James Watson, DDS

I was referred to Jim Watson by the Associate Dean of the Dental School at UCSF many years ago. My wife, friends, and I have continued in his care since. He was recently great at working on my difficult tooth.
His office is squared away and efficient. Office manager Toby makes it work.
James O’Donnell, MD
Professor and Associate Dean
School of Medicine, UCSF

I was desperate for a dentist in SF. I miraculously found Dr. Watson and his incredible team. They got me in when i needed it most and Delia was the most amazing hygenist I have ever been to. She was so thorough and so gentle with my mouth — I felt so safe there. I hope Dr. Watson becomes my new family dentist for the rest of my life!!!
Thank you Dr. Watson and Toby and Delia!!!

Dr. Watson is easily the coolest dentist I’ve ever had. Before working with Dr. Watson I was always given the same speech by previous dentists: brush more, floss more, good luck and see you in a few months. but Dr. Watson took me through an extremely thorough assessment and told me exactly what I can improve. He’s extremely smart, personable and also very funny. His staff is great and extremely welcoming. Together they all make going to the dentist a positive and enjoyable experience.

Jim Watson has been my dentist for nearly 20 years. He and his staff have been outstanding. Very friendly and accommodating. He will go the extra mile to point out what services or treatments I need and why, and willing to work with you if you can’t go the recommended route.
How much do I like this dentist? Even after moving to Tuolumne County 8 years ago (moved to Hayward last year) I never failed to have my check ups and visits here.

I am so glad that James Watson is my dentist now. For the last few years, I’ve been going to *Groupon* dentists.
There are definitely different kinds of dentists! Now that I have a real dentist, I have seen how mediocre those coupon dentists are. I know this firsthand having seen what the hygienist just removed from my gums!
They also gave me such simple and effective advice on better care for my teeth. I couldn’t believe no one had shown me these things before. The office was so gentle and cheerful, and Toby the office manager was a real bulldog when it came to dealing with the insurance.
And again, a step above: they took detailed x-​rays plus detailed photographs, and Dr. Watson explained to me in great detail every aspect of my teeth and various options and priorities in dealing with them.
IMHO there is no substitute for going to a superior dentist. I see that now.

Similar to what was pointed out by one of the customers a couple of years back, Dr Watson was happy to find lots of things wrong with my teeth and jaw and bite, requiring an extensive plan costing thousands of dollars. I simply had gone in for a cleaning and he said he couldn’t do that because I needed a great deal of other work first. My former dentist, and the dentist I luckily connected with afterwards, told me Watson was looking for work to do that was unnecessary. I only saw Watson that one time, but before he went off on his idea for a major overhaul of my mouth, he did some tests and procedures that I did not request but he felt were necessary. And I had to co-​pay a couple of hundred dollars extra – this is after the insurance paid for much of the work. I asked the insurance company to get its money back and to make Watson return my co pay since he did work I did not request, and was not necessary. He didn’t provide the service that I had requested. The answer was «no» because: whether I wanted it or not, he did the work and was entitled to be paid. I think he’s a dangerous dude.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Watson’s for about 12 years now and have had nothing but good experiences with him. In my early 20s, I needed to have a lot of work done and on a coworker’s recommendation, started to going to Dr. Watson. I have always felt like I was in good hands. Fillings– and I’ve had many– were never a problem, as Dr. Watson has this gum-​rubbing trick that keeps a patient from feeling the anaesthetic needle sliding in. I’ve had two root canals and crowns with Dr. Watson and ended up wondering why stand-​up comics make such a big deal out of them. The guy’s good. I’ve got my gums in much better shape based on his advice and guidance and– though I can’t say this will happen for everyone– since I told Dr. Watson that I live near an Asian grocery now, every time I stop by for an appointment, he tells me about a new Asian vegetable I should try and how to prepare it. So there’s that. Personally, he hasn’t always been «in network» for my insurance, depending on the job I held, but I keep coming back. Dental care isn’t something I want to be cheap about. And I have nothing but trust in the team he’s put together. So there’s that.
(And for what it’s worth, Toby’s been nothing but nice to me. So that’s a data point/​counter-​point to one of the other comments. If that’s something you wanted more information on, for some reason.)

Coming from a native San Franciscan, look no further! Welcome to the best dental practice in town!
Meet Toby who makes your scheduling, insurance billing and payment plans a breeze! She goes out of her way to work with you.
Here’s D, friendly, funny as hell, gentle and thorough, leaving your teeth fresh-​feeling, shiny, beautiful, and leaving the office smiling and feeling as sassy as ever!
Josie is thoughtful and sweet, comforting you and explaining in detail any answers to questions you might have about what procedures you have upcoming and/​or in real time.
I’ve seen Dr. Watson since I was about 10 years old. It’s unheard of how well the work he’s done on my mouth has lasted so long over the years. He’s got a great personality and is honest about helping you customize whatever it is you specifically want done to feel good about a) your health, b) your smile and c) your spirit overall.
Plus, their office is located at West Portal where there is tons of parking, great shopping, fun places to eat and always a very nice area to visit and get all of your chores done in one place!

I have been a patient of Dr. Watson for more than 5 years and highly recommend him to my friends and family.
I have had routine cleanings, as well as night guard fittings and a crown over these past years and appreciate the level of professionalism and care under Dr. Watson.
The dental hygienists are top-​notch, and I leave with a bright smile after each trip — which is my main goal.
I find scheduling with the office is straight forward and often times accommodating of my changing work /​travel schedule.

I have been going to Dr. Watson for the past 2 years and I could not recommend a dentist any higher than him.
From the calm and clean offices, to the friendliness of the staff, I actually look forward to my appointments. It was not until I came to Dr. Watson that I felt educated about the importance of dental care and why I needed to brush correctly and take care of my gums. I truly feel, as though I am a partner with Dr. Watson in the care of my teeth and gums and am excited to go to my appointments to show off how well I am keeping up on my side of the partnership by doing the work that I have been assigned. After all, I am the biggest beneficiary from the profit.
Another bonus is Dr Watson’s mind tricks to distract from the discomfort of numbing injections when taking care of any cavities.
5 stars all the way! If you haven’t been to the dentist in awhile, call Dr. Watson up now!

Everyone here is great. Dr. Watson is an excellent dentist and Toby is
warm and friendly. On this visit I had my teeth cleaned by Dee who was
very understanding about my teeth sensitivity.

I’ve been to many dentists and I find Dr. Watson, his staff and office to as professional, responsible and attentive as it gets. My previous dentist (there is a review of her as well if you look on Unilocal under my username) was an excellent Dr. as well. However, her office was poorly managed and this resulted in me being sent to a collection agency for no reason. My point is that it is not just the Dentist that solely makes up the office.
I have found the front desk very polite and professional as well. They have been more than willing (and even offering) to call the insurance company for me to clarify any issues.
The hygienists always do an excellent job and the wait is never more than a few minutes.
I highly recommend these guys.

I took my son to see Dr. Watson for a yearly dental exam and cleaning based on the recommendations here on Unilocal.Just the cleaning and exam was $ 350 and Dr. Watson determined that my son needed $ 2500 worth of additional dental work which I thought to be strange since his last visit to the dentist was a year ago and nothing was mentioned then. After his cleaning the assistant was very pushy about trying to sell me $ 80 worth of «special» toothpastes when a similar product can be found in any drugstore for less than $ 10
When I told his receptionist that I needed to think about his pricing she offered to lower the price by about $ 500 which I thought to be odd. When I told her I still needed to think it all over and asked her to fax me a breakdown of the costs she seemed annoyed and became quite short with me
I decided that I would instead go elsewhere for a second opinion and asked for the dental radiographs as well as copy of my son’s medical record. The receptionist told me that they don’t give copies of medical records. After I got home I checked the website of the State Dental Board which clearly stated that copies of medical records must be provided when requested. I called back and told her this and she became very defensive and quite curt with me. In the end the records were finally faxed to me.
This entire experience was unnerving. Their initial refusal to give me the copies of the medical records gave me the impression that they were trying to hide something. This was very suspicious as well as unethical.

I just came from Dr. Watson’s office. This is the very first time Dr. Watson worked on my teeth officially. The first time was for a «very» throrough examination, xrays and stuff, but today was the first time for hardcore tooth work. I referred to it as hard core just because I was at the dentist’s chair for 1−½ hours, so that’s pretty intense for me.
From the time I walked into the dentist’s office, I was pleasantly surprised of their holiday decorations. So happy looking, which was truly a plus. For a moment, I completely forgot I was at the dentist’s office so it was a totally welcome distraction. Then I was greeted by Toby, very pleasant and very nice, so that made me feel even more at ease. I haven’t been to the dentist’s office for over a year, which is why I was so apprehensive, btw. And the last dentist I had was an absolute butcher, who caused all the dental problems, which Dr. Watson fixed.
Anyhoo, all I could say is that I was completely impressed at how Dr. Watson explained everything to me before getting started, made sure all my questions and concerns were answered, and the whole time long while he was working on my teeth, he was talking about a variety of subjects, which helped distract me even further from what was going on. That was so cool of him considering I was well, let’s face it, scared. There, I said it.
I shouldn’t have taken so long to go to the dentist though if I knew it was going to be that easy. Then again, I have a feeling Dr. Watson is just so much of a professional, who just made it look easy. After all, any over 1−½ hour procedure could never be easy. Furthermore, dare I say it, the whole thing barely hurt. I mean, it hurt more putting antiseptic over a wound I recently got on my foot, than the whole procedure. Can you believe it? Maybe he put a lot of numbing stuff on my gums? But then again even when he came at me with a super long needle, maybe 6 times (?) at different areas in my mouth, he was experienced enough to tell me to look in the direction of his eyes so that he could see if what he was doing was hurting me or not, instead of closing my eyes, which would make me concentrate on the pain more. You know what? It worked! Totally worked, plus the trick of jiggling the lips while injecting was an even further distraction so that I didn’t notice what was going on with the needle either. Little things like that, I’m sure, plus having the newest equipment really helped completely in making this recent trip a not such a bad affair as I had envisioned after all.
I’m totally referring all my friends and family members to Dr. Watson because he’s an absolute gem. A really nice guy to boot. His staff, Toby — very nice. Josie, his assistant, also super nice and professional. She totally made me feel at ease too btw.
I’m completely impressed by the whole team, and I am not easy to impress, as you can see from my other reviews. As a matter of fact, I can be quite brutal with my reviews.
No worries here though, I’m completely confident in writing that Dr. Watson and his team will treat you kindly, for sure :)

Cannot sing his & staff’s praises high enough. Very thorough — videos (ever seen the inside of your mouth? in detail? you really should — it’s your body… plus it’s awfully motivating.) I now actually, really know how to take care of my teeth. So I’ll probably be able to keep them into my 90s when I will still be skiing and sailing — and who wants to do that w/​dentures? This is your Dentist for Life. You can stop looking. He’s just fantastic — plus a great guy full of travel stories. GO.

The front receptionist is sooo verrry RUDE to everyone. Why would any dentist have a pit bull of a woman at the front desk? .I know that that sounds harsh, but honestly, I called (very aware of my own tone of voice, sure to say please /​thank you etc etc.) twice, on different days, and she barked at me with loud demanding requests. She told me that I was «dead wrong» about my insurance and cut me off mid sentence multiple times.
I told this to a friend of mine who said that Toby did the same to them! (My friend and I both live around the corner from Dr Watson’s office) I know, as a business owner, that your company and your ethics are reflected directly by those you have to represent the company. …I am especially disappointed because I really wanted to go here, simply because of location. .Really, too bad. … In this time of war and depression, we really need to be good to each other.

After my last terrified dental experience with Denti-​Cal at another office II was determined that I was not going to find a good dentist. After all I do have horrible in the chair anxiety and white knuckle the chair the whole time USUALLY. I went today after talking to the person on the phone about my horrifiying expieriences Dr. Watson is the most caring individual he put me at ease the whole entire time in the chair talking to me about what he was doing and what I need to do for my teeth. He is awesome I would definitely go back and see him again.

I completely trust and highly recommend Dr. Watson.
I have been receiving care at his office for about 12 years and continue to be very happy with his care. He makes a great effort to explain exactly what is going on in my mouth and gives me a list of option on how to handle the situation.
I never feel pressured or as if he is trying to sell me something that I don’t need. He has a great chairside manner as do the dental hygienist that work in his office.
You will know that you are in the right place the moment his dental instrument meets your teeth as his many years of experience come through in his gentle and confident touch.
Other notables include a friendly and helpful staff and a clean office.
Finally, I found it interesting to learn that Dr. Watson is actively giving back to our community by sponsoring educational scholarships as well as working with the Flying doctors of America. The FDOA is a nonprofit organization that travels to poor under served communities south of the boarder and provides needed health services.

OK, here’s the skinny. I hadn’t gone to a dentist in over ten years, so when I got an appointment to see Dr. Watson there was a certain degree of panic and terror but I’m a grown man and I decided to face the music. I met with Dr. Watson before any sort of examination and as we were going over my dental history (or lack thereof) I could tell that he was setting me up for some bad news. He sent me off for a full set x-​rays. 18 of them.
Dental x-​rays are pretty much an exercise in how to control your gag reflex as they cram uncomfortably large and sharp cornered pieces of plastic into your mouth. Well I didn’t want to puke, I just brushed my teeth for cristssake. No lead apron? I remember there being a lead apron involved in this, no? Oh well, what the hell do I know, I haven’t seen a dentist in years. I managed to get through the x-​rays without vomiting, just some mild retching and they showed me a dvd on gum disease.
At this point I’m thinking «Ten years! What the fuck were you thinking? Stupid, stupid, stupid!» Yeah, a little stressed out. They let me watch CNN on the flat screen TV while I waited for Dr. Watson to look over the x-​rays, you know, to help me relax. Flood, war in Iraq, missing children. And now for the results. After 10 years you know how many cavities I had? 0. He said I was a rock and couldn’t find anything wrong with me. Ever since then I’ve been on a steady diet of saltwater taffy, cotton candy and Dr. Pepper. I’M INVINCIBLE BITCHES!
Anyway, nice clean modern facilities and very professional and humane treatment. (My last dentist, upon learning that I played football in high school, said, «Oh, so you’re a tough guy» proceeded to work on my mouth like he was John Henry.) I’d give him 5 stars but I wasn’t offered a lead apron and will most likely get skull cancer or something. All in all a lovely experience.

I submit this review against my better judgement because really, it’s not in MY best interest to spread the word about my fabulous new dentist, Dr. Watson. Not only is he smart and funny (yes, it sounds a little like I have a crush on my dentist) but he is also so capable that despite some having to undergo some pretty grueling procedures, I feel that I am in good hands.
Plus, this has gotta be the most high tech dentist I have ever had. You’ll love (or be grossed out) by the special mouth cameras that he uses to educate you on all the nasty growths/​enamel erosion/​tartar in your mouth.