Bruce T Tran,DDS

Worst dentist ever. Just moved in from NYC. Both me and my husband have excellent teeth. We went for a cleaning and needed to do xrays because we did not transfer ours from NY. Bruce Tran told us we both had cavities in almost all teeth, which needed to be fixed in addition to a extensive gum treatment he suggested to my husband to be imperative, he prescribed me a night guard which costs $ 700. All in all we would have spent over $ 4000 at his clinic would we not have changed our dentist, which by the way did not find a single cavity. OUTRAGEOUS! How can this clinic be in business? Like if this were not enough, I called in to request that the x-​rays we did on our visit with Mr. Tran were transferred to the new dentist (I was hoping they could detect him as a fraud), the receptionist said it costs $ 22 each copy to be transferred. She then hung up without saying anything. I will report this dentist office as fraudulent.

I have seen Dr Tran twice, and will not be going back. On each visit he was rude, terse, borderline offensive and provided substandard service.
The second visit was worse. Within a couple minutes he showed me a photo of himself dressed as Bin Laden for Halloween, suggested that he might dress as a «transvestite» this year, and said «oh you have the scruffy look, like the artists» in response to learning I work at an art school. I should have gotten out of the chair, but I was already anesthetized.
His cleaning was the worst I have experienced. He is extremely rough and chattered/​mumbled the whole time about needing a mouth guard, being concerned for my gums as I age (I’m 36), and berating my oral care habits.
To boil it down: this is the worst dental care I’ve ever received. If you are considering this office, be forewarned.

Everyone has their own experience; I’ve seen about 5 different dentists in the past 16 years.
All of those previous dentists I saw when I had some sort of insurance or plan to help with the costs. I saw «Dr. Happy Tooth» /​Arnold once, being told I was covered by my plan; and my initial consultation and X-​rays cost $ 210 AFTER the plan.
I went to another DDS, a few years ago for a root canal and crown; with the plan, it cost about $ 1,800; but I’m so unhappy with the crown. It doesn’t match the color of my other teeth or crowns, it’s oversized and looks like a fang, it hurt like hell.
The one dentist I sort of liked going to and could afford, 6 – 8 years later, all of the work he did has been failing on me; crowns falling out, bridges falling out, etc …
That’s when I went to see Dr. Tran. I had just lost a bridge for 4 molars that cost me about $ 6,000. Dr. Tran examined my situation; and the fact was that the bridge wasn’t able to be put back in due to a variety of issues. I asked him what my options were, and he broke them down to me.
Get the broken/​decayed roots pulled out and then either get:
Implants, the most expensive option, but probably the best looking and functional one.
Get crowns put on the 2 salvageable teeth, but have 2 gaps left — that could be filled in with a partial or implants.
Get a partial, the most affordable option in my case.
I knew already that the area of my mouth was in horrible shape. In fact, 2 months after the other dentist put the bridge in, I had to have an emergency visit; because there were already signs of the bridge not being done right — I guess I was in some ways lucky to ride it out for 7 years.
He’s always allowed my fiancé come in with me when I’ve wanted her to be there for me as a health advocate, and to give me her opinion on things such as the color of the crowns/​partials matching; and to help me with asking questions. We both have felt that he’s been professional, cordial, and upfront.
I’ve seen him 4 times so far this year, since I have some major dental issues; and have 2 more appointments lined up already.
He’s aware of our currently difficult financial situation, and has been very helpful in prioritizing what needs to get done, giving us a point by point break down of options and their costs, pointing me in the direction of signing up for an insurance plan that will help out, and even rolled back the cost of a couple of things that previous dentists didn’t do right the first time.
I really like Dr. Tran so far, his work on my teeth has been the best I’ve had in 16 years, and I’m actually starting to look forward to going to the dentist again after some time, because my chewing and smiling is getting better with each visit.

I had a similar experience as Maria on this thread. The doctor was extremely rude and arrogant. I also had media-​cal insurance, and asked to schedule an appointment on saturday due to my hectic school schedule, but they «do not see medi-​cal patients on saturdays». This basically translates to people with less money don’t get the luxury of not missing work or school. That is plain discrimination. Also, the entire time Dr. Tran was very condescending and spoke in a patronizing way. When I explained to him that I couldnt afford a 2,000 dollar root canal, he literally said «Thats cheap! Why don’t you ask your parents for money.» Easy for you to say, your parents probably paid your rent through dental school.

I searched for a dentist in Berkeley that accepts medi-​cal because, although my 16-​year-​old grandson lives with me, he is still under his parents’ insurance because I don’t have legal custody of him. I found Dr. Tran and took my grandson to see him despite the negative reviews, wanting to believe that they were exaggerations. After the initial exam, cleaning and x-​rays, Dr. Tran tells me that Brandon has to have 4 fillings and needs one filling replaced. He wasn’t particularly friendly, but I don’t hold that against anyone. He told me it would take 4 – 5 weeks for medi-​cal to authorize the work.
Fast-​forward 4 ½ weeks. I get a call from the office and make an appointment for Brandon’s fillings to be done. At the appointment, a very nice man (NOT Dr. Tran) calls Brandon in to anesthetize him for the procedure. When Brandon comes out 45 minutes later, Dr. Tran comes out with him and tells me that he only did three fillings and we had to make another appointment to do the other two. He started telling me that one of his cavities was «so big, you could drive a truck through it» in a mildly gruff manner. I was starting to feel like there was something I didn’t like about him, but ignored it, remained very pleasant to him, and went to the receptionist to make the appointment. I don’t like for Brandon to miss any school, so I asked if Dr. Tran saw patients on Saturdays. I was told that only patients with private insurance were seen on Saturdays, and medi-​cal patients had to be seen on weekdays! This not only felt like Brandon was being discriminated against, but it was strike 2 after the truck comment Dr. Tran made.
Ready for the clincher? After Brandon’s final appointment, Dr. Tran came out again with Brandon and told me he didn’t have to see him again until his next cleaning, then Brandon said that one of the fillings hurt, and Dr. Tran turns to him and says, «Of course! It was so big, a truck could drive through it!» I guess that’s his standard «joke» for large cavities, and I found myself explaining that I have private insurance, but was not able to put Brandon on because of the custody situation, yada, yada, yada… My brain is screaming «You do NOT need to explain anything to this man!», but I do it anyway. After we left the office, and we’re in the car going home, Brandon tells me that it really hurt when Dr. Tran was filling one of his cavities, so I said «Did you tell him?», and he says «Yeah, but he just kept going». When it really hurt and Brandon tells him again, Dr. Tran says «Okay…HERE, baby!», and gives him another shot of Novocain. I got so enraged that I wanted to head straight back to the office to tell Dr. Tran off, but Brandon calmed me down, knowing it would not be a good idea to go back there in a rage! Needless to say, I will not subject my grandson to the barbaric practices of that office ever again. Dr. Tran is the kind of dentist that makes people very fearful of the dentist’s chair, and should not be practicing, in my opinion! I plan to file a complaint with the Alameda County Dental Association, and hope he stops hurting people…

Overall Dr. Tran was great! Not only was he friendly he was very gentle with my teeth. Im not sure how happy i will be with him after i get my fillings but im hopeful! So glad i was able to find a great dentist that takes my insurance! Thanks Dr. TRAN!

Say Ahhh! I personally like this dentist. After a long search I found Bruce to be professional and very detailed. He pulls punches but that’s what I respect. Good work so far.

First ever Unilocal review…
I have been using Unilocal since 2005, but I have never thought to write a review until now.
PLEASE READ MY REVIEW!
I have not seen a dentist in 10 years, because of lack of insurance. I brush about 3 times a day, and floss once a day as well. I have never been in any dental pain, AT ALL.
I finally became insured 4÷1÷2014, and decided it would be the perfect time to see a dentist as I knew I had to have cavities, and I needed two crowns, from two root canals 10yrs back. I happen to have 3,000 worth of coverage a year, so I went to the fanciest dentist I could find. Boy was it devastating to find out I had a mandatory 8,000 worth of work to get done! I needed another two root canals and a bunch of cavities filled, plus 4 crowns. Luckily for me I had some money set aside from a settlement I had just received. I ended up getting a root canal done at that office, which cost me 700 outside of my insurance. The manager at that office asked me to pay the remanding 4,000 all at once and was extremely persistent and nosey about my personal finances. The dentist kept asking me who did my previous root canals, because they were still in tact after 10 years and needed no additional care. I decided that I would reach out to that dentist from 10 years prior which brings me to my review.
I grew up in a single parent household and 10 years ago my mother did not have the finances to pay for two crowns. Dr. Tran was my dentist 10 years ago. I did not understand how important crowns were at the time, and looking back I don’t even remember thinking that getting a root canal was a big deal. I remember Dr. Tran looking sad and concerned that I was unable to get the crowns. He took me aside and told me to even try and get a summer job to have the crowns done. I thought about Dr. Tran after my root canal at the fancy dentist office and decided to make a appointment with him, because I felt it was only right that I at least get those crowns done at his office.
When I went in he could hardly recognize me, as I am a grown up now :). He did some x rays (perfect time for a second opinion), and let me know that I had the same work to get done that the other dentist office let me know I had. He gave me a grand total of 1400 out of pocket. That was way less! He even started the first crown that day. The whole time he did the work he talked to me about work and life and was very engaging. I felt so comfortable that I told him about my settlement and he did not try and add on any additional cost what so ever. I have been seeing him once a week since April, and I can’t stress enough how happy I am that I have found Dr. Tran again. I have seen any and every kind of Professional this year, from Lawyers to financial advisors, and Dr. Tran has been the impactful professional of them all. My mother found him 10years back through our free dental cal insurance, and now as a adult that is insured with pretty awesome benefits and money to cover additional work, I wouldn’t imagine having any other dentist in my mouth. I am extremely high matneince young woman; I loved the spa like dentist that I was seeing, but when it comes to my overall experience I would choose Dr. Tran every time.
It seems like Dr. Trans reviews are all from people that have negative things to say. I was not intending to write a review, but it seems to me that only clients that have negative experiences write reviews. Not everyone is going to have the perfect experience when they go to a dentist, thats the nature of the business. Dr. Tran is a great dentist; the dental profession has changed drastically in the last 10 years, due to social networking and the tech times were living in. Dr Tran is a outstanding Dentist that reminds me of the good days when Drs knew you by name, and you actually had a long lasting relationship with them.
I WILL BE A PATIENT OF DR. TRANS UNTIL HE RETIRES!!! Hopefully that won’t happen anytime soon…

Wow! I’m really shocked by all the bad reviews for Dr. Tran. I personally had a really great experience with him and his staff. I needed to get 2 teeth extracted and I was super nervous because I’d never had it done before. Dr. Tran was so nice and made me feel at ease. He was constantly checking to see if I was doing okay. He also let my boyfriend be in the room during the entire procedure. Also, his assistant (I wish I could remember her name) was awesome. Extremely friendly and reassuring even as I started freaking out. Even the woman at the front desk was lovely. Yes I have pain and yes I cried, but come on… I had 2 teeth pulled. It wouldn’t be pleasant anywhere! I think this is as good as it gets. I was very well taken care of and will be back for dental work in the future.

I had a wonderful experience because Dr. Tran took the time to get to know me, and truly provided service beyond my root canal.
Good:
— he was transparent with what he was doing
— chatted to get to know me
— paid extra attention to a some dental favors I asked for
Bad:
— I was initially hesitant of his small talk
— took a very long time, he had a lot of patients and I spent a long time waiting for him to finish my tooth

Dr. Tran is an awesome dentist who has been taking care of my teeth for 16 years. I’m extremely happy with him and his staff in every respect and have no intentions of looking elsewhere for my dental work.
Recently, I came in for a routine cleaning. One of Dr. Tran’s staff suggested a deep gum cleaning, since I had pretty bad bleeding (runs in the family, and I really don’t floss enough). I came out feeling great, but made the mistake of ignoring his advice — and had some spicy food immediately afterward. The result was some pretty bad inflammation around a couple molars.
I called in Dr. Tran’s office after a few days of dealing with the pain, and he managed to fit me in for that very day. In this 2^nd visit, Dr. Tran explained the issue and pointed it out while having me hold a mirror, as he usually does, and got busy taking care of it. I was quickly out of there, and the inflammation is nearly gone a day later. He didn’t even charge me for the visit! I just had to pay for the bottle of rinse I was told use after meals until the gum was back to normal.

When I think of high-​pressure dentists, I think of Dr. Tran. When I went to see him, he had a long list of work he wanted me to do including (1) redo-​ing all my fillings, (2) buying a mouth guard, (3) buying some special automated toothbrush cleaner for gingivitis, and (4) getting a mouthwash for gingivitis.
When I asked if I could wait on those fillings, he said, «Do you want to have a root canal?» Dang, talk about high pressure. I decided to go to a different office (Penelope Yip, who is very good, by the way, who said I could wait on those fillings.)
Seven years later, I redid some of those fillings at Dr. Kami’s office. The fillings apparently lasted for seven more years without any problems and without me needing a root canal.

Do not go here. This dentist just tries to get as much money out of you as possible. I went to a different dentist earlier this year to have a cavity filled and he mentioned one other cavity, but said it wasn’t urgent. Today I went to Dr. Tran for teeth cleaning and an exam, and he said I had 10 cavities! $ 1500 in dental work! I was extremely upset and he just brushed me off and tried to get me to make an appt. to start my «treatment plan». Thank goodness I found this Unilocal page and realized that he is just trying to make money off this poor student, as well as anyone one else that he can. Completely unethical!

All the things that other reviewers mentioned are exactly what I experienced as well.
Bruce told me I had something like 15 cavities, unfortunately I made the mistake of trusting him at first.
1. Cavity in molar…
— Bruce drilled the tooth out from every possible side, it looked like swiss cheese (holes all the way through), so much so that he felt the need to let me look at it before filling it. This tooth has hurt so much for the past three years (after having the work done) that I have stopped chewing on that side of my mouth completely.
2. Replacing an old broken bondo front-​tooth with a crown.
Note: I had two bondo front teeth for fifteen years with NO repairs required up until this point; the second one is still perfectly fine.
— When installing the crown Bruce proceeded to arrive 25 – 30 minutes late, then gave me an anesthetic shot and walked away. He came back about 45 – 60 minutes later to give me a second shot because the first one had worn off while he was working on his double booked appointment. I refused the second shot and told him to do the work immediately.
A few weeks after having the crown installed it cracked straight down the center, I went back to complain but was told that he couldn’t replace it unless it breaks.
Low and behold, 2 years later it popped off while I was eating a milky way chocolate bar (not exactly the hardest substance in the world, and I chew with my back teeth) and Bruce is refusing to replace it free of charge, but is suggesting that I need a stronger material and that I should come in and he’ll do it at half price…
I have since found a dentist that actually stands by their work and some how 13 out of the 15 cavities also seemed to have «magically disappeared» when I switched to my new dentist.
I am now filing a complaint with the dental board of California.
Learn from your fellow Unilocalers and avoid this place like the pest, there are many good dentists around but Bruce is miles away from being one of them.

wow, I decided to check out his Unilocal reviews and found all these similar stories to my experience. I went to see Bruce Tran for a cleaning because I saw a reasonably priced coupon in the local paper and wanted to have a check up ($ 100).
He seemed a nice enough guy, but after he took a full set of X Rays of my mouth he advised me that I had over 10 cavities and quoted me nearly $ 2000 to do all the work on them. I was a little shocked because I try to go to the dentist fairly regularly and have my teeth cleaned. I went for a second opinion to another dentist and they told me I had NO, ZERO cavities. The guy is a crook and should be struck off the dental register.

Prior to going to Bruce Tran I had 0 cavities for 3+ years at my previous dentist. While under Bruce Tran’s «care» I had 13 cavities. The following 5 years under different dentists I had 0 cavities. You do the math.
I have filed a complaint with California’s Dental board to investigate this matter.
This is the official form to file complaints against California dentists.

The worst dentist I have ever been to… and I have been to many dentists.
I went to see Dr. Tran in 2005 while I was in Berkeley for a few months. I’m still disturbed by his practices… he finds cavities where none exist so he can profit off of filling them. Several dentists afterwards told me that the quality of his work in my teeth was extremely poor.
Do not go here!

You know that horrible image that you get in your head as you’re sweating over your upcoming dentist appointment? The one where your mouth is craned open, your gums violently prodded by silver instruments as little specks of blood dot the paper bib on your chest…
Yep. Pretty much the story of my teeth cleaning. They were short staffed so Bruce Tran blazed through himself. I have never had a more painful cleaning EVER. He was ultra rushed, rough and could give a crap about whether or not he was hurting me. Nightmare.
Run away as fast as you can.

Avery Freeman… consider yourself LUCKY! With all the other complaints about Bruce, are you saying all of us UnilocalERS are so bored with our lives that we are making this stuff up?
Your post is FISHY at best buddy.
Another vote for: DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH TO BRUCE TRAN PEOPLE!

Oh my goodness, if only I had believed fellow Unilocalers, I would have prevented myself such self-​induced torture. Do not be fooled by the ½ star, the man does not deserve any stars.
Forgive me, I was desperate to get a cleaning and I had to schedule it for the following day. They could fit me in and accepted my insurance.
First of all, the hygeniest didn’t even finish my cleaning. He claimed i needed a root canal to fully clean my teeth. The next dentist I went to actually laughed out loud from his suggestion. This dentist-​weasal tried to freak me out into getting work done. Good thing i had read about this tactic from other Unilocalers and so was prepared to politely say, «No thanks.»
Oh please, spare yourself, spare your teeth and gums, do not go here, even if you are utterly desperate.