James Stephens, DDS

I have been seeing Dr. Stephens for about 33 years. He is amazing! I have received fillings, crowns, veneers, and checkups. Not only does he do a fantastic job but he is also a genuine honest human being that I respect and trust. I hope he never retires.

Dr. Stephens was working on emergency patients on 12÷24÷14 and I stopped by his office. He is not my regular dentist. He was kind enough to squeeze me in as I had chipped my teeth and it was irritating my tongue constantly. He MADE my Christmas so much better. It was SO kind of him and he did great work in very short order.
THANK YOU for your professionalism and caring!
Alex

As a physician and scientist who has been a patient of Dr. Stephens for 20 years, I appreciate his technical skill; his scholarly, conservative approach to dental care; and his «chair-​side manner.»
In short, I cannot imagine a better health care practitioner.

The best dentist ever. Just 5 star or more!

Thought I’d post a more recent review for Dr. Stephens since the last one is from 2008. He is awesome. I have been seeing him for about 2 years since I moved to the bay area, and he is really caring and takes his time to listen to you and make sure everything is OK. He did the first cleaning himself since I was a new patient which was really surprising and showed how much he cared.
More recently, I had an emergency root canal crisis and had to call him on the weekend since I was in a lot of pain. He made sure I was okay and got me in monday morning at 8am and then referred me to a great endodontist nearby and I was done and out the door by 10 am ready to go home.
Great dentist, glad my previous dentist in TX referred me to him so I was able to get in. Thanks again Dr. Stephens!

I’ve been fortunate to work with Dr. Stephens as my dentist for nearly 30 years. In fact, I was one of his first patients when he began the practice. I cannot sing his praises enough. As well as all the other wonderful people who I’ve worked with over the years (dentists, dental hygienists and front office rep’s). He has managed my healthcare in a smooth, professional way with a high degree of trust – so essential for dentistry! My mother and sister have also been patients. My mother moved out of the area and has continued to commute to see Dr. Stephens. We can always depend on him to provide a caring approach, with a full explanation of our options and the highest level of quality service.
The atmosphere is great, too! If you desire an environment that will soothe you (and remind you of what a «family practice» is all about), there’s no better alternative!

Dr. Stephens and his hygienist Ruth are both good. Thanks!

After a bad dentist experience a few years back, I took my mother’s advice (???) and went to her dentist who she found through my childhood pediatrician. I was also able to join the practice through the family connection. If you have a family member who is already seeing Dr. Stephens, try him out. If you aren’t so lucky, well, don’t blame Dr. Stephens for being so popular. If he did take too many patients, then patients would not be able to get appointments when they need to.
I like Dr. Stephens because he is thorough and conservative in his treatments. He will tell you what your options are, what the likelihood is for success, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. He is not looking to sell you procedures you don’t need even if they would make him money. I just got a filling from him, it didn’t hurt (!), and it was done in thirty minutes.
About 6 months ago, one of his hygienists was able to scare me into flossing not sporadically but every single day since then. No hygienist has been able to do that before. Wow! This was quite the feat. A special thank-​you goes to her.

Your loss Alan A., but if I were you I’d call back occasionally to see if there is an opening. My husband and I have been going to Dr. Stephens for 10 years. He is great, and when I had kids, I found out he is wonderul with them as well. My husband has had some serious issues, and my daughter had orthodontia needs and Dr. Stephens assisted with giving us several references appropriate for our needs. He never pushes extra services. There is nothing worse than a bad dentist. Now that I’ve found a great one, I won’t leave Dr. Stephen’s practice unless I move out of the state. No wonder his practice is full!

Thanks for the recommendation Alyssa! I called but sadly they aren’t taking new patients. Unlike the reviewer at the bottom, I found them to be extremely polite and apologetic about that fact. She even suggested I call back in 6 months when my next checkup is due to see if things have changed!

I’ve been going to Dr. Stephens since before I can remember. He’s a fantastic dentist and even better person.
I remember when I was really young, I hated the bubble gum flavor they used in their mechanised cleaning brushes. So Dr. Stephens went out the way and put in an order for cinnamon, just for me (or at least that’s what he told me). Either way, I was a happy camper.
It’s been that same way ever since.
I spent the last four years in Philadelphia, and I still made it back every six months for my checkups. Even if I move out the Bay again, don’t expect me to give up my spot in Dr. Stephen’s chair.

What a shame that Alan A’s ridiculously stupid 1 star review has taken Dr. Stephen’s overall rating down much lower than it should be. That alone has compelled me to write a review for him — even though I’m not getting excited about reviewing my dentist…
**Must Go Off on Alan A some more here: ‘cuz seriously that’s just stupid to give a business a low score for running their business?! Dentists and doctors cannot take every single person who calls in — if they did, the quality of care they could provide their patients would falter. Inaccurate reviews like this really do Unilocal a disservice and it’s really childish. If they told him more kindly would he have given them 3 stars instead? STUPID…
Okay got that off my chest… let’s continue with the review.
I have been going to Dr. Stephens for about 4 years — after moving to the Peninsula. But my dad has been going to him for something like 30 years. Basically Dad was going to the dentist who owned the practice prior to Dr. Stephens and when Stephens came in — Dad checked him out, liked him, and stayed.
My dad has had a pretty rough dental life but valued Dr. Stephens so much that he has continued to drive down to see him even though my parents have lived in the East Bay Tri-​Valley for almost 20 years. Dad has no business in the South Bay/​Peninsula anymore after retiring 6 years ago and STILL continues to come — doesn’t even visit me when he does!
I particularly like Linda and Ruth (hygienists). I saw Linda last time and have requested her for future cleanings. Very gentle and friendly and no waving an admonishing finger at me for not flossing enough — though, maybe that actually means I HAVE been flossing enough?!
Dr. Stephens is friendly, knowledgeable, gentle and just really seems to know his stuff. I haven’t been seen by Dr. Park (Dr. Stephens’ wife) but was seen by Dr. Kaher on my last visit due to Dr. Stephens being out. She was great too!
The only reason I don’t give this practice 5 stars is actually a superficial one but for some reason it sticks with me. The office feels very small and cramped and old. While the technology and equipment is modern and up to date, and the reception room has been recently and nicely remodeled — the building feels very dated. I suppose I notice this while lying in the chair for ½ an hour trying to catch a glimpse of the nice day outside through the tiny windows… My last dentist had these huge picture windows at the foot of the cleaning chair that looked out onto a lush garden. It was just a more enjoyable/​relaxing teeth cleaning experience. So still — not enough of a reason to change dentists but worth noting all the same.

Called this dentist for an appointment and was rudely told that they are not seeing new patients.

My family dentist since I was eight. Great place, always so nice. Honest and only get done things you need to, never pushes on extra services.