Larry V Franz, DDS

I can’t express enough how much I love Dr. Franz & his team. Let me take a few steps back and start from the beginning. I am currently 13 weeks pregnant & had a painful wisdom tooth that was prohibiting me from sleeping through the night, eating or swallowing. Talking was even difficult as my mouth started to swell from what seemed to be inflammation.
After calling numerous locations trying to do an emergency extraction, I found what turned out to be my dental gold mine. Like a lot of people, I was afraid of getting me wisdom teeth pulled but the pain was too much to bare. I called Dr. Franz’s office as first thing in the morning and they were able to squeeze me in an hour later. When i arrived and finally met the Dr, I could not have been more happy with his thorough explanation of what was going on in my mouth and what he was going to do to help. He and his team worked through their lunch to ensure I was taken care of. The procedure was painless. i repeat it was painless. Dr. Franz explained to me the expectations pf the healing process and gave me clear instructions on how to heal the most efficiently. When it was all over I just wanted to hug the team as they we all so gentle, caring and genuinely considerate of my feelings. I plan on returning to this location if i ever need any additional oral surgery as well as recommending anyone i can. Thank you Dr. Franz.

I can’t say enough nice things about Dr. Franz and his office staff. They have taken care of me on emergency oral surgeries as well as my wisdom teeth removal this past September. Dr. Franz had me come in every two days after my surgery to change the dressings and keep an eye on the healing process. I just feel like they really care about their patients and they are all so incredibly kind. Thank you for providing excellent quality care!

A dreaded experience that turned out very well.
I’m actually in recovery right now and have nothing but good things to say. Every single staff person is wonderful-​polite, compassionate, and professional. Dr. Franz was wonderful as well. Explained everything in thorough detail and after my procedure encouraged me to call or come back if I experienced any problems at all. I really couldn’t have l asked for a better experience in dealing with the dreaded dentist. I completely trust him and felt very satisfied and actually grateful for a good experience with an oral surgeon!

Hello to everyone reading this review!
This is a review of my experience getting all four wisdom teeth removed.
I’ll start off by saying that my mom is a dental assistant for an office in alameda. Although her job offers oral surgery, my mom decided to take me to «the best in the bay». Boy, am I glad I went to Dr. Franz.
When you get to the office on the 8^th floor, there’s nothing wrong about this office. Definitely outdated. — which my mom told me. But, I still went with it. Just a warning, equipment seems old, but it’s the hands of the doctor that shows off the magic of this office. Dr. Franz is amazing at what he does and his techniques proves his points even further.
On surgery day, I was told to drink a glass of apple juice an hour before procedure. Once I got there, I was kindly greeted by the receptionist and was told to use the bathroom to empty my bladder. I did so, and I was immediately let inside the surgery room. (was so glad it wasn’t cold). Before Dr franz went in, I was monitored for a couple of minutes and once Dr. Franz went inside, he was very welcoming! He said, «hello sir! Did you bring your veins?!» Which I found very funny and calming considering I was about to be sedated lol

Let me tell you, medical staff ALWAYS have a hard time finding my veins. It took Dr. Franz about 15 minutes to find it. While dr. Franz was doing so, his assistants were putting on the heart monitors, and wrist bracelets to measure activity. Once he found my veins, he immediately put in the sedatives (I’m guessing). At that point, I felt very calm. I asked «am I supposed to be feeling something?» They all snickered and said yes. I went into this surgery very excited about the part where they sedate you. I always wanted to know how it feels to just fall asleep out of nowhere. Anyway, I fall asleep and I wake up afterwards.
It felt like I was asleep for like 10 minutes. Next thing I knew, I was awake and I tasted blood– which I figured was gonna happen. The assistants helped me up and took me to recovery. The whole way to the recovery room (which is like 15 steps) I was laughing my butt off. I could not stop snickering, and the more I wanted to stop, the more I laughed. My mom and sister came in right away and could not stop laughing at the way I was snickering. I stayed in recovery for like 20 minutes and was ready to leave. I felt no pain whatsoever– which made sense because my lower jaw was numb. Before leaving, I was wrapped with a washcloth on each cheek. I was told to leave it on for 24 hours.
Once I got home, I immediately had some progreso soup. (which took me like 40 minutes lol.) at this point, I watched for pain. I took 4 advils every 6 hours the first day and took 2 every 4 hours for the next 3 days. I never once touched the bottle of narcotics for pain. I was very surprised at how LITTLE I felt pain. I was very relieved.
The first night was hard to sleep because of the washcloths, but they were for a reason. I only awoke once to drink medicine because of discomfort– not pain. The next morning, I couldn’t wait to take it off. Again, I was surprised at how LITTLE I swelled up. I looked completely normal. Thank god. I started my morning with a quick salt water rinse, and ate something soft. At this point, the numbing was gone. One thing I forgot to mention was to do jaw exercises. Fit 3 fingers in yor mouth. This whole day, I was comfortable. (Saturday). On Sunday, I was already to eat BBQ. (considering it was Labor Day weekend) I was very careful and ate slowly, BUT I was able to eat that burger lol. On Monday, I went in again to Dr. Franz– the stitches had come off and Dr. Franz said everything looked great. I was given a little jet tool to wash out food and that was it. He said I didn’t need to go in again. Perfect!
To this day, I still wash out the food because it’s not completely closed– there’s always that pesky food that gets inside. But it doesn’t bother me.
Overall, I had a great experience getting my wisdom teeth removed. I was so happy that I just had to write a review. I am glad my mother took me to Dr. Franz and I was treated with the upmost care. I applaud the magic hands of Dr. Franz and for his group of assistants.
Please, if you have any questions about my experience, please don’t hesitate to message me!
Thanks DR FRANZ!

My wife and I were both extremely disappointed by this dental practice and we will never go there again. The office is dirty and feels like it dates back to 1950. When we inquired as to some of the procedures we were met with scorn and disdain. Both the dentist and the practice manager are old and they are unnecessarily rude and appear incompetent. We will most certainly never go there again and we would never ever recommend this dental practice to neither our friends or even our enemies.

I have had 3 serious surgeries over a period of 7 years done by Dr. Franz. I can relate to most every comment in the reviews, good and bad. I will start by saying Dr. Franz is a master at what he does. My most recent surgery (1 week ago) was, as described by my dentist, one of the most technically difficult maxillar surgeries there is. I was under for almost 2 hours (if that gives you some idea of how serious this was). I cannot give anything but the utmost praise for Dr. Franz’ work. All of the surgeries I have had by him have been textbook perfect, and I incurred as little pain as could be imagined (2 of the 3 — NONE — including this most recent one). As with so many others who have written reviews, he was referred to me by my dentist, who prefers not to work with any other surgeon, period.
Also as reviewed by others, the staff is unbelievable. They are helpful, pleasant, knowledgeable. One couldn’t ask for more, from the front desk person to the assistants, the scheduler, the bookkeeper. Thank you, all of you, for being so terrific!
The office may be dated, but as someone else said, I think it’s just standard, and I have never found it to be dirty. A friend of mine who went to Dr. Franz told me she thought the place was so dirty it «gave her the heebee geebees.» Since then, I have searched each room I’ve been in each time I’ve been there, and I cannot find anything about it that makes me think it is less than clean. As for the furniture, who cares?! And I cannot imagine nothing has been updated because of cheapness. Dr. Franz is in his mid-​70s and really, what does the furniture have to do with the quality of his work. Were he to upgrade, the costs would only be passed on to the customers anyway. I don’t go there for the furniture, and couldn’t care less, as long as it’s clean. If you want chic surroundings, go somewhere else. If you want the best oral surgeon, bar none, go to Dr. Franz.
Now the bad stuff. As I mentioned at the top, I can relate to both the good and most of the bad comments. Dr. Franz can be condescending, rude, offensive, sarcastic. I have gotten responses similar to the woman who asked about drugs and nursing. E.g., the other day, I asked him about complications from the type of work he was going to do on my sinus. His response: «All surgery has risks.» Well, duh! I’m not am imbecile — I know all surgeries have risks. I’d asked specifically about sinus surgeries, however, and that response was condescending and simply unnecessary.
This is unfortunate, because Dr. Franz can also be interesting, witty, pleasant. He is incredibly intelligent, competent, artistic. He has been all over the world, is a great photographer (in fact, mixed with all that dated furniture are great photos from all over the world — all of which he has taken!), and an all-​around great guy. But he’s moody and one never knows what mood he’s going to be in on any particular day. The truth is, I have left his office in tears on three different occasions. Of course though, I have also been there numerous times over many years, so who isn’t in a bad mood every once in a while. As attested by others, they never found him to be anything but pleasant, but that is because they didn’t go repeatedly like I have.
But I continue to go to him because there is no question he is the absolute best at what he does, and considering the severity of my problems (my upper jaw, the maxilla, is disintegrating and I have had to have the whole thing reconstructed), I will put up with the moodiness because my jaw and its repairs need to last a lot longer than the time I spend at Dr. Franz’ office. This is said after having been to many oral surgeons over a period of years — NOBODY’s skills compare to Dr. Franz’.
The women who work for him (with one exception) have all been there for years and understand his shortcomings, and are very supportive when you come out of the room looking like: WTF just hit me?! They know. So, it’s a balance.
Ultimately, his work is what counts, and as I started this review off with, he is a master at his craft, an artist. I wouldn’t go to anyone else, personality moody or not. Leaving the personality «quirks» out, he would get 10 stars from me if I could give them. And even with the moodiness, I have to keep in mind what I go to him for, and what I go to him for, he deserves all credit due. Would it be nicer if I didn’t have to wonder what mood he would be in on any particular day? Of course. However, he still gets 5 stars because he is a master at what he does.
And with all of that said, I HIGHLY recommend him for any oral surgical procedures you may need.

First I wanna start by saying the thought of having teeth removed is never a good thing. But I must say that Dr. Franz and his lovely staff are the best of the best. I would highly recommend anyone to this office! And if your anything like me… A huge baby =(. This is the place to go. I felt like super women leaving there office. They only removed one of my wisdom teeth. So I’ll be back for more fun with the staff. But I won’t hesitate at all. Thanks so much for your loving care… «With the tooth from hell» LOL. Dr. Franz is a funny guy too! So long… till next time.

I have had an excellent experience with two separate implant surgeries with Dr. Franz. I can not recommend him highly enough. My dentist recommended Dr Franz for the implant and then my dentist would place the crown. They are used to working with each other and I am very pleased with the whole experience and each implant.
The first implant also needed a bone graft and Dr. Franz did that first and let that heal for six months or so and then onto the implant down through the bone graft and beyond.
But, I loved Dr. Franz. He was so nice and I felt so safe and secure in his chair. He is an excellent surgeon and I had complete confidence in him. So when I needed my second implant, I actually looked forward to seeing him and his staff again. The staff is just lovely, friendly, and very competent.
Yes the office is old fashioned, for goodness sakes it is in the Franklin building in downtown Oakland, a very old building and certainly rustic itself. The office is clean and I love the little room they have you in for the surgery. The windows of the Franklin building open out to the outside, «real air». It’s just that kind of place. Very old fashioned but I prefer that with an excellent Oral Surgeon than a great looking office and so-​so work.
I believe he is probably so good in the dental community that he does not have to put on aires is the way I would say it.
I also want to note that he does want you asleep for the work, in fact he commented to me once that that is just the way he works. Probably less trouble from the patient in my opinion. But there is nothing like that feeling of waking up and they are saying it is all done and the lovely girl is taking you to a little old fashioned recovery cubicle with a little bed to recover in.
They explain all the aftercare, they require you have someone there to drive you home and they have you eat as soon as you get home to keep up your nutrition.
My experiences were both very lovely.
Joyce

First, let me say that I walked into this office and was kindly greeted by the receptionist up front. She was very friendly and accommodating. I was referred to Dr. Franz by my wonderful dentist because I need my wisdom teeth out. I needed to meet with Dr. Franz briefly to discuss the meds I would need to take because I am currently nursing. Basically, I needed to figure out whether I would just need to wait another couple of years or not.
The receptionist went to see if the Dr. could come out and speak to me in that moment. He came out instantly (which was nice) and was exceptionally friendly. He was a bit condescending about my still nursing my toddler, but I let that go because I find that people are often put off by this. He was willing to discuss the meds with me until he saw that I was going to write them down. That’s when I was asked, «Do you have a medical background?» with an attitude. No, I do not, but I take charge of my health and the health of my child, and I’m quite good at researching (but I didn’t say this). At this point, he stopped telling me the names of the meds, but I continued to listen to him assure me that my toddler would not be affected.
He then began to explain the procedure: «You come in, you go to sleep…» I didn’t realize that I would have to be put to sleep and I expressed this. I told him I’d prefer not to be put to sleep. He again asked, «Do you have a medical background?» I’m not sure how this question was relevant the second time. He then proceeded to tell me that in all his years of doing his job, he has found that the procedure works best when his patients are asleep and that he «WON“T have a patient tell him what type of anesthesia he can use». I humbly told him that I was not questioning his skills or knowledge (which I truly wasn’t). I was hoping that he would hear that and understand that my concerns were not about him, only about the meds and my body. But he just wouldn’t hear me and he continued to speak defensively telling me that I needed to find somebody else (which was quite clear by that point – I’m not sure it needed to be verbalized; especially by him).
He then turned his back and walked away.
I must say that I was quite stunned. I always ask questions and I have NEVER been treated this way by a medical professional.
His receptionist was there the entire time, and I will say that she was really great at keeping the peace and remaining friendly as I quietly walked out the door.
In retrospect, I questioned myself: Did I question too much? Did I question in a way that was threatening? Did I come off as if I knew more than he did? I can honestly say that I was humble. As I mentioned, I even TOLD him that I was not questioning him as a professional. I suppose some people just want to be blindly followed and trusted. I’m simply not that person.
I have an incredible dentist and I trust his referrals. If he recommended Dr. Franz, I have to believe he does good work. And as I said, he was quite friendly initially. I think that it all just needs to be under his own terms. If you’re someone who doesn’t ask a lot of questions in general, then my guess is that he’d be a good fit.

I would like to add a more recent perspective than those written in 2008 and 2009. In July 2010, my 14 year old son had to have 11 teeth removed (yes 11). He has a hereditary called condition called hyperdontia, and as a result, he had to have all of his 3^rd molars (commonly referred to as wisdom teeth), and 7 additional teeth removed. We were referred to Dr. Franz by another oral surgeon who was apprehensive about removing some of the teeth, because they were very, very close to the nerves of the lower jaw (the 7 additional teeth were below the gum line in both the lower and upper jaw). I would like to add that the other oral surgeon has over 15 years of experience, but felt that this surgery would be best handled by Dr. Franz.
During the consultation Dr. Franz assured us that he had completed many of these types of surgeries, and we had nothing to worry about (for those who have been to the office will know that Dr. Franz is a very seasoned professional). We received detailed instructions on what to do the morning of the surgery, what to do after the surgery, how much medication to take, how to brush his teeth and rinse, how to drink liquids (yes, you don’t want to break the stitches), and finally, to keep his head wrapped in a bandage for 24 hours. The head wrapping, though not an attractive look, is very effective at reducing swelling. So for anyone not following the doctor’s orders of keeping the bandage on for 24 hours, or opening their jaw every hour, or drinking a lot of protein shakes and soups, they will experience swelling.
My son had his surgery on a Wednesday, and after following the instructions to the letter, there was no swelling on Thursday; He looked completely normal, and he was back to his normal activities except for track and martial arts.
In regards to the office décor: Yes, it’s dated, but I would rather have a dated office with reasonable prices than vice versa. I have visited new dental offices, and they come with a price. A few years ago I was a patient at City Center Spa in Oakland (a very modern dental office) offering neck warmers, hand massages, wall mounted flat screen TVs, a stocked mini refrigerator. I needed to have a 19 years old crown replaced, and they wanted to charge approximately $ 1800 for one crown. The dental insurance only covered $ 807, and the balance would have been my responsibility. Needless to say, I did not get the crown replaced at City Center Spa.
My eldest daughter (who is 18 years old) will be having 7 teeth removed (all of her 3^rd molars and 3 additional supernumerary teeth) in early January 2012. I’m so glad that Dr. Franz hasn’t retired, because I would hate to have to search for an experienced oral surgeon with confidence to handle these tricky surgeries.
For those reading past reviews, please look at the writing. If someone cannot use correct punctuation, if they cannot use a complete sentence, and if they cannot use the correct words to convey their information (check out 10/​14/​2008), do they have creditable information to offer?

I had oral surgery (and implant) on my front tooth and Dr. Franz provided excellent service. I felt very comfortable in his competent hands and the procedure went smoothly and was virtually painless. His staff is fun and caring and gave me thorough instructions on post operative care.
I highly recommend Dr. Franz

Okay so…
While this office has a lot of issues that should be addressed, they also have alot of things right. First ill start with the bad, as previously stated, this office is really outdated. Ranging from the x-​ray equipment to the chairs amongst other parts of the facility — its just ran down.
You know what it really looks like to me? The doctor is saving all the money for himself. He isn’t putting any of the profits back into his business. Something that should be remembered is that presentation is everything, its obvious that he does not care much about that.
Now to the good, the staff was great, friendly and approachable. Doctor Franz is knowledgeable and to the point. I need that, I don’t want all that run around and extra dialog, its pointless.
In the end, my tooth extraction was easy…

I walked past the cluttered and messy office area into the consultation room to find it unclean. Some have stated here that the office is outdated. Well I wouldn’t stop there. If that was all it was, then I would not have been bothered. The room was filthy! I work in a hospital, and if our exam rooms were in that condition, we would have been shut down by now. It is unacceptable where I work, and therefore, it is unacceptable for any office that I enter into.
I could not believe how unclean the office was, so I actually ran my finger across the bottom of the dental equipment only to find a thick layer of dust on it. The bottom of the chair look as if it had not been cleaned in moths. The lamp above the exam chair (you know the one that the dentist must touch to draw it closer to your mouth in order to see) was filthy! Filthy as in with other people germs and blood from their mouths. That means, even if the dentists’ gloves were sterile, they would no longer be after touching this filthy lamp! This is UNACCEPTABLE for any medical office better yet a surgical office. Filthy equals infection!!! No matter how good the dentist executes the surgery, if you get an infection, it all goes out the door!
I left the office without even meeting the dentist.

I’ve had work done by Dr. Franz on two occasions: 1) I had all four wisdom teeth removed and 2) an implant. Both procedures were done 10+ years ago, but I felt compelled to post a review today because of how satisfied I still am with the jobs that were done.
I agree that the aesthetics of the office aren’t particularly impressive, but, in my view, the service and quality of work are more important and Dr. Franz tops the list. I can attest that Dr. Franz does good work — even 10 years after the fact.
I’m currently looking for a good prosthodontist and Dr. Franz’s office was kind enough to advise of some preferred practioners and their phone numbers. Very helpful!

I just wanted to rave about Dr. Larry Franz. He is absolutely the best oral surgeon in the Bay Area. He is very detail oriented, which is what you want in a surgeon, and he takes the time to explain the procedure and everything you need to know about the recovery. I always had questions and he was very sweet about answering all of them honestly. He’s present, real and a no bullshit Scandinavian!
The price is actually what they tell you its going to be and they don’t nickel and dime you with add ons and extra fees for walking in the door.
There is a parking garage in the back of the building and they validate your parking. The furniture is the classic well built dental furniture. Why would you need anything fancy? I don’t trust dentists with fancy furniture. It usually means that they care more about their image and money rather than the patient. Dr. Franz truely cares about his patients and their well being and he has a solid practice. I’m very happy with the work he has done for me.
Thank you Dr. Franz!

Sure, the office may be a little outdated, but the service makes up for that. I am TERRIFIED of the dentist, but Dr. Franz and his staff made sure I was comfortable and taken care of. Both my husband and I were very happy with their services. And the recovery was not half as bad as I expected it to be. He had me back to normal in no time!

I had all four wisdom teeth taken out. I woke up and didn’t feel a thing. I had a lot of swelling, which is normal. I’m healing normally. The women who assisted with the surgery were sincerely caring and extremely friendly. Dr. Franz is definitely experienced.
I am editing this because I didn’t get any stickers either… also, I am scheduling another extraction soon. I had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted and now two additional wisdom teeth have grown in… this is in my genes, so I will be getting another surgery soon.

Staff was friendly and nice but… Office was GHETTO — old dated equipment that was dusty –something in my gut told me to cut my losses and run out of there — I didn’t due to the extreme pain I was in and boy did I live to regret it —
Scary Larry is all I can say.
Did a sloppy job removing my tooth — did not do a bone graft never returned a single one of my calls. DONT GO HERE!

what stickers?! I got no stickers, and I feel cheated.
But I did get two wisdom teeth removed yesterday morning, and it went pretty smoothly. Dr. Franz and his team are super friendly and efficient. I have had 3 appointments at their office (pre op, op, post op) and everyone started on time, and finished pretty quickly. And Dr. Franz gave me my prescription for painkillers at the pre-​op, so I could get it filled and have it ready after surgery.
After yesterday’s surgery (which was painless — I slept through it), they wrapped my face in a pressure wrap/​sling (oh so pretty), provided lots of advice (written and verbal), and sent me home to my bottle of Advil. The pressure wrap stayed on for 24 hours to prevent swelling (and it did a good job). I’m now free to eat whatever I can handle, and I am taking a healthy dose of Advil every 5 hours.
Supposedly the worst pain is 48 hours after surgery, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings… All in all, I highly recommend Dr. Franz + his team.
—
One month later — my review stands. I had one emergency visit this week — one month after surgery — due to a gum infection which may or may not have been from the surgery. They got me in within an hour of my call. Healthy dose of antibiotics, and all’s well again. Overall, this whole wisdom teeth episode was fairly painless for a 40 year old person!

I fear the day I would have to get my wisdom teeth removed. That day came. *(scary music plays here)*. Gasp!
It was the middle of Spring. The wind was steadily blowing as I walked through the thick glass doors of the cream building. Up the elevator and into the doctor’s office I entered. Sweat dripped down my forehead and my stomach churned into a knot. When the nurses laid me down and asked me to count to ten… I knew there was no going back.
*(scary music plays here)* Eeeek. Eeek.
Nurse: Wake up!
Me: eh???
Nurse: Your done.
Wow that was fast! Other than feeling sleepy, I didn’t feel any pain whatsoever. The nurses are super friendly and so is Dr. Franz. Best of all, I got some stickers at the end. Yay!
I skipped all the way home after wards. Actually no. That was just the drugs talking. Tee-​hee!