Craig McDow, DMD MS

Craig McDow was quite literally the best, most capable and competent doctor I’ve ever dealt with. He removed 4 of my wisdom and I was feeling just fine later that day and surprisingly haven’t had any pain. Highly recommend him.

Update: I experienced the same thing as the other Unilocaler. I am asked to pay the rest of the bill, which was told to be covered by my insurance a week after my surgery. I paid the uncover part before the surgery.
New update: The bill they sent to me is a mistake and they apologized for it.

Staff is kind and all seem to like their jobs. A good sign.
I had an extraction and getting an implant soon.
It was a very seamless process. If you have a problem, I’d recommend McDow do the work. I became a patient based on the recommendation of a dentist who sent his son to McDow to have work done. What is a better recommendation than that?

If you need your wisdom teeth taken out because the pain is more than unbearable, then this is the place for you. Best doctor I have ever had. He called me on the Sunday after my procedure to check in with me.

I am 28-​years old and ashamed to admit that I’ve always been too scared to get my wisdom teeth out. When an impacted wisdom tooth made facing my fear inevitable, I was referred to Dr. McDow who found a way to make a terribly foreboding necessity into a delightful experience.
He and his staff including Linda were phenomenal, my dentist called their office on my behalf and they were able to fit me in immediately for a consultation and xray. Sensing my nerves, they did everything in their power to make be feel as comfortable and informed about the process as possible.
Dr. McDow has the gentleness of a pediatrician with the skills of a surgeon, making me feel like I was with an old friend rather than a plier– wielding foe. He would be a great choice for anyone terrified at the prospect of oral surgery, be it an 8-​year old or a 28-​year old. There is no better choice out there.
5 STARS!

When one anticipates the extraction of wisdom teeth, a new expectation should be synonymous with nervousness: poorly executed Dentist jokes.
As was the case when I recently visited Dr. McDow’s office for the removal of my one wisdom tooth (I’m very evolved). In consideration of how many people come into a dentist’s office that are beside themselves with anxiety, it will come as no surprise that the staff will try to ‘lighten the mood’ with a few corny jokes. Personally, I love a good joke here and there-​but when I was in for my consult the one-​liners being slung around the dentist’s chair were coming much too frequently, in my humble opinion. What made matters worse was the fact that the dental assistant was just guffawing at every little un-​humorous and probably repetitive joke that was uttered. I felt like I was on a hidden camera show.
The extraction date itself went much smoother. Being a habitual Law and Order SVU viewer, I did not want to be put under for my procedure and settled with local anesthesia. I have to hand it to Dr. McDow, for all of his corny jokes and little annecdotes, he was in and out of my mouth in approximately five minutes. It felt just like High School. They even let me wear headphones during the procedure, so instead of listening to the cracking of my tooth and scraping open of my gums I was listening to the heavenly intonations of the Ronettes. At one point, the three heads of the dental assistant, the woman shadowing her (which does not usually happen, they were just training her), and the Dentist were all within my line of vision, hovering close enough to my ear buds to hear the music and were all bobbing their heads in tune. I wish I could have taken a video.
I highly recommend this office for their friendly, caring and ‘humorous’ staff, and am glad that I was referred here for my extraction. If I was born with more than one wisdom tooth, I would not want it to be removed by anyone else but Dr. McDow.

Dr. McDow is absolutely awesome. His office was able to squeeze me in with very little notice and restrictive insurance timing (I had surgery ⁶⁄₇ and my insurance expired ⁶⁄₁₁). I had to get two teeth («12 year molars») extracted. The surgery itself was painless (I was so drugged, I couldn’t care less what was happening around me) and he made a somewhat complicated procedure seem simple and straightforward. He explained the surgery and aftercare concisely, cohesively, and efficiently. His staff were fabulous as well. If you have to get a tooth pulled (or more than one), I’m sorry… that sucks… but Dr. McDow will make it suck as little as possible.

Dr. Craig McDow and his staff were absolutely wonderful explaining to me my condition and how to provide proper treatment. I felt very comfortable with the total experience and their professionalism. I highly recommend this place.

For those out there searching for the right oral surgeon; stop wasting your time! I needed some implants and have spent several months visiting just about all the oral surgeons in the Bay Area; none of them have spent more than 10 minutes explaining what this was all about except Dr. McDow. You can clearly see that he has the knowledge, experience and care a patient like me would be looking for!
Hats off to Dr. McDow. Again, do not waist your time and money. Go see Dr. Craig McDow.
I have a new — healthy and beautiful looking mouth, I love my implants! Thanks a million Dr. McDow!!.

Dr. McDow is great. He did a really amazing job when I got my wisdom teeth removed. In San Francisco, having a doctor who speaks perfect English and is American can sometimes be rarity, it definitely made me feel more comfortable. His staff did a great job setting up insurance stuff for me so I paid as little as possible. The surgery went very well. He even called the following evening just to ask how I was doing. Dr. McDow definitely cares for his patients and I would definitely recommend him to anyone!

OK so… I am also one of those people who waited until my early 30s to have my wisdom teeth extracted, partly out of financial hardship, but mostly because I’m totally chicken-​shit. Alas, the time came when the back of my mouth started feeling like a junk yard and I had to face the facts. I was referred to Dr McDow by my dentist Dr Felton, whom I trust wholeheartedly.
I want to make it point to mention that before my consultation appointment, I started to experience some serious discomfort on one side of my mouth. Dr McDow was great in expediting the whole process.
The front office and support staff are compassionate and empathetic. In particular, the doctor’s right-​hand woman (whose name escapes me at the moment, dang it) was AWESOME. She was thorough in explaining the procedure and very accommodating in addressing all my irrational phobias. They even furnished me with some Valium to calm my nerves prior to the procedure.
Recovery time was almost non-​existent. Very minimal bleeding and pain. I felt completely stupid for acting like such a ninny. Truly an extraordinarily easy experience.
I was more afraid of being put under than of the operation itself. That being said, I had originally opted for local anesthesia but was coaxed into general (IV) anesthesia at the last minute, which is a decision I don’t necessarily regret. However, it turns out general anesthesia was not covered by my insurance, which resulted in a very hefty bill. If I were to make one suggestion, it would be to mention this detail (or the possibility) at the time of consultation (or at least prior to being put in the chair). Otherwise, it was a great experience.

Dr. McDow extracted all four of my wisdom teeth, which I had put off doing until I was 30! They were not impacted or anything but I was still terrified of having this done. All I can say is the only discomfort I had after he was done was from the Vicodin I took that night in anticipation of the pain I thought I would have. I don’t recommend nausea-​inducing pills when you have cotton swabs in your mouth… but anyway, Dr. McDow was amazing and I would trust him in a minute should I ever need oral surgery again (let’s hope not).

Had a LAUP (anti-​snoring) procedure performed by Dr. McDow in 2007, and 15 years of snoring stopped. The medical staff were very professional and answered all questions up front. The administrative staff helped with insurance claims and what I did pay was the best money I ever spent.

My entire wisdom teeth extraction experience was wonderful and pleasant. I couldn’t of asked for better care. Dr. McDow and his entire staff answered all my questions and made me feel extremely comfortable with the entire process. I’m now healing wonderfully and amazed at how smoothly it all went.
I would highly recommend Dr. McDow!!!

Dr. McDow was really nice and did a great job, however, because of the admin staff, I won’t be back. They charged me for services in full, even though I have insurance and then never filed a claim for me. When I called they said, of course, we’ll file a claim for you, but three months later and still nothing. To make matters worse, they made me complete an online survey before the visit that required about 30 minutes of my time AND the survey asked all kinds of questions about my insurance. So sad, because I really liked Dr. McDow.
UPDATE: After sending a fax that hinted that I was a Unilocal!user, my husband received a call asking for his credit card number so he could be reimbursed for all charges. We also received a voicemail indicating that they had sent the paperwork to the insurance, but that the insurance had lost or messed-​up the paper work. I have no way of knowing if what she said was true, but I do know that in the eight years that I have gone to my dentist, I have never had any trouble with insurance payments. I believe that the insurance company messes up (a lot), but I think other offices may follow-​up when they notice something is amiss (because they rely on the insurance for their money and don’t charge the patient up front). I do really appreciate the office making things right for us and in the end.

I went to Dr. McDow because I had a mass in my palate of my mouth and no one new what it was. He did a CT scan and made an appointment for removal. He was very nice and professional. I would certainly recommend him to anyone needing surgery on their mouth. He ended up removing a Nasopalatine Cyst from my top palate. Everything went wonderful. Within a week I was back to new.

I came here because I had to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. From start to finish, this office exceeded my expectations. Everyone I dealt with — receptionists, nurses, and the doctor — was professional yet personable and friendly, and gave me all of the information I needed.
Dr. McDow is exactly the type of personality that I like to deal with in the health care domain. He’s smart and well-​spoken, and doesn’t talk down or make you feel like you’re being rushed out. 6 stars for bedside manner.
During the consultation, everything went quickly, and I was given a very detailed look at what I was about to get into, all of the potential risks, and how likely those risks were for me. After the consultation, Pat at the front desk contacted my insurance company and straightened out all of the details about my coverage, what I had available, what I needed to pay, etc. Given the huge number of complaints on other doctor/​dentists comment rolls about misquoting insurance coverage, this was a HUGE win for this office.
The procedure itself was way easier than I expected. I guess it helped that I had IV sedation. Getting the IV inserted was the worst part: I’ve never had an IV, and the thought of it kind creeped me out. The nurses were oh-​so-​supportive, and not condescending at all. They made me feel very relaxed, and got me through it quickly. The last thing I remember is Dr. McDow telling me I had good blood pressure. The next thing I knew, I felt *very* good, and couldn’t feel my mouth. They were done.
The healing procedure has been a piece of cake. I’ve hardly needed pain-​killers (only when I get crazy and try to eat something that’s too hard to chew). After hearing way too many horror stories about the tribulations of the days after extraction, I am counting myself quite fortunate to have been in such good hands.
If you live in or near SF, and you need wisdom tooth extraction, run, don’t walk, to Dr. McDow’s office and get ‘er done!

I am a general dentist who has been working with Dr. McDow for over 20 years. The reason it’s been that long is because I can always count on him to treat my patients well and considerately. He takes the time to explain every procedure thoroughly and makes sure the patient is fully informed. My patients report to me that he is kind, gentle, totally painless, and they feel very well-​taken care of. I know he is current in all techniques, very knowledgeable, and does not advise any treatment that isn’t warranted. I especially respect that latter statement because I’ve worked with other specialists whom I could not always count on to think of the patient first. Dr. McDow does. I also, having been in the dental community for many years, know that his fees are extremely reasonable. I have the highest regard for Craig and his clinical skills. I never hesitate to refer to him because I’m always confident his treatment will be successful and my patients will be treated properly.
Michael Hack, D.M.D.

For me, it’s hard to believe that an entire decade of worrying about my wisdom teeth has come to an end, and even harder to believe just how easy Dr. McDow made it.
After being referred to his office by my regular dentist, I dropped in for a consultation. They took some x-​rays, talked about the pre– and post-​op details, and Dr. McDow took a look at my teeth while walking me through some of the … er, «gritty» details («Make an incision here, fold that over…»). All with a nice, gentle sense of humor of course! Actually, his attitude towards the procedure really kind of made me feel at ease, like it was no big deal. So, we decided on a date the following month.
The staff at his office were helpful when it came to figuring the cost. Naturally since this is a private practice it wound up costing me a pretty penny, but they took care of everything for me on the insurance end so I didn’t have to worry about it too much. If you’re concerned about cost first and foremost, you might want to consider a cheaper alternative, like a dental school.
Day of the procedure came and although I was nervous as hell the nurses were gracious and put me at ease … before putting me to sleep. I don’t even remember falling asleep, all I remember is waking up probably twenty minutes after they finished and hearing one of the nurses tell me everything went perfectly. That was good news considering two of my wisdom teeth were right next to the nerves in my jaw and there was a chance I would lose the feeling in my bottom lip.
After the operation they provided me with all the meds (painkillers and antibiotics) and stuff I’d need for my recovery, and I’m happy to say that after only two days I’m doing perfectly fine. Dr. McDow even called me the other day to see how I was doing, and gave his cell phone number in case I needed to contact him while he was out of the office.
I really can’t think of any way this entire ordeal could have been better. Maybe if it were cheaper, but it’s not like I didn’t expect it to cost so much. Thanks again, Dr. McDow!

Hard to be happy with a day of dental drama like the one I just had, but I am happy. And, I am happy because of the 3 lovely doctors, and their staffs, who were a part of making my day endurable. These three Drs. are: Dr. Felton, Dr. Machule, and Dr. McDow. I’ll mention each Doctor on his own page, but wanted to list all three together on every page.
So, tooth extraction was the order from Dr. Machule, and David from Dr. Felton called Dr. McDow, who graciously agreed to fit me into his day. Despite his having gone to Michigan (Go IRISH), I liked him right away. His staff was superb. From the nice women who handled my paper work at various points, to the staffers who helped in my extraction — everyone gave lots of info, covered every question, and made sure I knew everything that went and would go on. And the woman who gave my post-​op instructions was really clear and gave me info in a way I could remember — so I am especially grateful to her.
And, Dr. McDow himself — rockstar. He explained everything really well, actually read my paperwork (so nice when you fill out all those forms and they read them), and was great about making sure I was well taken care of.
This was a nasty extraction of a back upper molar. But he was great. He talked about things I cared about to me, to distract from injection and extraction pressure and pain. I laughed a lot (I do when I am nervous), and he just rolled with it. We talked about wills and inheritance law, which I love, and I cannot imagine he does, because he could tell it put me (a recent law school grad nerd) at ease.
I am only 4 hours into the post extraction day. So, I cannot yet vouch that all was a success, but Dr. McDow was so great, that I have to imagine it was smooth and successful. All in all, for having a molar yanked out by its roots, this was a glorious experience.