Cheng Flavio DMD

I’m approaching my third appointment and the last two times I went into this office I thought I should write a Unilocal review. I moved to Santa Cruz from San Francisco in December and had been looking for a dental office I could feel comfortable enough about that I could form a long term relationship (instead of going for my initial visit, hating it and not going again unless there were an emergency). I’ve had years of dental phobia and the cost of dental care doesn’t help the phobic, anxiety ridden, dental patient I can be. With that said I can say hands down my first visit to Dr. Cheng’s office was the best experience I have ever had at a dental office. Both he and his assistant have really great ‘bedside’ manner. Easy going, funny, thorough, clear and not judgey or pushy in any way. He took his time to discuss what I wanted from my dental care and set up a plan to meet my expectations. I left telling people and facebook for days how I couldn’t believe how at ease the visit made me. I was actually kinda shocked. I thought maybe it was a good day but my second appointment was pretty exceptional as well. He really makes (finally) going to the same dentist pretty easy. My only recommendation is if you care about actually getting the care you need set aside the time to let him work with you. He is extremely skilled, gentle and a pretty cool person. Even if every other dentist has made you tense I’m pretty sure he will not.

After going through TMJ symptoms for many years due to the grinding down of my bottom teeth, I finally had a nightguard made from Dr. Cheng. It worked very well and prevented further tooth erosion. Last year, I spent about 3 weeks in India and did not wear the nightguard. After this time, I developed problems in my jaw (clicking or snapping due to alignment issues) and earaches and headaches. Dr. Cheng suggested a Night Splint which is more therapeutic than wearing a nightguard. The splint is helping to reposition my bite and align my jaw to the best position. It is like a miracle device for those that have TMJ symptoms but it is VERY IMPORTANT to make the splint an EXACT FIT! and… Dr. Cheng not only made this perfect, after a short follow-​up adjustment, but explained every step of the process to me. I suggest anyone with any kind of bite issues or bruxism (teeth-​grinding) to see Dr. Cheng and get the BEST professional help in the area. His new office has the latest technology and his staff are friendly, courteous and professional (especially Maria !). I have seen many dentists in Santa Cruz and Dr. Cheng is the best.

Absolutely wonderful. i have been seeing Dr Cheng since he took over for Chuck Akin… comforting. the new office is so high tech. it is amazing. All his staff are lovely ladies. always helpful and welcoming. Highly recommended!!!

I agree with everyone that Dr. Cheng is amazing. I think he is very gentle and was probably one of the best experiences I have had w/​the dentist.
The only sad thing is I am not able to go there anymore, since I guess the front desk said my insurance was not accepted by them. They figured this after a cleaning and 2 deep cleanings later– even tho when I called months earlier they said my insurance was accepted there… But Flavio was excellent and charged me the same as my insurance would have charged me. If I had better insurance and mooola I would effeminately go back.

Like many people, I was very much afraid of visiting a dentist and put off visiting for years. Dr. Cheng and his really wonderful staff however have been very welcoming and calm and competent. From the tea and waterfall, to the smooth and sure hands and voice, they have calmed many a potential terror.
I am sorry that DL had a bad experience, but this has not been the norm. Maria is very sweet and matronly.
In fact, I have recommended Dr. Cheng to multiple people and they have all been very happy with him. The doctor is also a surfer and so we all get to brag to each other whenever he tells us that we «awesome» teeth.
His new office on Mission Street also offers video games, streaming NetFlicks and coffee and tea service. While unassuming from the outside, it is a high tech palace in the inside.

Love, love, love me some Flavio! My teeth are bad. F’d up, really. I took a header over the handlebars of a bicycle when I was 5 or 6. Plus I was raised on questionable water so lots of cavities and other issues. Fast-​forward 31 years or so of regularly bathing my teeth in soda and assorted smoke… every single dentist prior to Flavio wanted to make repairs or replace every dark colored edge composite filling, every speck of decay. Every dentist prior to Flavio wanted to set up a multi-​visit, thousand dollar plan. I’ve been back for 6 teeth cleanings in the last 3 years — plus an ER visit (head/​ear — ache and I was flying so wanted to rule out any dental issues) — and I haven’t paid more than the plan’s copay. He fixes what needs fixing and doesn’t recommend superflous care — unlike other dentists in the area. I love the dental hygenist — super sweet. And I think the woman at the front desk — Maria? — is more matronly in nature than you might think. Give her a chance and you’ll not only like the caring mother that she is, you’ll look forward to seeing her.
A good friend and her sister were patients before me, my husband (randomly, through his work) became a patient after me. We all love Flavio.

Dr. Cheng himself is very nice, competent, and uses the newest technology. His receptionist is a terror. For my very first visit, she had me come in 45 minutes ahead of my scheduled appointment time, but didn’t tell me she was doing so. The office was behind schedule, so I ended up waiting about an hour and a half before finally getting in the chair. She was also rude — when I was filling out the paperwork I accidentally missed a section and she came over to me and said, «You can’t just leave things blank you have to fill this out too». I had to call and cancel my second appointment and she called me several weeks later to confirm that I was coming for the appointment that I had canceled. I tried to explain that my schedule had changed and I could only come on a particular day and if Dr. Cheng isn’t working that day, I can never come back. It took her a while to get this concept.