John K Tanaka, DDS

I cannot say enough about Dr. Tanaka and Sue, his office manager. My 85 year old father was recently hospitalized and the hospital lost his full set of dentures. Upon discharge, Dr. Tanaka came to my father’s house because he knew it would be difficult for my dad to get into the office initially. He saw my father several times during his lunch hour and greatly accelerated the process of getting him his dentures. It truly made a difference in my father’s recovery and I am forever grateful to Dr. Tanaka for that. He truly cares about his patients.

our family have going to this office few year.
Dr Tanaka, he is a good dentist. He only do filling when you really need it. some dentist asked you to do a lot of stuff that is not necessary. My brother is dentist too, so now, I can compare who is honest and who is greedy for money. I only gave this office 4 stars instead of 5. because i really don“t like his wife, every time I went there, I feel like I was begging for services.

If you want a dentist that is trustworthy and great at what he does then definitely choose Dr. Tanaka. I’ve been to a few dentists in my time and he’s by far my favorite. His skill and his hygienists’ skills provide A+ service. I would usually have mouth pains after cleanings with other dentists but I’ve never experienced that with Tanaka’s practice. Many years ago a dentist told me I had two cavities when I didn’t, so I switched to Dr. Tanaka and guess what… no cavities. Beware of dentists that want to mess up your teeth for money. Choose Tanaka because he is an honest man and won’t make you do procedures you don’t need.

I rarely write a review unless I’m floored by the service, positive or negative. Unfortunately this short experience was a negative one. I called to make an appointment as a new patient. I was immediately told they weren’t taking new people under my insurance. I explained my husband was already a client so the receptionist said I could make an appointment. When I asked for anything available in the next week I was told nothing was available, but I understood because it was very short notice. I tried to make an appointment for a month in advance and was handed to another receptionist. This is when the situation changed. This new receptionist was completely rude. I had previously read comments on Unilocal about a receptionist that was rude, but didn’t believe it based on the initial conversation I had with the first receptionist. But now things had changed. She had a rude tone as if I was putting her out and bothering her. I asked to make an appointment for a specific week but she must’ve heard a specific date. I restated the question, but received the same answer. At the end of the hostile conversation I was basically told they could not accommodate me and «to get another dentist.» I was blown away. Not only did they not try to help a new patient, they told me to go somewhere else. I bet Dr. Tanaka is awesome, but I’ll never know. Looking for a new dentist!

I am so happy and satisfied with Dr. Tanaka, Sue, and his staff. No up-​selling, no pressure, professional yet personable. Don’t be misled by «dated» décor in the office. Tanaka uses the latest technology and Sue is wonderful & patient when explaining all that insurance stuff. Thank you!

Quick, painless, professional, friendly, knowledgeable. What else are you looking for?

I not sure why my previous post was taken down but I am a patient of Dr John Tanaka. He is an excellent Dentist not only do I see him but my whole family sees him.
He is trustworthy, honest and friendly and I highly recommend him as a dentist.

Norma M.
Dr. Tanaka has been our Dentist and for my entire family for over 20 years, I’m very pleased with our dental work never had not one problem. Dr. Tanaka explains exactly
what he needs to do with the procedures always making sure were confortable and in no pain. The office staff very nice and professional if we need to make a appointment to be seen soon they will make it happen. I would highly recommend him 5 stars + for me!

All I can say is Dr. Tanaka took my fear away from going to the dentist. With previous dentists they would never understand how scared I was about going in, but on my first vista I told him and he made me so comfortable and has done an amazing job with my teeth. He will tell me all that I want to know about what he’s doing, which settles my nerves. I have already recommended him to my boyfriend and plan to recommend more people.

I’m really surprised that Dr. Tanaka has any negative reviews at all! He’s a fantastic dentist and a very charming man. I’ve never had anything bad to say about him or his procedures, and neither do any of my co-​workers (I have several who are patients). 5 stars from me!

My wife I and use Dr. Tanaka and are very happy with his services. Everyone in the office is pleasant to work with and they take care of the insurance paperwork in a professional manner.
Theresa usually cleans my teeth and has always done an excellent job.

I am the kind of person who puts off going to the dentist because I dread the anesthetic shot. I can handle the drilling and everything else but the shot has kept me away from the dentist. Dr. Tanaka uses a procedure that is almost painless. I still tense up from the anticipation but all in all, he has removed my fear at about 90%. And my own personal tranquilizer is the lovely Alba, the dental assistant. Had step one of my second crown in the last three weeks done today and I just look in her eyes and feel better.
For the patient who said that their 88 year old parent was taken advantage of financially — I have learned with all dentists to insist that they do the work that I have coverage for — period full stop. In the past, I have even gone home to get my benefits brochure to show them what is covered and what is not. I filed charges against a dentist in San Jose who had a Delta Dental contract, note the word contract, who refused to do the procedures she had agreed to do and insisted on work for which I would have had to pay out of pocket. I refused and she got into trouble. I refused to patronize her anymore. So — remember. If your dentist, whoever he or she may be, is part of a dental group, they have agreed by a legal contract to do that work. If you feel afraid to speak up, bring a friend or a family member as a witness. Be clear and firm and best of all, put it in writing. The work Dr. Tanaka is doing for me I have signed for and I knew the charges going in. Never let an office staff member intimidate you into giving up your legal rights. The dentist can get into deep trouble. An honest dentist will not get snotty, nor allow his office staff to get snotty, because you ask for your rights.

Dr. Tanaka’s office is fantastic. They even got my wife in on a Saturday morning to fix a cap on her broken tooth and when I had an abscess, he took care of my meds on his day off. The hygienists are nice and it conveniently located by my work.

My father has been a patient of Dr. Tanaka’s for about 9 years, and generally thought he was a good dentist. Yesterday the good Dr. performed a purely cosmetic procedure (abrasions on 2 front teeth) on my 88 year old father and then charged him $ 400 out of pocket knowing that a) his HMO did not cover the procedure and b) it was not something that was warranted. I had a discussion with both Lauren and Sue (office manager) who didn’t have a conscience or enough integrity to offer any type of refund, rather she proceeded to attempt to justify why they did what they did. Although they informed my dad of the cost prior to doing the procedure, they also made it sound imperative that he have it done by telling him if he didn’t he would have to eventually have a route canal, crown, etc. basic scare tactics being communicated to a person who can easily get confused. I’m pretty surprised by all the other positive feedback on Unilocal given the experience I had with this office. They have now lost a long-​time patient as my father will be seeing my dentist from now on.

I have always felt comfortable with the Tanaka staff, having been a patient/​customer for one year. More important than that is the skill level, so far for me, very high.

Amazing to have the doctor actually do the teeth cleaning! He is always honest about what I need to have done and the office staff always takes care of my insurance papers. Only recommendation is to have the hygenists introduce themselves and have a little better chair-​side manner.

I have been a patient of Dr. Tanaka’s for several years now. Started as a walk-​in patient and have been very pleased ever since. Dr. Tanaka’s front desk and staff are very friendly and courteous. And Dr. Tanaka himself is very personable. I feel like I’m visiting an old friend instead of making a trip to the dentist. On top of that, he is a great dentist and charges very reasonable fees. I would recommend Dr. Tanaka to anyone in the San Jose area looking for a dentist.

this is going to date him a little, but i’ve been seeing Dr. Tanaka and his wife Sue for over 15 years now! i’ve always felt well taken cared of here, even when i was a little trouble maker. he really treats his patients as if they were family!

dr Tanaka is nice, knowledgable, and trustworthy. Staff is nice, Complaint is the office needs updating… minus 1 star. Care itself is great!