Jeffery A Starr, DDS

Dr. Starr is the best! He is so caring and kind — and very talented at that! He is always there to listen to any concerns I may have about my teeth and offers the best advice. His staff is always extremely friendly/​I think everyone deserves to have a dentist like Dr. Starr.

Dr. Starr (and previously, his father) have been my family’s dentist for about 25 years. I don’t even live in the Bay Area anymore, but I still schedule my cleanings and procedures so that I can see him whenever I am home. He does fabulous work, is very sensitive to jittery patients, and the office is great with kids (I’m not entirely sure how old I was when I stopped raiding the toy chest in his office… but I do remember there was always good stuff in there). His staff, hygienists, and other personnel are also all excellent, and some have been with the office for decades.

I have a really high bar when it comes to dentists, and I’ve been seen by dental faculty at UCSF, Harvard, and Georgetown (not always in the student clinic, usually in their private practices). Dr Starr knows his stuff, and can explain it well and concisely if you’re interested (I was when he was doing a filling for me).
I also have a healthy fear of dentists. (I have great dental insurance, but insurance only covers so much, so hence the fear.) I recently went in to get a crown recemented and Dr Starr let me choose to not have the crown re-​done (usually $ 500-​$ 1k with insurance, depending) and just cleaned it off and recemented it because he thought it could last a few more years. So if you’re looking for a conservative dentist who will let you get away with a less expensive course of treatment, he’s your guy.
I’m holding off the last star until he does a crown for me and I see the quality of his lab work…

I’ve been going to Jeff for the past 15 years, and still drive to Palo Alto from San Francisco to see him. I have major dental phobia, and he’s incredibly kind and reassuring. He’s also ethical, patient and has a good sense of humor. I can’t recommend him enough.

I can’t vouch for his work with serious dental issues because my teeth have been fine so far, but I can say that for the 10 years I’ve been seeing Dr. Starr and his staff for general cleaning and advice, I’ve never been displeased. He and his staff care about what they do (one assistant is a bit gruff, but it’s just her style). When my son was young, he sucked his thumb, and in one visit Dr. Starr talked him into stopping! (Of course, my son is a bit of a people pleaser). When orthodonics came into the picture, he recommended a great colleague. He’s a five star dentist.

I have horrible, rotten teeth. Every time I went to my previous dentist I could see him planning to finance his next vacation around my new dental problems. I switched to Dr. Starr about six years ago and he has been fantastic. He’s gentle and reasonable, well read and researched and always fills me in on my options. I’ve been to many, many dentists over the years, and Dr. Starr has been the best. He also works on my kids (12,10 and 8) and they love him — no tears, no issues. I recommend him to all my friends.

By far the best dentist I have ever had: fast, efficient, friendly, accurate, ethical, and his work is top notch. I lived in the Bay Area for almost 20 years, from Mountain View to San Francisco to Half Moon Bay to Livermore. Once, I made the mistake of trying out a different dentist who was closer, and that was it: from then on, I and my whole family made the commute to visit Dr. Starr twice a year. We moved to San Diego five years ago, and have still never found anyone as good. If you’re fortunate enough to live within an hour’s drive of Dr. Starr, be sure to make the drive and count your blessings!

Jeff’s father was my dentist when I was a child and I am pleased that he has continued a tradition of caring and careful, thoughtful work. I drive 2.5 hours roundtrip to see him.

Jeff is a wonderful guy and a great dentist. Everyone on his staff is terrific.
My husband had been seeing another not-​so-​great dentist, who overlooked a root canal problem. One day, my husband woke up in pain. I called Dr. Starr’s office and Dawn (office manager) said, «Bring him over at 12:30.» My husband wasn’t even a patient at the time — but he is now!
This gives you an idea of the caring people at Jeff’s office.

I have been going to him (and previously his father) since I was about 5. I would not even consider changing dentists. I have lived in several other parts of the world and still made sure I got back here when I needed dental work. He has a very friendly office and is very accomodating when you have an emergency. Tell Dawn (the main office person) that Mimi sent you. They have lots of great photography in the office from their world travels. Also Dawn has a company that focuses on garlic products.