Robert Ruby, DDS

I feel compelled to review Dr. Ruby and share my experience. My 4 year old son needed dental work on his four front teeth. The first pediatric dentist, suggested four fillings at once, and possible removal of the first tooth. I balked and went to Dr. Ruby for a second opinion. He insisted we get new X-​rays, claiming the ones my son had 5 days prior weren’t «accurate». I was uncomfortable with doing new X-​Rays and exposing my son to radiation, and he had the nurse bring us into the play room while he lectured me for 15 minutes on «doing the right thing». He then had the nurse bring us balloons while he asked my son if he wanted his pictures taken again. After I relented, he did the X-​rays and claimed that in order to do to do the dental work, my son would need to be sedated and put through oral surgery for 1.5 hours. He insisted the Anesthesiologist comes from UCLA, and everything would be fine. To top it off, he pressured me for an hour to make the appointment that next day. I just wanted to get out of there, something about the whole thing didn’t feel right.
I went to La Cumbre dental the next day, and had a third opinion, which was to fill the cavities, no sedation, no needles, surgery, etc. They did the dental work in 30 minutes, no numbing needed!!! It has been 2 years since, and the filings are great, no follow up, no further cavities.
My blood still boils thinking about Dr. Ruby and what a crook he is. Not to mention sedating children, trying to pressure you into things you do not need, all for his benefit. DISGUSTING. this man, including his staff, should NOT be in the business of children. They should be ashamed of themselves. DO NOT sacrifice your child’s safety or health coming here.

Dr Ruby diagnosed that our child has 2 cavities needing filling and 2 more on their way. We got a second opinion who said our child has no cavities and needs no fillings, just sealants.

My child had a cleaning. $ 220. No X-​rays. No fillings. A cleaning. I think $ 85 of that was for an «exam» which lasted a couple of minutes and $ 20 for «fluoride treatment.» A bottle of that stuff probably costs them $ 20 and they use a tiny amount, and it probably doesn’t help anyway since all they want to do is put «sealants» (which contain harmful bis phenol A) on every kid’s teeth.
I’ve been there for years and this was the last straw. They also wanted me to to data entry on their new iPad Internet based app and re-​enter all the info I’d already provided in the past. They should do it themselves. The program contained a lengthy consent about privacy etc. Are we really going to trust this dentists’ office to protect personal info when JP Morgan and Home Depot cannot? Seems like a bad idea, yet that doesn’t stop them for asking for social security numbers, and all the info a chinese hacker would need to open s few credit cards.
I like Dr. Rochon and the reception staff, but not enough to be gouged. There are plenty of excellent dentists in Santa Barbara and we will find another. Judging from Unilocal,I see some that come highly recommended.
My low stars review is primarily based on the billing and office practices of this office not their dental practices. Heck, this was a cleaning!

Such a horrible experience! we had a cleaning and that went fine but when we came back for our actual work with Dr Ruby we told him that we didn’t want our nine-​year-​old to have the gas, that we just were not comfortable with it he proceeded to tell us that, that was ridiculous and that was the only way he worked and if we didn’t like it we could just leave! We said we just didn’t feel it was what was best for our daughter and he said well if you feel like that then you just need to leave. But was still trying to sell us on giving her gas as if his car payment depended on it .I tried inquiring of the dose given and he wouldn’t give me any information all he would say was I give them the right amount don’t worry! He got very indignant as if his ego was hurt. I was charged a fee for transferring my x-​rays and for the visit time normally I would understand that but they never made it clear that Dr Ruby only sees your child if he’s giving them gas. DO YOU NOT SEE HIM IF YOU DO NOT PLAN ON GIVING YOUR CHILD THE GAS! HE WILL REFUSE SERVICE. Which makes me weary of his actual dentistry skills. Just our opinion.

Rude, push and not very good with kids (or adults). Keep looking!

The receptionist is sweet and helpful– this is the most positive thing I could find about this office.
We moved to SB from Florida in March 2013, and within a month of our move my daughter was in an accident at school and severely chipped her two front teeth. We were initially referred to a dentist who is a parent at my child’s school but when we took her to get her teeth fixed they recommended that she see Dr. Ruby because she needed a pediatric dentist.
Dr. Ruby said the first dentist we saw made some mistakes in the way they treated her teeth. He took xrays again because he claimed that the xrays the first dentist took the week before werent good enough. He said that his xrays showed slight nerve exposure that the first dentist didnt catch (the other dentist said there was no nerve exposure at all). Dr. Ruby did a temporary composite repair on the teeth and said it would only last a few weeks so she would need to come back again for veneers and be put under anesthesia. In the meantime my daughter had a cleaning with the hygienist who was not great with children and made surprising, negative comments to my daughter. My daughter was not comfortable and on the verge of tears throughout the cleaning. When it was brought to Dr. Ruby’s attention he made excuses for his hygienist.
Dr. Ruby and I talked further about a plan of action for a permanent repair of my daughter’s teeth. He recommended veneers but our insurance would not cover veneers for kids under 12. Dr. Ruby gave me a lecture about how horrible Delta Dental is and how important veneers will be for her long term because composites won’t last. I told him we are willing to pay out of pocket if that’s what she really needs it but I wanted to seek the opinion of our former dentist in Florida who knows her well. He said he understood but then went on about how he is on the board of this and that and the best pediatric dentist in town etc.
I sent xrays to our Florida pediatric dentist who said there was no nerve exposure when looking at Dr. Ruby’s and other dentists X-​rays, and he recommended composites because Eliana is too young for veneers. Our former dentist called Dr. Ruby to further discuss this, and called me back extremely concerned. Dr. Ruby told him that he wasn’t really doing veneers, but used a veneer claim to our insurance company so he can get more money for his complicated composite procedure. !!! This was not a good sign. Our dentist also had concerns about why he would put our daughter under anesthesia for this procedure. So we ended up flying to Florida to have her teeth fixed. The flight and the procedure combined were less expensive than what Dr. Ruby was charging to fix her teeth, and we were happy to be in good hands with a dentist we could trust. We did not find Dr. Ruby to be trustworthy.

We just learned that there is apparently a lot of variation between dentists and finding one with a philosophy similar to your own is important.
The dentist here diagnosed both of our children, 15 months and 3 years, as having cavities and needing to be put under general anesthesia for treatment. This diagnosis was made without X-​rays, after a very cursory look at their teeth.
We were concerned about putting children under general anesthesia without a bit more data. As a scientist, I’m surprised you can diagnose a cavity without an X ray. The dentist was quite cavalier about doing this frequently, that general anesthesia for children was no big deal.
After speaking to other dentists we’ve found that our children don’t need the procedures but that there is also a lot of philosophy that goes into dentistry. If you want your children to have perfect teeth, no matter what, this is the place for your kids. Good atmosphere for the kids too.

What a great place! My son usually has a hard time acclimating to new things and people. They made him feel right at home and to my surprise let them clean his teeth. He won’t even let me do this. And to his excitement he got a whole lot of goodies when he was done!

I brought my girls to see Dr. Ruby just past their 2 year birthday and I was so nervous to take them since they hate going to the doctor! As soon as we entered the waiting room, we were all put at ease by smiling faces, fun toys, and a wonderful aquarium. Dr. Ruby was kind, patient, funny, and was actually able to clean both my girl’s teeth. After their appointment, they played in the «play room» while I spoke to the doctor and they literally did not want to leave when it was time to go! It was such a wonderful experience– far better than I could have ever imagined– and I absolutely recommend Dr. Ruby to any one needing a dentist for their child.

We could not be happier with Dr. Yvonne Rochon and Dr. Ruby’s office. Everyone from the front office to Dr. Rochon herself are all wonderful. Dr. Rochon is fantatic with the kids and is extremely knowledgeable. My two year old twins love the play room and all of the treats that come with going to the dentist. I recommend Dr. Rochon to all of my friends.