Mindy Buoncristiani, DDS

Dr. Mindy left me unattended during a procedure while going back and forth between me and another patient. She left a device to hold my mouth wide open for the duration of the operation. The device tore open the side of my mouth, leaving a permanent scar.
I called several times regarding this issue and was told that the scar would eventually heal and disappear, which it did not. The dentist and her staff were genuinely unconcerned about the issue, which is very surprising based on the positive reviews that we read on Unilocal in advance. The Unilocal reviews were the basis of choosing this dentist.
DO NOT USE THIS PRACTITIONER!

I saw Dr Mindy in the Petaluma office and she was outstanding. Let’s face it, no one loves a dental problem but Dr. Mindy was unbelievably good with her straightforward but compassionate approach to her explanation of the issues and the solutions. She very careful to insure I was totally comfortable during the procedure which involved redoing a general dentist’s root canal and an apicoectomy. I wholeheartedly recommend her for all endodontic issues.

i was going to have the dental school do it in the city but i wanted it fast so mindy to the rescue it was done in two visit one to clean out the infected tooth and then the root canal… very relaxing at her office over looking the bay

I’m a retired dentist who practiced for 44 years. I’d referred several patients to Dr. Buoncristiani even though my office was in San Francisco and always got wonderful feedback from them so that’s why I kept referring, including her honesty and professionalism. I subsequently needed two root canals myself and my experience corroborated what my patients had told me. Not only was she totally painless, she did a fabulous job on both which, of course, I’m able to determine. I perhaps had to take two, maybe three Advils total for both procedures. I can’t imagine what Chris K. is referring to and wonder how she/​he knows that the teeth didn’t «need the root canal (s).» That can’t be diagnosed by an X-​ray alone nor, of course, can it be after the root canal is completed.

I would not recommend Dr. Buoncristiani without absolute assurance that you need the work she suggests. Get a 2^nd opinion Unfortunately I did not at the time and it cost me both time and money. I had an appointment but did not have my referral slip with me nor did she have it. I was not sure what tooth needed the root canal but she apparently saw the need to do 2 root canals. I had to take antibiotics and
Advil (600mg) 3x a day for a week and come to find out, neither tooth needed the root canal. This was verified by 3 different dentists. My experience was she had me in the chair with insurance and wanted to make sure she got some work with guaranteed payment. Dr. Buoncristiani was unable to take personal responsibility for doing a procedure that really did not need to be done and yet after many conversations and my willingness to enter a complaint with the Dental Board, she restored my dental insurance coverage. The caveat is that the insurance is only good until the end of the year and it will take 2 week + to restore it. So essentially, I got taken to the cleaners. All I can say is to be extremely careful when selecting a dentist as I’m beginning to believe this profession is becoming a «used car» industry.

I arrived on the West coast about a month ago with tooth that badly needed a root canal. After checking around and reading reviews here on Unilocal I went with Dr Mindy and I’m glad I did. I called up, explained the situation and they got me in the very next day. Everything went smoothly, from the paperwork to the actual root canal, all were painless and pleasant. I highly recommend Dr Mindy for all your Endo needs.

UGH! I had the unfortunate experience of needing five, yes five root canals. Given the amount of work I needed, I looked very carefully for the right endo. My experience with Dr. Mindy was top rate. Not only is she a consummate professional, but she is very kind and charming. Everything from my first contact with the office through the procedures through the follow-​up was done so well. Hate to say I have to go back to finish up… but I am actually not dreading it. :) Could not recommend her more highly

If you could envision the perfect place to have a root canal, this is it. Equally impressive are the gorgeous setting over the water in Mill Valley (which you face from the chair), super sleek & modern office while cozy at the same time and the staff. Marcella was amazing as she greets you and keeps you posted on how long everything will take. Dr. Buoncristiani actually goes by «Mindy», which i thought was pretty cool. To top it all off, Mindy called me to see how I was doing after the procedure. That was a 1^st for me!

I had a root canal done and Dr. Buoncristiani did not take out all the infected pulp the first time.
I was taking pain medication prescribed by her and still felt pain. I called the office either Thursday/​Friday complaining pain and she did not get back to me until Money/​Tuesday.
Turns out she did not take all the infected pulp out and I had to go in again to complete taking the rest of the infected pulp out.
Time past and then one day I felt a sharp pain and had to see her again. She told me the tooth she worked on cracked into 2 and also, the adjacent tooth needs a root canal.
Since the experience I had last time, I decided to get a second opinion from a highly regarded endodontist and he told me I DO NOT NEED A ROOT CANAL!
Question I have now is: did she took too much out of my tooth that she did the root canal on so the integrity is compromised/​that tooth was not a root canal candidate but an extraction candidate because the tooth was not robust enough possibly due to fillings.
Second: why did she tell me that I need a root canal when I don’t need one. If I had listened to her, I would have to pay her more money and also comprising a perfectly normal tooth by extracting the pulp out. This is ridiculous!
IMO, this is gross incompetence and you should avoid seeing her at all costs.

Having someone look around inside your mouth with sharp tools isn’t something you look forward to. But I needed a root canal and had been masking the pain by taking allergy medication to dry up my sinuses. Dr. Mindy took her time and was very professional and kept me calm with an informative talk beforehand. The staff was very supportive and knowledgeable too. The time in the chair seemed short due to the views of Mt Tam and the efficient procedure. The shots were the most uncomfortable part no surprise there. Half the root canal was done when Mindy told me she couldn’t finish today because my roots where too moist due to my allergies. I didn’t like the idea of having to return later but it made perfect sense. So I took some meds and came back a week later and was done in 30 minutes. Now my tooth is back in the game with no pain! All around excellent experience, way better than anticipated.

Two root canals in one day — and I had never even had the procedure up until this point. So, I was understandably freaking out on the inside.
However, the whole process was far less worse in reality than what I had imagined in my overly creative mind. I think the most uncomfortable and painful part were the shots to my gums and palate, plus it’s not exactly easy to lay still for more than an hour while keeping your jaw open with a rubber sheet sitting on your face.
That being said, the procedure itself didn’t hurt at all and took much less time than I had expected it would. Mindy and her staff are very kind, gentle, and highly accommodating, so it comes as no surprise that I recommend Dr. Buoncristiani for a root canal.

Dr. Mindy and her staff were very professional and friendly. I had to go in ASAP for a retreatment of an old root canal. They took me in the same day I called. And I was only in there for 1 ½ hours!!! It was the easiest quickest root canal I’ve gotten. Beautiful views from the chair and I got headphones to listen to my own music to calm me. Dr Mindy and her assistants were very gentle and informative throughout entire procedure. Couldn’t have ask for more!

Love her… I have had a LOT of work done in my life… Dr. Buoncristiani is THE BEST!!!

Totally awesome. The office is up to date and clean with a beautiful view while you are sitting in the chair. It was my first root canal and I was scared to death. I will never be scared again. I did not feel a thing. I have no pain yet and it has been nine hours post visit. I would recommend this office to anyone. Mindy explained everything to me. She is great and so is her staff.
Thank you so much.

She is the best! If you need a root canal — she is the one. I had one a few years ago and found her staff very professional and she did a great job and followed p to check how things were after the root canal.

I had a root canal yesterday and suprisingly… It was awesome! I know that’s not what anyone expects to hear but wait… let me explain. I have always had great teeth, haven’t had a cavity in 25 years and my dentist has always told me how wonderful my teeth are, etc. so I was horrified when he told me I needed a root canal for a fractured tooth. My mind immediately went to the dark place of pain, misery, being stuck in a chair forever while they drilled my teeth out. Well, it wasn’t painful, and it didn’t take as long as I thought. The offices here are beautiful and my chair had a direct floor to ceiling view of the waterway. They were polite, kind, friendly and efficient. If I ever need another root canal, I know where I’m going!

Superb quality work, and one whom I will trust with any root canal. The process was entirely painless and the service was exceptional by all members in her office.
How I got to her office and all the hacks along the way, including the Russian dentist from the gulags, is an entirely different story. I will have to track them down and « Unilocal» on them!

As you may have noticed by the other reviews she is great. I am a survivor of extreme dental trauma as a kid. It is all I can do to get in a dentists chair. This is what I have to say about Mindy: I love my child more than anything in the world. If/​when my child ever has needs of this type of service Mindy will be the one she goes to.
Mindy is very skilled, very compassionate, and very gentle. She promised me that it wouldn’t hurt and she kept her promise. Even at that I was nervous and scared and she and her staff worked hard to help me through it. In my mind, she does important work with integrity, care, and compassion. I give her about 4 million stars.

No one WANTS or LIKES to have a root canal, but if you must, you will be pleased with her. She and her office staff are friendly, competent and very aware that you REALLY don’t want to be there.
She got me in and out quickly and of course, most importantly, painlessly. The old school days of painful root canals was before effective local painkillers and current dental techniques. Have no fear.

You have no fear of root canals if you go to Dr. Buoncristiani. She was amazing — girl got skills. Granted my dentist was in there the week before and dug up some trouble so most of the hard drillin’ was done. I was in that chair with my mouth opened for no less than 20 minutes. She was in and out of there so quickly I was shocked I was done.
Not only was she fast but there was very little pain. Her bedside manner was awesome. Very nice, very informative, and just plain nice. She even gave me a call a couple days after to see how I was doing. How great is that.
She’s my go to for root canals until I die. If I ever move I will fly out so she can do that work. Yes, she’s that good.