Watanabe Gerald S, DDS

Dr. Watanabe was my family dentist for 10 years. The positive experiences I had there as a child was one of the factors in me going into the dental field and becoming a dental assistant. He even let me intern at his office while I was in school, so I can vouch for him as a patient and as someone whose sat side by side with him and watched him work. The only reason my family stopped seeing him was that they followed me to the office I currently work for. His office is beautiful, clean, up to date, and his staff was always extremely warm. Dr. Watanbe is a skilled dentist who was laid back but still always professional. He did one crown, three onlays and a few fillings on me as well as 8 upper veneers on my mother. All of our dental work still looks brand new and is holding up really well. I’d definitely suggest Dr. Watanabe to anyone looking for a dentist in the San Jose area.

I have horrible teeth. I know, I know– look at my smile and you’ll think, «What is she talking about?» (not to be cocky). But seriously, I’ve had over 50 cavities and one root canal in my short 21 years of living. I don’t eat a lot of sweets, and I take great care of my teeth, but my enamel sucks. I think it’s because when I was young I was sick all of the time and spent too much time in the hospital, so my enamel never formed correctly. So despite my efforts, I always have a cavity or two every time I go to the dentist. Damn my soft, sensitive teeth!
I’ve gone through a LOT of dentists, and I mean a LOT. Most of the time I just try them once and never return because they’re such assholes. I hate it when dentists take my oral hygiene personally. Like, they think they’re my dad or something (Crappy dentist: «You aren’t brushing your teeth good enough! *sigh of frustration* Don’t you care about your teeth?! Here, watch this video on teeth brushing! *puts on instructional video meant for 5 year olds*»). I also hate it when dentists don’t listen to you or address your concerns. I went to one dude who refused to anesthetize me while he was doing a periodontal cleaning (read = scraping my gums), my gums were bleeding like crazy and I cried the whole time and he STILL refused to give me something for the pain. What an ass! Couldn’t he have at least given me a topical anesthetic?
Anyway, one day I got a flyer for Dr. Watanabe. «Aw what the heck,» I thought. I needed to see a dentist anyway. So I made an appointment.
About two years later, I’m still seeing Dr. Watanabe and I can honestly say that I love my dentist. I don’t dread going to the dentist anymore. He’s kind, considerate, gentle and knowledgeable. He listens to your concerns and answers any questions in a thoughtful manner. Most importantly, he knows what he’s doing. He explains what he does and why he’s doing it, and whatever he does, he does it RIGHT. He’s also just a cool guy overall. You can tell that when he talks to you while he’s drilling, he’s just an easy-​going, friendly guy and having conversations with him come naturally; it doesn’t feel forced or awkward at all. He went to UC Berkeley and he has a lot of interesting stories to entertain you with. He’s also pretty understanding. There have also been several times where I’ve missed appointments and I was never charged for not keeping them.
Dr. Watanabe not only does «regular» dentistry, but also orthodontics, invisalign, and aesthetic dentistry (veneers, bleaching, etc). So you can see him for all your dentistry needs– hurray! :D
Overall, I can’t recommend Dr. Watanabe enough. Even though I’ve relocated to Hayward, I still continue to be his patient. The drive is definitely worth it. I don’t think I’ll ever find a dentist as good as Dr. Watanabe, so I hope he doesn’t retire for a long time.
EDIT (5/​26/​09)***: I forgot to mention that his staff is also great, especially his dental assistant. I always forget her name, but she’s always so kind and friendly!