Curt C Facchino, DDS

Fantastic dentist that I been going to for over 8 years. Convenient location and hours.

Dr. Facchino was quick, calm, and patient. He gave me an informative post-​cleaning talk. His facilities are also very comfortable, and have the feel of an executive waiting room rather than the typical fluorescent wash of a doctor’s waiting room.

Hey Curt, thanks for fixing my teeth. I needed that.
You might not get my humor and your receptionists are always terse, but you did a fine job on my chompers.
Thanks again and take care.

My appointment with Dr. Facchino started on time, the doctor was very friendly and professional, and the overall experience was pleasant.
I did have a billing issue after the appointment which I brought up with the office and was very quickly resolved in a fair way, which I very much respect and appreciate.

Dr. Facchino has been my dentist for many years, and he’s great. Appointments are easy to get, it’s a convenient location, and he’s very kind and capable. Being a working mom means that going to the dentist is sort of like a mini-​vacation: an hour to lie down and no one can bother me. Pathetic, I know. But Dr. Facchino makes it easy and I never dread going. Plus I’m obsessed with those little pink, green and orange pens they give away at the front desk. 5 stars for those.

Pros: I got right in at the time of my appointment. Dr. Facchino was (is) SUPER friendly and sat and talked to me for over 15 minutes. I never felt rushed.
Cons: I’ve been going to the dentist every 6 months since birth. I went to Dr. Facchino for the first time and with no X-​rays, he informed me that I had 17 (ONE-​SEVEN!!) cavities. It would be one thing if he said, «Let’s wait and check the X-​rays next time» (I was due for X-​rays in 6 months) or «Before moving forward with anything, let me check the X-​rays from your last dentist» but he immediately started booking multiple appointments to get my 17 cavities «taken care of» over the next 6 months (although he was nice in considering «maybe we want to do a few next year so we don’t reach your insurance maxes»). Well, with all due respect to his X-​ray vision, I decided to get a second opinion (with X-​rays) 6 months later. Turns out, I had 4 cavities, 3 of which were TINY and could wait (hence the reason my last dentist didn’t mention them).
I asked a few dentists about the issue. I was told some dentists are pretty aggressive about filling cavities (some of which could potentially live under teeth staining, which might not show up in an X-​ray) and other dentists are much more conservative about filling.
The bottom line is, if you’re a customer and find you «have» a LOT of cavities, it might be worth a second opinion. If you’re a tooth filling vendor, sign this dude up because there’s lots of business coming your way.

I’m coming back to Dr. Facchino after moving to Petaluma and trying out a local dentist. I’ve quickly determined that Dr. Facchino is worth the hour-​long drive and wait in traffic.
He is kind, gentle, and considerate. He will show you the x-​rays to explain the issues (unlike my latest Dr), and he won’t lead you astray or try to sell you on a bunch of unnecessary treatments.

i can think of a million and one things i would rather do than go to the dentist, but these pearly whites aren’t going to clean themselves. i’ve been going to dr. facchino for 5 years now and rely on him to keep me in tip-​top dental shape.
he’s patient, professional and extremely helpful in explaining what’s going on in my mouth. he’s also super friendly, but not in a cheesy — talk to you while your mouth is full of dental instruments and wait for you to respond to him — kind of way.
his staff is also great. in, out, cavity free. see you in 6 months, dr. facchino!

Without getting too gushy, i LOVE my dentist, Dr. Facchino.
I have hated going to the dentist, my entire life, I couldn’t imagine it could EVER be good… but Dr. Facchino changed that completely. He’s professional, he’s funny, he’s thorough and fair and helpful and responsive and does everything he possibly can to make me (normally, a dentist ‘hater’) comfortable. He does only what’s necessary and patiently waits & watches for anything on the radar. He succeeds every single time.
I can’t say enough good things about him, except over at Embarcadero Dentistry Unilocal review, I can say even more good stuff about his staff!

Curt Facchino is THE BEST! Smart, funny, polite, caring and always there for me when I need him. Noël is an extra bonus

Saw Dr. Curt Facchino for the first time today. He exceeded all expectations and provided a superb dental experience. His chair-​side manor is excellent too. He listens well, responds thoughtfully and appears to be a natural problem-​solver. I liked that he seemed genuinely amused by my dumb jokes.
Other pluses: A soothing voice and quick, light touch with the whirring thingy. No rattling eyeballs.
Also…while I was there, Santiago the dental assistant told me that I am difficult to x-​ray because of my small mouth. I nearly fell out of my chair. i have a SMALL MOUTH? Really. Wait til I tell mom.

To be fair I did not receive treatment from Dr. Facchino, but that is only because of the unprofessional manner in which my appointment was handled. I was in a unique situation in that I had just had a cleaning and exam at my old dentist in Chicago 2 months ago (who was great), and he told me it was important I have a cavity filled ASAP after my move to SF
I called Dr Facchino’s office letting them know my circumstances and was told «no problem», I could bring in my x-​rays and he could do the filling as an emergency. When I showed up they then pulled what felt like a «bait and switch» as I was told I would have to pay out of pocket for another exam and that my co-​pay would not be applied to this but to the cavity filling.
I don’t like feeling like I am being taken advantage of when visiting a medical professional — not a good way to begin the patient relationship

I was initially hopeful for Dr. Facchino after all the stellar Unilocal reviews. In my original appointment, he said I had about 6 cavities that needed to be filled –surprising since I haven’t had any cavities at all in the past 15 years. He filled them (4 without any anesthetics, which should have been a sign they weren’t necessary) and sent me on my way. 3 months later, I returned with a persistent pain in one of my teeth. He took a cursory look and said he didn’t know what else to do (??) and that I should just wait and it would go away. 7 months later, it didn’t. After that, I found a great new doctor who actually suggested a solution (sedative filling) and when that didn’t work, sent me to a specialist for a root canal. The specialist was really good as well and said that my condition was likely exacerbated by unnecessary cavity fillings that weakened my enamel.
Also, Dr. Facchino’s office was incredibly disorganized about my billing. My estimate was handed to me on a little post it note and I was eventually sent three separate bills with varying amounts of payments (even though I had paid in full at the time of procedure). In fact, none of them were right and I had to take time and go in with the statement from my insurance to get it all straightened out. If you do come here, just watch out and make sure only necessary work is done and double check your bills! He’s a really nice guy, but that doesn’t necessarily make for a great dentist!

I’ve never had any inclination to write a review about a dentist before, but Dr. Facchino is by far the best dentist I’ve ever been to. My appointments are always on time, they’re over in about 20 minutes, and he has never tried to scam me with services I don’t need (have heard this often other places).
I even accidentally got put on the schedule for a time he was supposed to have left the office, and he stayed and personally did my cleaning.
Dr. Facchino is nice, honest, and always on time. What more can you want from a dentist?

Curt’s awesome. I think everyone in my office went to him. Also, anyone who knows what «Isla Vista» is has to be amazing. (yes, he did go to SB for a few years).
Anyway, he knows what he’s talking about and is quick and efficient. Also, he has great social skills. I’m a fan.
I rarely give 5 stars and I haven’t had perfect experiences every time for the 3 years I went to him but 4 stars is pretty close to perfect in my book!

The last time I was in Dr Facchino’s office, I happened to glance at the wall where a bunch of his certificates are displayed. The one that caught my eye was an award for completing what I think was a medical ethics program of some sort. It really struck me as to how there was every element of truth behind that certificate after my experiences dealing with the doctor and the man.

I had my first appointment with Dr. Facchino this morning and it was quite pleasant, especially since this was a 8 am Friday morning dentist’s appointment, and I’d been out late the night before.
Atmosphere overall seemed organized, calm, and efficient. Dental assistant Noël was also very nice and did a good job with cleaning, etc. They both explained what they were doing and gave periodic updates, which was really helpful.

Wow. Dr. Facchino is very popular amongst the ladies. LOL
I have been Dr. Facchino’s patient since 2004. I came across him randomly because I was looking for a dentist last minute and he had the earliest appointment available. I got very lucky.
The location is ver convenient and Dr. Facchino is very friendly. My husband sees him and I’ve referred my sister. Although I have only gotten regular teeth cleaning & one filling replacement, he has always been more than happy to answer any of my questions. Furthermore, I have no trouble getting appointments with Dr. Facchino, which is a huge plus.
Dr. Facchino was running 15 – 20 min late for my last two appointments. But he is usually pretty good about staying on schedule.

always trust your gut instinct.
i had a toothache that was bothering me. 2 visits within 2 months and an x-​ray later, i was sent home being told to wear my mouth guard at night.
now call me crazy, but when the tooth bothered me with cold water, cold air, then hot water, then even brushing my teeth… i thought it may be more than me clenching my teeth.
the once sharp pain grew to a constant dull ache in my mouth so i polled everyone at work and the results led me to dr. curt facchino.
yeah! i was quickly received that day.
1 x-​ray later revealed an infected root. i was right all along.
now, lucky for me, dr facchino was a two-​fer — a dentist who also does root canals.
so they immediately prepped me for a root canal right then and there.
1.5 hours later
his assistant said with a big smile, «that was the fastest root canal ever.»
niiice!
at home, i was drinking over my sink since i was drooling half of the contents out.
sexy i know… and way happier.

I hate going to the dentist. A. because it’s painful, and B. because every time I go I get some long list of insanely expensive procedures I absolutely must have. And until recently, I had no dental insurance (ah, dental insurance, the American dream), so I couldn’t pay for them anyway.
After finally obtaining nirvana (aka dental insurance), I go to see Dr. Facchino, based on the reviews I read here.
I got in fairly quickly. Dr. Facchino’s assistant was friendly and gentle, taking my x-​rays with minimal pain. Dr. Facchino actually read the sheet containing my concerns and complied with them, as in, he did not touch my teeth with that metal pick. THANK GOD.
While I was there, I noted that he had managed to fit in a patient who had woken up that night with a searing pain in her tooth. So it’s good to know he can help you out in an emergency. And her emergency didn’t even cause him to delay me at all.
I told him a previous dentist told me I needed about five root canals. Dr. Facchino could have made serious cash by agreeing, but he did not. He told me my problems would most likely be resolved with a much more conservative (and less expensive) approach.
In light of my serious issues with the metal pick, he decided to wait and do my teeth cleaning when I was already anesthetized for the crown for which I’m going back next week.
I have a lengthy list of things I will need done to my teeth. I think I’ve found a great dentist who can do those thing with a minimum infliction of pain.
So in a nutshell. He’s gentle, he’s straightforward. He doesn’t take a used car salesman approach to his job, i.e., try to talk you into lots of expensive procedures. When he learned that my teeth were very sensitive, he was very careful not to hurt me.
Now, of course, my crown is scheduled for next week. If I wind up fleeing the building screaming with a mouth full of blood, of course, I’ll amend my review accordingly. Somehow I doubt that’s going to happen.
— — — —
Update: He has now done several crowns for me (thanks for the bad genes, folks!). Everything has been fine. He numbs me to pull the temporary out, even, because my mouth is so sensitive.
One caveat: His assistant wears about a quart and a half too much cologne. Very nice guy, but VERY over-​cologned. Why do people who work in such close proximity to the public insist on dousing themselves in cologne? Like I said, he’s very nice, but he smells like the inside of a brothel.