would highly recommend Montclair Smile Design to anyone looking for a professional and pleasant dental experience.