California Dental

I don’t recommend Dr. Grinberg to anybody. She took many X-​rays of my teeth and she said that I had a simple cavity on my left bottom tooth. First of all when she injected anesthesia, she hit multiple nerves with her injection. My tooth didn’t hurt until she worked on it and it was so sensitive to hot and cold still after 4 weeks of filling then, I came back to California Dental for emergency and she said maybe it was because of the material used and took out the old restoration and refilled it again.
I still had pain after my tooth was filled and returned to her clinic and she said that there were some signs that a root canal needed but, she couldn’t even recognize which tooth needed it. She prescribed Cephalexin (500mg) to take 4 times daily and which made me really dizzy.
I didn’t go back to California Dental and went to UCSF dental center for emergency and they did a lot of tests and X-​rays on my tooth and concluded that it didn’t need root canal so, they refilled it for the 3^rd time. I went through all these suffers only because of a simple cavity and my tooth has been refilled 3 times.
I should sue her after all these troubles which I had for the past 8 months and she is the worst dentist that I have ever had my entire life.

I recently visited California Dental after a nasty bicycle accident, causing me to chip two back teeth and bust open my chin (Pro Tip: mind the streetcar tracks, especially if you have thin tires). I knew the healthiest thing to do would be to get care as soon as possible, but couldn’t manage to find an open dentist as it was already 8:00 pm. Even though she was busy, Dr. Grinberg took me in after closing time (9:00 pm) and fixed my chipped teeth excellently. Don’t get me wrong though, Dr. Grinberg and her assistant don’t sugarcoat things and are not afraid to give stern commands during the operation or tell you you’ve done something wrong. This form of tough-​love and honesty shows good character and exposes the big heart Dr. Grinberg has for her patients in need. I walked out of her office around 10:00 pm, PPO insurance accepted and teeth fixed, I was happy and ready to get back to school the next day without worrying about my teeth.
Thank you!

I have been coming to this place for 10 years. Ely and Inessa are great, charming people who take care of their patients. They are gentle and helpful.

Great, honest doctor! I am and my two kids have been her patients for several years now. When I went to LaPlaya dental on La Playa street (Sunset district, close to the ocean), I was told I needed 6 root canals. I went to see Dr. Grinberg for a second opinion. It ended up with me having only 1 root canal. She saved the rest of my teeth. She is very caring, upfront, honest and professional. I started taking my kids there since age 3 for twice-​a-​year cleaning and sealants. They love her! She lets them choose any toy upon the procedure. I strongly recommend her!

Update: I’ve switched dentists, and with it I’ve dropped the rating from 4 to 3 stars. Reasons are:
— I realized that this office is quite outdated (xray is done on film rather than digitally, which seems to be more prevalent these days)
— dental cleaning doesn’t have to hurt! I’ve had to undergo bigger procedures and I cannot imagine doing that here
— but office hours and flexibility here still can’t be beat so you have to decide what is more important for you
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Old review:
Josh G. puts it perfectly: Dr. Grinberg has a uniquely Russian brand of tough love.
I went to Dr. G for a cleaning– she spotted some cavities at first look but recommended I get xrays done so that we do not miss any decay in between teeth, especially since I had not had xrays done in many years. I have a dental plan that only partially covers xrays and fillings, so she and her staff were very helpful and upfront about the extra costs of these tests/​procedures. She allowed me to think about whether I wanted to get these done right away or at another visit, and I chose to just get them done at that time. There were some issues with getting my left side completely numbed up for the cleaning, but I have had this issue before with other dentists.
A week later I had worsening pain with chewing on my L side, where the new filling was, so I called the office. I spoke with her directly regarding my symptoms, and she added me on to her schedule that same day. She was very understanding and made it known to me that she was not okay with this pain, and she wanted to help me feel better. Why I had this pain is still unclear, but she ended up taking out and re-​doing the filling from one week earlier. To my surprise, this second visit was at no extra charge to me or to my insurance. After this re-​do, the pain slowly resolved.
My only complaint is that I have had less painful injections and cleaning by other providers in the past. But hey, some countries don’t even offer anesthetic for minor dental procedures, so I can tough it out. What’s most important is that I can expect an open line of communication with Dr. G– there is no pride, no pressure.

I am very picky about my dentists… And finding California Dental (and just few blocks from my house) has been a blessing.
Office is small, and has a family feel to it. Dr. Greenberg performs everything herself! No task is too small to hand off to the assistant. She is extremely attentive, knowledgeable, and I have never been upselled at this office. If she recommends something — that means you should consider it. If she insists on something — it is a guarantee that you definitely need it.
Certain days she can take you in late after work, as she usually works well until after 9 PM. I had few situations where some old fillings would chip off or old crown would pop out, and I would stop by on my morning walk (with the dog!), and be accommodated and taken care of first thing in the morning. Dog is always welcomed too :)
I understand, you can never please everyone, but in my 3 years of seeing this doctor, I have nothing negative to say.

I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Grinberg to EVERY person I meet!!!
I am definitely not a very easily pleased person, especially when it comes to my mouth. I have seen a number of dentists, and they all wanted to crown all my teeth or sell me something I didn’t need, Dr. Grinberg has never done that, she listens to everything I have to say and explains why a procedure is necessary and she discusses all possible options with me.
The first time I met Dr. Grinberg I came from a very painful consultation with a different dentist where I was told that the tooth that was causing excruciating pain would have to be extracted, that was the last thing I wanted to do–
Dr. Grinberg told me that she would try to salvage to tooth by preforming a root canal. I have never been more pleased, the procedure did not cause me ANY additional pain or discomfort!
SHE SAVED MY TOOTH!!!
All I have to say is Dr. Grinberg is very a very skilled doctor, she did what none of the other dentists said was possible, I was so pleased with the entire experience that i transferred my entire family to her office! And I continue to praise her work to everyone I meet.
Here are my reasons!
1. Its a small family run office; the staff takes the time to get to know each patient personally, I value that most because if I entrust the doctor with my health I want to be treated as a person not a problem.
2. Great hours!!! I can come in after work and on Saturday’s
3. The office is decorated with stuffed animals and plants, it provides a comfortable environment for children and adults. Even the biggest dentist phobia will feel comfortable
4. Most importantly !!! Dr. Grinberg is very skilled and takes great pride in her work, she is very careful and gentle. and even the most painful procedure is painless.
I praise her for her quality of work, care, and the ability to treat all people with the same respect and effort.
If I could give her ten stars I would!
p.s to the critic below. you’ve obviously never been to any other dentist, reading your review I cant find anything she did wrong…
There is no one better then Dr Grinberg!
I have referred 8 satisfied people and counting to California Dental!

I think that Inessa is a good doctor, but the only problem is that she has so many clients and sometimes you have to wait in her office for a while before she looks at you. I think that she is the best for the emergency situations. I had a problem once, my tooth broke down in 2 pieces and one piece was stuck in my gums. I called Inessa and she saw me the same day, I did not have any dental plan so she gave me a very good price and got a job done fast. Thank you Inessa, you saved my day:)