Oliver M Fernandez, DDS

Getting serious dental work is a classic problem of insufficient information. We don’t get enough major dental work to become experts in the field. We have little information (sort of like going into an auto mechanic) on if the diagnoses, treatment or prices charged were fair. If the experience is bad, we walk away mad. If it’s good, we still wonder if we were overcharged.
So, it’s been several months since I received care from this practice. My emotions have subsided and I ran across the Unilocal review while looking for other doctors. I thought I’d share a very different experience than what most have had here.
For those short on time, here’s my conclusion — if you don’t have cavities or just need a routine cleaning, this is a fine place to go, for cleanings this is 4 stars. I’ve only had cleanings, 2x a year, for my whole adult life. I fell comfortable recommending this place for such services. The problem is, iIf you need some further care, cavities or whatever else is complicated in oral care, I cannot recommend this practice.
I think Dr. Fernandez’s style is to be overly aggressive in treatment. I cannot say if this is due to a philosophy of care or a desire to increase revenues. I don’t have enough information to make that determination. That said, the outcome he recommended is care that other dentists (1 paid consultation, 2 unpaid, courtesy consultations) did not think was necessary. It turned out that I did have surface cavities and at least 1 – 2 deep cavities. 11 fillings were definitely not required and some were stains.
Staff interaction was awesome on all 3 visits! His staff is clearly 5 stars! They are just on top of it and I heart them!
1^st Appointment: Routine Cleaning
Overall, very good experience except for the bad news at the end. From never having a cavity to 11 cavities. WHAAT??? How is this possible? I’ve never had a cavity in my life and clearly either my previous dentists was missing things, I had a freak accidental year in which I only went to the dentist once resulting in big time tooth decay or something was wrong with this experience.
2^nd Appointment:
Care/​Bedside manner was poor. I flat out told Dr. Fernandez that I scared (yes, even at middle age) of getting drilled because it was new and something you can’t undo. I could see from his face that he didn’t want to spend the time to really explain things nor answer my questions. He had another appointment after me and seemed to want to just get to drilling. It was clear appointments are booked very close to each other. I should have gotten up and left at that point and postponed care until I understood a bit more. I believe had he taken this time and really answered my questions, my experience would have been better and I would the practice at three stars
Precision of care: very solid. Dr. Fernandez drilled me without a local anesthetic. It was uncomfortable, never painful. He has good precision in drilling.
3^rd Appointment
There was a circuit outage while I was in the chair, power went out and the Doc had to go back and work on getting it up and running. The appointment started 24 minutes late. Instead of rescheduling, we rushed through two cavities. In hindsight, again, I should have left. Instead I trusted the professional instead of trusting my instincts.
Walked out of there feeling like my mouth was just off. I was told you have to get used to the fact that your teeth are now different and that I’ll get used to it.
Overall, Quality of Care was poor. Apparently it’s quite common after drilling that you have to go back in and adjust the filling because your teeth will close funny. The other dentist I went to specifically asked to come back and do a bite adjustment. If Dr. Fernandez cared to educate me, I wouldn’t have gone about with about a month of discomfort. Many links out there about this, one below if you’d like to read more. I view the final dentist I used as having high quality of care because she actually wanted to see me a week after (at NO charge) to make sure all was good.

I don’t floss as much as I should. This is not good and I know it, but the last thing I want is a dentist who is patronizing or condescending about it.
I’m also not the best at scheduling dentist appointments when I move cities. As a result, I hadn’t been to a dentist in almost two years. Once again, not good, but I already know that.
So I steeled myself going to see a new dentist, waiting for that tut-​tuting to occur. With Dr. Fernandez, it never did. He was very communicative, and not in the slightest bit condescending. I mean, he still recommended that I floss more, but not like he was scolding a child.
I’ll definitely be back in six months.

I went to Dr. Fernandez for the first time and he told me I had eight cavities, which was a huge shock because I’ve had very few cavities. I went to get a second opinion and the other dentist said all those ‘cavities’ were just stains and it would be crazy to drill them out. Very glad I got a second opinion, would definitely not recommend Dr. Fernandez.

couldnt ask for a better dentist what a great guy. makes you feel like 1 of the family

Dr. Fernandez has been our awesome doctor for many years. He and his team have been just the best. With all the 5 star reviews here… there is not much more to write. For us he has been nothing but professional, fun and kind our family. We love him, Jenny his beastie crew.

I just moved to San Francisco and after my first visit to Dr. Fernandez followed by another visit to fill a cavity I am more than happy to give him five stars. This is my first review on Unilocal and it was my most recent visit that has garnered this call-​to-​action to tell you how wonderful he is.
I don’t like getting cavities filled and have anxiety when it comes to shots of anesthetic going into my mouth. Dr. Fernandez could relate to me and made me feel like I could trust him. I didn’t feel pressured or rushed into anything and he was completely focused on me and none of the other busyness around him. The movie he lets you pick out helps too!
If you’re looking for a dentist you look forward to seeing and a staff that is way above average, go see Dr. Fernandez!

Five years now! Dr. Fernandez is still fantastic. Appointments start on time, the staff is very competent and kind, the billing is fair. They even sent me a refund when there was a discrepancy.

I love Dr. Fernandez! I’ve been going to him for 4 years now. Everyone from the receptionist to the hygienists are super nice and genuinely care about you. During my semi-​annual checkups, my hygienist will still remember what we were talking about 6 months ago, ask me about my job, vacations, etc. They are all warm and caring. They also have TV’s up on the wall so you can pick a show to watch during your cleaning. Helps the time go by super quickly!

Dr. Fernandez and his lovely staff (esp. Jenny & Maya) are the best of the best. Not only do they take great care of you to ensure that your dentist experience is as painless as possible, but they are just overall wonderful people who care about their clients.
They do not try to sell you on any treatments and really just look out for your overall well being.
If I could, I’d give them 10 stars.

I have been seeing Dr. Fernandez for almost 10 years and kept meaning to write this review. I moved out of SF and after seeing 2 different dentists, I decided to just drive up from Peninsula and keep Dr. F as my dentist despite the hour commute. He takes great care to make sure you and your mouth are as comfortable as can be! Dr. F does not try to up sell you on treatments you don’t need and shows you exactly what is going on in your mouth with a camera connected to a TV. He’s got hundreds of DVDs with subtitles, too, if drilling/​filing is going on. The icing on the cake are the office staff — Jen and the rest ladies make you feel like an old friend.
Shame on me for waiting this long to sing his praises!

Dr. Fernandez and his A-​Team are the best in the city!
I’ve been a patient for 10 years and have had numerous visits to his office. Scared and traumatized from previous dentists I wouldn’t let him near my mouth!!!
He won my trust and loyalty as a forever patient with his gentle touch and understand of my fear.
Thank you Dr Fernandez, Jenny and team!

Dr. Fernandez is very friendly, transparent, and has wonderful staff. They were accommodating and professional when there was work I needed to have done. I highly recommend this office.

A few of my coworkers have been here and have all been pleased by the services provided here with Dr. Fernandez. They recommended the place to me when I told them I was looking for a dentist. It was about a 2 week notice to schedule a regular dental cleaning which was fine; it wasn’t urgent.
The office was nice, it looked like a dental office; unlike other offices I’ve been to where I was sketchy if I found the right place lol. Arrived 30min earlier as it was my first visit so I could have enough time to fill out any paper work needed. The front desk was very nice and every new person I spoke to asked if I needed anything and if I would like any water; very attentive.
This office has a cool tiny camera Dr. Fernandez that he uses to observe each tooth which displays on a computer screen allowing you to see what he sees. (Definitely did not know all of «that» was going on in my mouth). He inspected each tooth individually and took measurement of each tooth to gum line ratio which determines if you need deep cleaning or not. (Most dentist say you need it just because or by just looking or you need it on all your teeth; NOT TRUE) Dr. Fernandez measured each tooth and only found 2 teeth that needed deep cleaning. Cleaning process was quick and fairly painless (slightly painful because I haven’t had my teeth cleaned in more than a year).
Overall, service was great! However, he did miss some of the calculus on my tooth that I only noticed when I got home. Originally I thought it was just a rough because it was just cleaned but further inspection showed that it wasn’t entirely removed BUT even with that, everything was great hence the 4 stars and not 5 for attention to detail.
Recommend.

I used to dread the dentist before switching to Dr. Fernandez. He and his staff are professional and so considerate of you as a patient. They put goggles on you during the cleaning to protect your eyes and Vaseline on your lips so they don’t dry out and crack while they work on you. You can also watch a DVD during your session but I usually end up talking to Dr. F and his staff since they’re so amicable (Maya and Jenny are great!). The office is clean and they’re always ready for me right at my appointment time (no waiting for them to finish with someone else before you can be seen).

Great dentist, nice office, excellent support staff — all to make you extremely comfortable.

Update from my last review, I finally had confirmation from my insurance company regarding the whole thing. I still don’t understand how and why a hygienist can give you an oral exam. I would prefer being told if I was seen by the hygienist only. From past experience I got my teeth cleaned by the hygienist and examined by the dentist. Anyways thanks Jenny for reaching out to me and explained this in more details.

Best dentist visit ever. The hygienist was awesome! I barely remember thinking about my teeth throughout it.
Tip: Skip the fluoride-​free toothpaste.

I went to him last night (based on a friend’s recommendation) and he and his staff were great. Very thorough exam, he showed me each tooth and let me know what condition the tooth was in. He pointed out where the fillings were that need to be replaced, and even with my untrained eye, I knew he was telling the truth. I didn’t feel rushed, he explained things to me without me asking and took time to answer all of my questions.
I do have to go back and have two fillings replaced. I’ll let you know if it was a good experience. Given my experience I feel pretty confident he’ll do an amazing job.

I had been going to the same dentist in the east bay for the couple of years since I’ve been back in the bay area, but thinking there might be a good dentist a little closer I started checking around. Based on the reviews here I decided to give Dr. Fernandez a try. All I can say is the other great reviews here on Unilocal were dead on! I don’t think I’ve ever had such a thorough examination and cleaning. Dr. Fernandez showed me various things in my mouth using a small camera he has hooked up to their video system. Also, you can watch a pretty good assortment of movies while they clean your teeth, etc. Dr. Fernandez does a majority of the teeth cleaning himself and a hygienist basically only does the polishing and flossing. I think they’re wonderful and I don’t think my teeth have felt this clean.
Fortunately, my insurance covers 100% of my cleaning. Unfortunately, they found a cavity and he isn’t on my insurance. It’s going to cost me a little more than my last dentist in the east bay, but I think it’s going to be worth paying more and having Dr. Fernandez do it. Now if I could just convince them to become members of my insurance all would be right with the world.

DR. FERNANDEZ AND CREW ARE MIRACLE WORKERS!
I recently siwtched dentists and i can tell you this much, I will never switch again. Dr. Fernandez is fantistic and i completley trust him with my teeth. They are alwasy able to get me in on short notice and work around my schedule. They remember me everytime i come in (and I have only be in there a few times).
I recently lost a 17 year old bonding that has been on my front tooth since i was 9! I was at work and came off as I was eating. I was so embarresed and didn’t want to go another day looking like a hick. I called Dr. F’s office and they were able to get me in 3 hours after it happened. I was very concered about the new bonding and if it was going to match my teeth and be teh same color etc. The whole office was very nice and understanding and thelped me relax by putting in a movie and talking me through the entire process. He did the most amazing job and an hour later, I was out of there with beautiful white teeth again! I love my smile and i am so beyond thrilled on how this turned out! This new bonding looks so much better than my old bonding.
LOVE this Dentist! They are so amazing.