Richard H Tabor, DDS

Love, love, love! Walking into this office is like walking into your families living room. As I have been a patient for a decade now, the staff is still the same which speaks volumes and know everyone by name. It’s kind of like the Cheers of dentist offices. Lol. I schedule quarterly cleaning visits and just adore my hygienist. Almost to the point that I wish that we could chat it up more but with my mouth wide open, we never get too far.
Dr. Tabor is the BEST! He is a funny man with a very calm demeanor, perfect for those of us whom get nervous to go the the dentist. A few years ago I needed one of my wisdom teeth pulled, as an older client pushing fifty I was extremely nervous as this would be my first teeth pulling. It ended up being a cake walk and one the staff members held my hand to boot. I appreciate the extra care that Dr. Tabor takes after each visit by looking and feeling inside the mouth and neck area for any cancer lesion’s or polyp’s.
Recently I recommended my new co-​worker to them. She is an esthetician and medical assistant as well so she knows her stuff. She came back to work with huge smile and rave reviews about how organized and professional their office is. Takes one to know one.
Love my pearly whites! Thank you.

Woke up this morning and called their office right at 8am when they open, to cancel an appointment I was completely unaware about. Good thing my mom told me she JUST received the reminder card in the mail within the last few days, since I no longer live at that address. When you schedule the recommended yearly check up appointments, I guarantee you that a lot of people won’t remember the exact date and time. And in this day and age, to only be sending something ONCE in the mail and not calling or emailing reminders to clients is unbelievable. Sending a reminder card days prior to an appointment seems a little absurd.
The lady on the phone was nice enough to ask me if I had called over the weekend. No? You guys aren’t open and have never mentioned that leaving a voicemail would «be the right thing to do» in this kind of situation. So she tells me there will probably be a fee. I ask her for what and how much and she says $ 50! That is INSANE. I’ve cancelled doctor’s appointments last minute due to several different reasons and have never been charged $ 50!!!

Yes, Dr Tabor is friendly and his staff is nice and all of that stuff, but the truth is that Dr Tabor is NOT experienced and competent as a dentist. If you just need your teeth cleaned, you may have a great experience. But if you need anything major done, like an implant or any type of oral surgery, DO NOT come to this dentist. Don’t let his age fool you into thinking he is experienced. He has only been a dentist for a short time.
I had been missing a front tooth since I was 3 years old. After a lifetime of having a bridge that did not match, I paid $ 5000 for braces to open up the space to fit an implant. I was unfortunately referred to Dr Tabor for my implant. Although I did not know it at the time, I honestly don’t think he had ever done one before mine. First and foremost, after having a tooth missing for a lifetime (I am 40) my ridge was extremely thin and deficient of bone. Dr Tabor and I discussed whether I needed a bone graft first before placing an implant. He decided I did not. When I went to have the implant placed in his office, I can only describe it as barbaric. The drill he used was not smooth at all and it felt like my head was being drilled by a jackhammer. Blood was pouring from my mouth and when I began to cry Dr Tabor became flustered and walked out of the office! I was left by myself to grab paper towels from the wall and hold it to stop the blood from dripping.
During the healing process your bone grows around the implant. I was concerned that I could see the dark metal screw through my gum (remember this is in the front). It was extremely visible when I smiled. I did research and found a highly qualified dentist to look at my implant. He brought in an oral surgeon and a cosmetic specialist to look at my x-​rays and my mouth and all three of them said that not only should an implant never have been placed in my thin bone area, but the angle of my implant was off, and it was not placed in deep enough and it needed to surgically removed. So here I am, 2 years, 2 bone grafts and a gum graft later, countless appointments and x-​rays and I still am waiting for my bone to heal to hopefully be ready for a new implant.
This has been a complete nightmare with no end in sight. In addition, my beautiful teeth that I had after taking the braces off 3 years ago have shifted around the implant area because with all of the procedures I have been through, each time they adjust my temporary bridge so my retainer does not fit and it puts pressure on the temporary tooth, causing it to break loose. Not to mention all of the pain, drugs, stress and lost wages I have had to deal with.
Dr Tabor told both me and my new dentist he would do whatever it took to fix my issue that he caused. He paid for the first procedure, but once he realized it would take multiple procedures to fix the gaping hole left from the removal surgery, he changed his word and did not fulfill his promise. DO NOT let this dentist do any major surgical work to you. It will ruin your life.

Like I said with my check-​in. front desk ladies are very accommodating with my schedule. =)
Dr. Tabor has the lightest touch when working on my teeth. Not to mention he is also into theater.
Need a friendly dentist in the neighborhood? Look no further as this is the place.

I have beed going to Dr. Tabor for many years now. He and his staff have calmed my nerves about dental work. They take their time, walk you through the process and really encourage you for what you do as opposed to focusing on the fact you don’t brush or floss enough. Also, they make you feel a part of their warm family.
My 72 year old mother recently relocated to Alameda and was in need of some serious dental work. She has had an ongoing battle with her teeth and has had some pretty bad experiences in the past with some dentists. I recommended her to Dr. Tabor. She loved him. She felt he took the time to listen to her past and explain to her what she needed to do. He was able to take care of some of her old crowns on the next appointment all in one visit. This is the first time I have ever her my mom talk so highly about a dentist. What a gem to have this resource in Alameda.

I’ve been to other offices to «test the waters» because I live out of the area, and my choice is still Dr. Tabor & Amanda and staff. Sure the office does not have the latest and greatest gizmos and gadgets or a waiting room and treatment rooms that are state of the art such as «mall dentistry» would have but what they have that is more important is a personal touch, you are not reduced to a number or a «patient» they treat you like a person and remember where you left off since the last visit. parking is never a hassle and the weather in Alameda is great. It has a small town feel to it. Dr. Tabor will give you options for what you ask and will partner with you in your care, Amanda who handles the office does all the paperwork, I’ve never filled out a form, and my insurance is billed perfectly I think all they ask is for you to pay your share, and if you cant’ work with the Amanda and staff or payments for the big jobs! During emergencies and I’ve had one, he is a great coordinator he has specialists who can get the job done. Great Job!

For four years, I received excellent service. Dr. Tabor is honest, friendly and great at what he does. Today he re did a crown that I have had for 5 year and I was very impressed as I got my crown the same day. He has up to date technology and will even take the time to show you how it works. I recommend that you go there!!!

I’m a new big fan of Dr. Tabor, DDS! He knows what he’s doing with/​for your teeth with great efficiency and comfort. His staff is gracious and together – this practice keeps you smiling brightly!

Dr. Tabor is the best. He is caring, gentle, funny, and patient. The office is comfortable and welcoming, and while not modern, it definitely doesn’t feel dated, as the bitter Unilocaler below stated. Everything is up to date and they can pretty much take care of anything.
I’ve been seeing Dr. Tabor for as long as I can remember and have only had good experiences, aside from the regular dentistry woes. He takes the time to get to know his patients, and makes everyone feel welcome. The ladies at the front desk are always helpful and friendly, and I particularly like seeing Pat for cleanings (and I’ve never had a cleaning that left my teeth in need of more cleaning, btw). I can’t imagine going to see another dentist.
(Also, as a sidenote to the angry Unilocaler, I have NEVER had a cavity, so I doubt they were impressed that you hadn’t in one visit.)

We’ve been going to Tabor for several years now. The service, expertise and conscientious attention to detail is the best. I recently got a crown done in less than three hours — it was effortless and the work superb.

I had minor work done on a molar, a week latter it became extremely sensitive. I went back and had Dr. Tabor fix it, for what he said would be no charge.
A month latter I was charged for the work to fix his original screw up.
6 months later, the same tooth, his work came loose, the tooth was worse than when I originally went in.
On a personal level, Dr. Tabor is great… but I would never let him work on my teeth ever.

I passionately hate any kind of dental work. It stresses me out immensely and my mouth is so sensitive that I can’t even get a cleaning without tears and tremors. Dr Tabor always talks to me like he cares about my comfort instead of treating me like a sniveling pansyass like some dentists would. He is the BEST.

I recently had a dental emergency — I broke my last molar on a Saturday while camping and by the time I went to see Dr. Tabor it was already inflamed and infected. Turns out it is probably cracked through the root and that it can’t be saved. However, he did an amazing job stabilizing the tooth and even infected and inflamed the pain was minimal. Also, it has been healing amazingly fast. …So to the person below who says they got flea bites from a bit of stuffing that was sticking out. I would say if you ever have a dental emergency, just suck it up and go to him. Also, I have been there quite a few times and no flea bites to date… AND he is very understanding in terms of financial considerations. I went to him because although I had never had a tooth filled there, I like to have my cleanings there. He is «out of network» for my insurance and so they will cover a minimal portion. However for the work he did, I feel that he charged me a very fair rate. I was really happy with it.

Dr. Tabor is the best dentist! And I really really hate going to the Dentist! He is really nice and caring and really works with you to fit your work in your budget. He has a lot of great people working for him in his office. His office is not super modern, but it is clean and nice and I don’t feel like he has to charge me an arm and a leg to pay for his fancy surroundings. I don’t need fancy — I just need good dental work! And you can depend on getting it here.

I have been seeing Dr. Tabor for a number of years, even though he says my teeth are perfect every time I go in he always make me feel very relaxed and I never feel like I am be scammed for dental repairs that are not necessary. I high recommend him to everyone I know and in all my years of going to the dentist he is by far the best dentist I have ever had. Dr Tabor you are a dental rock star!!!

My favorite dentist on the island, and ranks in the top 5 i’ve had in my life.

I love Dr. Tabor for a few reasons:
He does everything he can to preserve your enamel. I’ve been to another dentist who thought nothing of just shaving it away, even if that wasn’t the real problem.
He is more than willing to talk about the details of your work and dentistry in general. He even let me keep my teeth moldings (for halloween) when I got a filling!

I’ve got to say that I’ve never been a regual dental appointment guy — not out of any trepidation, but mostly out of a hectic lifestyle. As a matter of fact, the last time I had gone to a dental appointment, it was in the mid-​90s. So perhaps I’m the least likely to judge whether the previous poor review poster was accurate about things being out-​dated. I guess I fit into the outdated category myself, so it doesn’t trouble me too much (and I’ve got to say it was so divine hearing an oldies rock ‘n’ roll station being piped in… and we’re not talking 60s-​70s classic rock, we’re talking Buddy Holly, Bobby Darin, and the Drifters). I went in for an overview appointment (what I like calling a diagnostic). I was picked, prodded and pored over in a kindly manner. Dr. Tabor laid out a strategy for taking care of future procedures, and did so in a way that I could afford with my limited insurance. The staff was helpful and personable. Anyway, it was a great experience.

I hate to be the first person to write a 1-​star review for him, but my experience just was not up to par as the other reviewers here. To be honest, after what I experienced, I don’t see how there aren’t more negative reviews. I first heard of Dr. Tabor through the Alameda Magazine, and after reading the positive review here (at the time, there was only 1 review for him on Unilocal), I decided to give him a try for my twice yearly teeth cleaning. When I went into the office, the first thing I noticed was that the entire place is pretty dated. It’s small, and lighting is not that great in the waiting room, but it seemed quaint, and I still figured as long as the service was good, it wouldn’t matter anyway. As a quick background, I have always taken pretty good care of my teeth, and have not had any cavities since I was very young. Before coming to Dr. Tabor, I had gone to dentists in the Sacramento area and the South Bay, so he was the first dentist I tried since moving to Alameda.
Back to my teeth cleaning… when I got called inside to get my teeth cleaned, I noticed to my dismay that all of their equipment seemed dated, as well. In fact, the dentist chair that I sat in was so old that there were cracks in the chair, and the stuffing was coming out around where my waist was. The dental assistant went in and started cleaning my teeth. The whole time, she seemed amazed at how clean my teeth were — it kind of worried me, because the way she went on about it, you’d think that none of the patients ever had cavity-​free teeth before. I have to say that this was by far the fastest (and also worst) teeth cleaning I ever had. Sure, my teeth had always been in pretty good shape, but I seriously doubt they did as much as they could have. When I got home later, I ended up flossing my teeth again, and actually got some more things they missed (how does that even happen?!). I don’t know if I was there on an off day, but I definitely was NOT impressed. Dr. Tabor came in afterward and also took a quick look at my teeth. He was very friendly, and we chatted for a little bit. He asked me how I heard about him, I told him the Alameda Magazine, to which he replied that he actually knew a person at the magazine, which is how he makes sure his practice is advertised there. So that totally explains why I never saw any other dentists listed there, or why Dr. Tabor’s office is ALWAYS listed as the recommended office by the magazine. Talk about shady… After going home disappointed with my teeth cleaning, and feeling disenchanted by Alameda Magazine, I was probably ready to give the office a 2 star review. The reason why I give this place 1 star, though, and why I will never go back, is that I found that I actually got bitten by FLEAS that were living in the dentist chair cracks. I ended up having about 5 bites on my waist area, exactly where the crack was located in the dentist chair. I definitely got it here, and not elsewhere. It was just the last straw. The people here all seem to be friendly, but the services here seriously need some work. Based on my experience here, I would have to say — if you care enough for your teeth (and your health!), look elsewhere! I have, and I’m never going back.

Easily the best dentist I have ever had! Great Staff! Great Service! I think he used be a lawyer, went to med school and came over from the dark side to be a real asset to the Alameda community.
Grant