Paul B Tan, DMD

Since I was a little kid, I’ve had a terrible fear of dental visits. This is probably because I always end up having a cavity or two, and loathe having my teeth drilled into. I’m really prone to cavities, but due to my fear and lack of consistency in going in for check ups, I always paid the consequences later on.
Since moving back to the US, I’ve needed a good dentist here in SF. It ended up being very impractical seeing the one I’d had my entire life down in my hometown of San Diego. After asking around through my network for a good recommendation, I was referred by several people to Dr. Tan.
I’ve had a lot of procedures done with Dr. Tan, including getting a crown, but every visit and consultation has proved to be relaxing and a nice experience. Of course, nobody yearns to go to the dentist, but the fact I don’t having to pop a xanax before coming is telling.
First of all, the office is sparkling and clean, and it’s never chaotic or impersonal. Secondly, Alleta at the front desk is super friendly and accommodating. The assistants and dental hygienists are equally great (can’t complain about the view of the city, either!).
Most importantly is Dr. Tan, though. He’s extremely sincere, kind, and makes you feel at home. The technology he uses is the most advanced I’ve ever come across, and he’s always efficient with time. My previous dentist used a painful anesthetic that would take nearly 40min to kick in, in addition to X-​rays done 1980’s style. Everything here is digital and delivers quick results.
I really can’t complain, so I highly recommend you choose Dr. Tan and his team.

Having been a patient of Dr. Tan for over four years, this office is the best. I also just finished Invisilgn process with Dr. Tan and have to say the entire process was great. Dr. Tan, Alletta, Jessica, etc. are perfectionists, professional and always on top of the necessary details. Like the Ritz, they all remember details about you/​your preferences. The regular dental work is great too and very convenient location to downtown. Very happy patient.

Dr. Tan and his team are exceptional! They are kind, personable, professional and flexible. The office is timely which is something I rarely experience at dental offices. I have never had to wait more than five minutes past my appointment time to get treated. Dr. Tan has great bedside manner and works miracles on your teeth. I highly recommend Dr. Tan!

I love Dr. Tan and Alletta, the primary front desk organizer.
I feel like I’m spoiled every time I come here. Last time I was on the brink of a migraine… so they turned out the lights and let me wear a silly paper thing on my head so that I could block out the rest of the light. When I got cold midway through? The assistant brought in a heater and aimed it at me. I mean, what?!
The cleanings are gentle and, while I first thought it could be lip-​service, I’ve changed my mind, nope, they genuinely care about their patients and will do all they can to make your cleaning and fillings a comfortable and tolerable experience.
With the added bonus of Alletta working with you so you don’t have to pay a hefty $ 500+ if you get a lot of work done all at once.
Super reasonable, sends emails reminders and friendly as all heck. Alletta’s even supposed to set me up. I mean, come on all ready! These guys are the best.
FYI A friend referred me here, I know she loves them too.

I recently moved to Minneapolis after living in San Francisco and Oakland for over 17 years. I had been going to Dr. Tan’s office for the last 6 years. I had always thought that Dr. Tan and his staff were very professional, caring and highly skilled. Thus, I have referred several friends and family to Dr. Tan’s care.
Recently, I completed my first appointment with a dentist in the Minneapolis area, who was highly recommended by family members (some of whom are doctors themselves). The Minneapolis dentist was very professional and I am happy to entrust him and his staff with the long term dental care of myself and my family. However, after my recent appointment, I have truly come to appreciate Dr. Tan’s care and friendship. In my opinion, Dr. Tan has the unique ability to impress upon you his genuine and sincere sense of care. No matter how busy things appeared to be in his office, I always felt valued and Dr. Tan personally made sure that all my needs were met. He did this in a manner that was calm and it seemed almost effortless… in my experience, most doctors juggle between multiple patients and I have often felt rushed.
I’m an auditor by profession and have always viewed on-​line review services with a good dose of skepticism. Needless to say, this is my one and only review that I have ever participated on Unilocal.That’s how strongly I believe in and respect Dr. Tan and his staff. I will miss Dr. Tan and his wonderful staff!

I actually look forward to going to the dentist… especially because it’s Dr Tan and his awesome team!!!
I’ve been a patient of Dr Tan’s for many years and I am very pleased with the customer service and dental treatment I am receiving from Dr Tan and the entire staff. Their modern, high-​tech, and «green» office is located near my work (Battery and Bush).
The Staff:
Everyone is so friendly and very customer centric. From office manager to dental assistants to dentists, everyone knows it’s all about YOU. They also know about my hectic schedule and will always call me or email me days in advance to make sure I can still make my appointment, or reschedule a new time for me. I appreciate the time everyone has taken to know me as a person over the years and they make me feel really special. Extra kudos for Dr Tan and team remembering my birthday with a cake and card. Very thoughtful!
Dentistry:
I’ve gone in for a lot of dental work over the years (invisalign, check-​ups, root-​canal) and they have done an awesome job taking care of my teeth and gums. And I truly appreciate the time they take to explain every process in detail. And every procedure I’ve had was painless as they want to ensure you are comfortable throughout the entire appointment. The quality of work is top-​notch and I am very pleased with my progress.
If you are looking for a dentist, I highly recommend Dr Tan. They will take the time to understand your needs, develop a plan that will meet your schedule and budget, and provide you excellent dental care and customer service. And along the way, you’ll even make several new friends…

Dr. Tan & his staff provide wonderful dental service. From the moment I walk in their office door, I relax. There is a fountain in the lobby that offers a lulling, soft trickle. The office staff is very organized & friendly and always remembers little details about me. This shows their thoughtfulness.
Dr. Tan is very detail oriented and takes pride in his work. He will go the extra mile to ensure that your dental work is aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. He also stays on top of new treatments.
I love that he uses modern technology and can show you your x-​rays minutes after they are taken. One time, he even showed me a funny video while in my chair while I waited.
Dr. Tan is always pleasant and professional. He makes going to the dentist something I look forward to. When I am ready for Invisilign, I will go to him.

I need to get my teeth cleaned 3 times a year, and as always, Dr. Tan’s staff and service are top-​notch. I highly recommend him and his office. I’ve read some of the other reviews, and frankly I don’t understand people who talk about excessive charges or unnecessary procedures. This has not been my experience at all, and I’ve been going to Dr. Tan since 1997. The staff are always quite good at telling me what my charges will be, and Dr. Tan is upfront about not being part of a dental network. Tan in a professional manner rather than anonymously through Unilocal

I had a cap put in and it cracked in the first few weeks, which meant another visit and procedure for another cap. Later dentists commented as to how poorly fitting the cap was (far too big) and it was causing inflammation and gum recession. Needless to say, I wound up needing to re-​do the cap once more with a different dentist. Thankfully, I now have no sensitivity and bleeding, but to have to have three caps within five years was expensive and frustrating.

Dr. Tan was my dentist for many years. I recently had to switch to another dentist located closer to work/​home.
This is what I would call a boutique dental office. The office itself is beautiful and clean. It’s located in the Shell Building (so it’s easy to access from the Montgomery BART/​MUNI station).
Dr. Tan and his staff treat their patients like royalty. For example, everyone in the office knew my name. Also, I think that they try to stagger appointments so that although they have a steady flow of patients, you often have the nice waiting room (and the expansive collection of current magazines) to yourself. Dr. Tan always took extra time to answer my questions and ask me what was going on in my life.
I think that the care I received here over the years was first rate and I would say that Dr. Tan and his staff as the best around. However, as with most things in life, getting the best also means that you have to pay for it. Dr. Tan’s office is not part of the Delta Dental network, and there are usually significant out-​of-​pocket costs beyond what Delta covers (thus the four stars instead of five).
Overall, if cost is not your primary concern, I would highly recommend Dr. Tan.

I just wanted to update my review. I see Dr Tan 3 times a year. The last time couple times I was really impressed with my teeth chart on the monitor next to my chair! Totally paperless and super high tech. It’s no longer a mystery where all those 2, 3, & 4s (i know 4s are bad) go on the chart! I love the receptionists there. They always call you to remind you of upcoming appointments.
Also I have a retainer that the hygienist always cleans for me and she rocks! I have to say that maybe I’m blessed with strong teeth but so far in the 10 yrs under Dr Tan’s watch, no root canals, crowns, or any other major issues. Just a few cavities here in and there and you can’t even see the fillings when i open my mouth. :)

I have been a patient in Dr Tan’s office since 1997 and I have always been very pleased with the personal attention and general good vibe in the office. Dr Tan always takes extra care to make sure his patients are comfortable and is an expert at administering Novacaine without feeling a thing. Dr Tan routinely calls me after my appointment to make sure I am doing fine. The Staff shares his concern and is always positive. They are also paperless as they have digitized their records — very eco friendly!

I have been a patient at Dr. Tan’s office since 1997.
First, the office is conveniently located in the shell building at Battery and Bush near the Montgomery Muni stop. The office is clean, modern, and high tech, unlike a lot of other dentist offices that have nasty pictures of rotten teeth and torn up old copies of People magazine with Joan Collins on the cover.
Over the last eleven years, I have had fillings, a crown, root planing, and lots of cleanings here. Dr. Tan and his staff are very professional, take pride in their work, and use the best tools to get the job done.
I want my teeth to be in my mouth, not in a cup, and I know that being a patient of Dr. Tan is the best way to make sure that this happens.

I have gone to Paul Tan’s office for many years after a bad experience with another dentist. Paul is very nice and thorough and their practice is very proactive, meaning anything and everything that needs to be done to your mouth they will do. Perhaps too much so.
Here’s the issue, like the other review below, I have been paying many high charges from their office for years but never really investigated the charges. I assumed it was my coverage. This past year my charges were so outrageous I actually contacted my insurance and went through every last charge on the sheets. Nearly every charge was inflated. I was shocked. My insurance company told me not to pay and to challenge the charges. I did just that and their accounting said they would get back to me. They finally did 3 – 4 months later. Only a few charges were adjusted so I challenged again. They came back again and the price was lower but STILL inflated. I challenged again and finally got the price down to what was right. That means i would have paid almost double if not more had I not challenged (three times!)
What upsets me was that the accounting rep was very aggressive about these charges. And I had to fight all the way to get these adjusted. Very dishonest. Now I have to wonder if i was being ripped off all these years and whether I should start going though all my past invoices.

Dr. Tan takes it to the next level in dentistry… he and his staff are extremely proactive in their care and utilize the most up to date technology/​practices making their care second to none. I would recommend Dr. Tan to anyone looking for top notch dental care in SF.

Dr. Tan has been my dentist since I moved to the Bay Area in 2005. My now husband referred me to Dr. Tan and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the office. Everyone on staff is great — from the front desk to Lorna my hygienist. They all remember me and will say hi when I pass them on the street. Lorna explains everything as she cleans and is very thorough. She makes me want to floss daily — both from her reminders and because I hate to dissappoint her!
Dr. Tan’s approach is very personable. He remembers who I am and asks how work is going, asked about the wedding planning, etc. His dentistry backs up my rating. He explains what he’s doing, checks in on my pain tolerance and they even provide a radio and headphones to use if you hate to listen to the drill.
My husband and I have both continued to refer friends to Dr. Tan and they have all thanked us.
Update: Lorna has left, but the new hygienist is equally fantastic.

I was a patient with this dentist a few years ago and have since left because I felt I was getting bad service. My dental insurance was pretty standard and not too bad — but for some reason I kept getting outrageous bills! I looked into it further to find out that this office kept charging me way over what was covered by my insurance — causing me to have to foot the out-​of-​pocket costs constantly. They even wanted me to come in for cleanings more that I thought I needed — later on I find out that my insurance didn’t cover the extra visits. I seemed to get a lot of procedures done that were considered unnecessary which in turn made me poor! The final straw came over a billing dispute with someone at this office — who was very rude by the way — which finally caused me to take my business elsewhere.
This dentist office came recommended to me by other coworkers — who later after talking to them I find out had similar issues with expenses. One person even went to get a second opinion on a procedure because she wasn’t sure it was truly necessary. In my opinion, there are are better places in the city by far — I will never come back to this dentist again,.

I have been going to Dr. Paul Tan for over 7 years. First and foremost, you will get EXCELLENT care from Dr. Tan and from his staff. Everyone is top notch — professional and pleasant.
It is also a dentist’s office, though, where people actually take the time to get to know you. It’s like Cheers, except the dentist. Seriously, though, that has been such a huge bonus for me — I feel that I am getting the best care and the staff’s full attention and they are all sooooo nice.

I came to Dr. Tan after 11 (!!) years of total lack of dental care due to some extremely traumatic experiences in Europe. He and his amazing staff performed a thorough root planing (deep cleaning), replaced all my old silver fillings and generally got my mouth back into excellent shape. I live on the peninsula and commute more than 45 minutes to be able to get my teeth cleaned by Lorna, his extremely thorough, friendly and professional dental hygienist.
The office is top notch, both from the décor and the equipment point of view. Even though my insurance only covers a fraction of the bill, I would not go anywhere else. I have also recommended numerous friends and have heard nothing but great feedback.
Two thumbs up!

Dr Tan is one of the two best things I ever did for my teeth. (The other being my Sonicare.) They are super high tech, pain free and are all around great people. I’ve referred several friends and they’ve thanked me!