Thomas G Roberts, DDS

When I first started seeing Dr. Roberts I was really nervous. Id seen bad dentists before and have had a long standing fear of the dentist. Upon entering I found the environment soothing but what has continued to impress me over the years is Dr. Roberts attention to detail and fine dental work. Im happy to say my fears are subsiding and thats thanks to him and the great hygienists who work for him.

I recently had a bad experience with my old dental office and I scheduled a cleaning at Dr. Roberts office mostly due to it’s proximity to my new apartment. I had the very fortunate experience of being scheduled with Reese and she did an excellent job with my initial exam and cleaning. She’s was extremely knowledgeable and has a lovely personality. Dr. Roberts came in and also signed off on my exam and answered my questions. He was very friendly and took the time to get to know me a bit and make me feel welcome. I have a new favorite Dentist now and will definitely be going back to see Reese for my next cleaning. Last but not least, Amanda who scheduled my appointment and is the office Manager was delightful as well. She was extremely professional and pleasant to work with. I highly recommend this team for your next dental experience.

Dentists like Dr. Roberts are the reason dental patients develop dental fears. I get that we live in a capitalistic society and everyone got to make money, but my experience with dentists like Dr. Roberts make me mistrust the entire profession.
First, I went to Dr. Roberts due to the high ratings he received from
. Fron the photo of his headshot, he looks like a nice enough person. His office was prompt and pleasant on the phone. I came in with my fingers crossed that I will find an ethical dentist in Dr. Roberts.
He made me promises that he has no intention of following through. When he learnt that I have another dentist for more comprehensive study of my case, and I only needed him for a specific appliance, he did not want to collect the $ 1100 my insurance and I was willing to pay him for this particular appliance. I imagine he must have his aim in the $ 10K+ upsell of services with the other specialists (in his referral network) in cahoot. My impression is that he’s not there to help patients. Rather to make as much money as he can off of his patient. Other than that, I have no complaint about his staff and office. They look pleasant enough.
Beware of the price gouging and upsell of services here! It’s a shame that most dental professionals are now more salesmen than scientists. :’(

I live in the neighborhood and walk by their office, so I thought I’d give them a try. My experience matched that of many others. Dr. Roberts does an assessment and then recommends at least 8 crowns (never recommended by other dentists) and when you panic due to the cost and the bad prognosis, you’re assured that the work can be done over multiple years to accommodate the financial burden. Then the follow up calls start, to try and schedule you for every procedure you need to get done. The office may position it as responsible follow-​ups, but it feels a lot like sales pressure to me. The office is not open on Fridays or Saturdays, which makes appointments difficult and the staff is unapologetic about that. I’ve since switched to another dentist since then who is highly respected and did not agree with Dr. Roberts recommendations. It’s hard to keep going to a dentist where trust is an issue. I did not have any work done, so I can’t comment on the quality.

I’ve been a patient for 6 years here and always had a okay experience until recently. A year ago I got engaged and instead of Dr. Thomas congratulating me he made a snarky comment to me about getting veneers. I let it slide and continued to be a patient until today. I saw a new Dental Hygienist and she asked me if I was still on birth control medication which I’m not and then she asked if I was trying to have a baby. This felt intruding since I wasn’t due for Xrays and I’m a private person. After being scolded for bleeding gums she then told me that my baby would have low birth weight and defects. I left the apt in tears. No one has called to apologize and I’ve been a patient for 6 years.

I had my new patient visit today and I enjoyed my visit. My hygienist, Jenny, was hands down the best hygienist I’ve ever had. She did a fantastic job of explaining the procedures she was doing and the reason for them. I enjoyed my conversations with Dr. Roberts and did not feel that I was being up-​sold. The office has a motto that it’s «your teeth» and if there’s an issue they will give you all of the options (including doing nothing or waiting) and letting the patient decide the course of action. Finally, I did a survey of five dentists’ offices in the area, and Dr. Robert’s office was one of the most economically priced dental offices in the area. I have no reservations recommending Dr. Roberts’ practice.

Honestly, seeing as how I went to Dr. Roberts before I got on Unilocal,I figured there would only be 5 star reviews. I can’t believe anyone has even had a bad experience with him. I hate that because had I read those reviews first, I would have second-​guessed my decision to go there. Thank goodness I didn’t.
I was referred to Dr. Roberts by a co-​worker. We work one block over and she had been going to him for years and loves him. He’s quirky, funny, genuine and very straightforward. Plus it’s pretty nice to be able to just walk over when I need to, especially considering how many dental issues I have.
The first time I went to him, I had broken a tooth that I had been needing to get checked out for quite a while but had kept putting it off, due to my insane fear of dentists. They agreed to fit me in during the last 30 minutes they were open. I was panicky, because, like I said, I’m scared of going to the dentist and worried about how much it’s going to cost and freaking out about a ton of other things. When I got there, he could tell I was a little uneasy and nervous and he was able to calm me down and even make me laugh by talking about how he used to pass out at the dentist. He took the necessary X-​rays and decided that a root canal was needed and referred me to Dr. Mark Freeman (also, such a wonderful dentist). He then went over a few things that he could tell were issues right off the bat, such as the amount of cavities I have even though I try to take good care of my teeth, set me up with some special toothpaste and asked me if I have been having certain issues with my teeth, such as floss getting stuck and food getting stuck between certain teeth, before I said anything about them, things that no other dentist I had gone to ever seemed to care to address. He didn’t sugar coat anything, he was very straightforward in telling me what needed to be done but was very calming and comforting. He also let me know that there is a lot of work that needs to be done, but he would do it at a pace that would put as little financial strain on me as possible.
Between this visit and the next, about a month and a half had gone by. When I called to make an appointment for my temporary cap, the receptionist remembered me and remembered that I had had a root canal as soon as I said my name, without even looking me up. I thought this was pretty impressive. Plus, those receptionists are just the sweetest.
I had my root canal and then returned yesterday to have my temporary cap put on. I had lots of decay in that tooth and he had a lot of work to do on it. I, of course, panicked and he talked me through it and told me where to place my hands to help me focus on my breathing and waited until I was able to calm down before he started back up. He was very, very patient with me and his dental assistant was so sweet. When they were finally done, they kept telling me how well I handled it for how much work needed to be done. They offer dental treatments that allowed me to make payments for my cap (that was no more expensive than any other dentist I have been to or had researched) over a few months, rather than all at once. Then, HE, not someone else at the clinic who knew nothing about me, called to check on me the next day to see how I was doing.
I’ve been to a lot of dentists and the staff at this office is by far the nicest, most welcoming I have even been to. Dr. Roberts seems to really, genuinely care for his patients and their dental health and wants them to not have dental issues. He even told me on my first visit that he wants to get my cavity issues fixed so that I don’t have to go to him for anything more than a cleaning. Doesn’t really sound like someone who is just trying to take my money to me. He’s really just the nicest guy.

Office staff and hygenists were mostly competent and friendly. However, Dr. Roberts is quite arrogant, in my opinion, and needs a refresher course in bedside manner.
I was in the chair for a deep cleaning, and the hygienist was a little overeager with the gas (I think they were overbooked and needed the chair). My heart began to beat in an irregular pattern and I panicked. I stopped breathing through the nose and instead took deep cleansing breaths through the mouth. Dr. Roberts yelled at me to stop breathing this way because I would get him «high». I tried to explain what was happening to me, but he just carried on about the danger my breathing posed to him. There was little concern expressed for my safety and, in fact, he made me feel foolish.
I will not be returning to Dr. Roberts because it’s not smart to pay people to make you feel foolish.

I was recommended to Thomas Roberts office through a family member and was very happy with the experiences I have had there, which is why I wanted to write a review because upon searching for them on Unilocal I saw many of the reviews were negative and I wanted to correct that.
My first cleaning was lengthy and they did hint that they might not be able to clean my teeth, which would not have flown with me, but fortunately my xrays from my previous dentist were compatible with their system so they were able to proceed.
I needed to get a couple of crowns, which was brought to my attention from my previous dentist but I just didn’t have the time to get them, so I never felt like they were pressuring me or were inaccurate as some reviews claim. In fact, they were very accommodating in arranging a payment plan.
The staff is very skilled and not to mention friendly and professional. I know they have my best interest in mind and they always seemed concerned with how comfortable I was, which is important to me since going to the dentist can be a little nerve wracking. It has been about a month since my crown was put in and I am happy to say everything is going well! I will definitely be returning and recommending Dr Roberts to everyone.

When I first moved here, I had no idea where to start. Back then Valpak was pretty popular, I got a flier in the mail for free teeth whitening with a new patient exam. Okay, sweet; I need a cleaning, etc. and I always wanted whiter teeth, it’s a win win for me.
I ended up spending $ 10k over the next year or so getting my teeth repaired, lots and lots of crowns… They are holding up fairly well to date. Work was decent, but I certainly could have done without the scare tactics.
I was in one day for something, possibly a permanent crown appt and I made a comment to reception «I wish you guys were open on Friday or Saturday, that would make scheduling so much easier…» Her response: «Well, Dr. Roberts is the best, he can work whatever he wants. Only the crappy dentists work on weekends because they have to and need the business.» WTF? Seriously? What kind of dentist office thinks they are the end all be all, and puts down his peers for keeping schedules that are different from his. I was sooooo appalled by that comment, I never went back.
There are a TON of dentists in the area, I found one; you can too! It’s NOT this guy.

This dentist is close to where I work. And they are good at cleaning my teeth and friendly as well. I really like the reminders about the appointments.

I love this dental office. They are NOT into pain and they keep my financial interest in mind when recommending work done. I’ve been going to dentists and orthodontists intensely since a little kid and I can tell you that this is a damn fine practice. Free parking and entertaining banter from the staff makes this a 6 star place.
Oh wait – plus, I was referred to these guys, so I got $ 50 bucks off my visit plus I referred someone else, which was another fifty clams off my bill. Amazing.

I’m shocked at the number of negative reviews. I find Dr. Roberts extremely friendly and engaging and always willing to discuss various options with me. The hygienists are all excellent. The entire atmosphere of the office is friendly and professional and they take great care to ensure your dental health is as good as it can be. Plus, he’s a mercury-​free dentist. He also goes to Nepal once a year to do FREE dental work for the children there. A great guy, a great practice.

No one is a fan of going to the dentist, but this place changed my mind. From the amazing dential hygentist (Jeff), to the freindly helpful people up front (Camala and Amanda) and of course Dr Roberts are not only friendly and knowledgeable but they are helpful and respectful.
They show genuine interest in the people that come into the office and don’t treat you like a name on a chart. I couldn’t see Jeff, the dential hygenist I saw the last 2 time I went into the office, at first I was nervous, about having someone else deal with my dirty teeth, but when Jeff had a moment he stoped in to check on me and to see how my gums were doing.
I even got to have a chat with Dr. Roberts, he came to the front desk when I was checking out, chated with my boyfriend and I about our careers and even admired his tattoos which brought up comman intrests and a converstation that I had to break up so we could leave :)
Not only is this place tech savy and understanding of money hardships. they make you feel. as comfy as you can get at a dentist !!

Three years after over $ 10,000 worth of work; the loss of eight healthy teeth’ and a partial that never fit, I am having to redo all the work because through carelessness and greed, my crowns were not done properly cracking my teeth and destroying the root. Think twice about going to Dr. Touchy Smiley take your Money Roberts on lower Queen Anne.

First, I won’t generally post reviews of Medical visits that violate my medical privacy standards. However, I thank those who are able to be more open with their medical history and thus post such reviews.
On to Doctor Thomas Roberts, DDS:
There was a famous cardiac surgeon, I believe it was Dr. Debakey, who is reputed to have done 100,000+ surgeries over his career. Over a typical 40 year career of a surgeon, that is 2500 surgeries a year or 6.8 surgeries a day, 7 days a week. Given many of those surgeries are several hours in length gives the thinking person a moment to wonder… How could the surgeon have done this? What does this have to do with my review of Dr. Roberts?
Well, the heart surgeon had the operating rooms setup so they connect with each other (think assembly line) and he had surgical teams prepare the patient for they key procedure which the Doctor would preform and then he’d move on to the next patient. Thus, the amount of time that the Doctor gave to each patient was limited to performing the key part of the operation itself, not overseeing the entire procedure for any individual patient.
For a specialist, Technical Reputation among their peers is first followed by availability and almost never bedside manner. That is, Specialist such as heart surgeons, rely on referrals from less specialized (ie less technical) peers. This heart surgeon excelled at apply his highly specialized technical expertise to many, many patients.
However generalist, such as Dr. Thomas Roberts, are dependent upon word of mouth among patients. The average patient goes to a generalist for common procedures and ailments so long as they like the Doctor. And of course, for referrals for less common issues. In fact, the personality of Generalists matters as much to the business success of their practice as their technical skills; This is in contrast to a specialists who’s bedside manner is secondary or even tertiary to their technical skills.
Dr. Roberts has his office setup from a Technical and Business perspective rather than for the individual care of patients. Just consider the work flow of his office: Receptionist to Waiting Area to Dental Chair 1 to Dental Chair 2 to Dental Char 3 to His Office back to the front door. While the office is folded in to an L-​shape, it is really a very linear work flow (again, think assembly line) where his Hygienists do the work with a final supervisory check and diagnosis by the doctor. Not too different than the pioneering business work of the Heart Surgeon I opened this review with.
Where this became a problem for me is when I needed a little more work than routine cleaning and a clean bill of oral health. He failed to take the extra couple of minuets to consider the impact of the procedures I needed on my sense of aesthetics. He basically had 1 solution that he prescribed for a given problem. This is where the Dr failed. I expect to get the options and be able to make an informed choice. I go to a specialist to get a specific problem solved.
Dr. Roberts is clearly a high volume practice, who through clever use of relaxing Oriental motifs and a very mild mannered female staff, over sees a lot of patients.
Also, on a referral to the above mentioned work, he referred me to another Dentist not covered by my Insurance. I didn’t find out until I showed up for the appointment. Wasted my time because he failed to list than I needed my Dental Insurance to cover the work.
I haven’t been back to his office and urge you to consider the kind of care you want before going to Dr. Robert Thomas: purely technical or someone who will realize those extra procedures are not «standard» to you and makes sure you know your options and will be happy with the outcome.

After reading all the one star reviews I decided I have to write a review. For sure, it is true that on your first visit, they do not guarantee a teeth cleaning, but they were very up front about that when I called. As far as I’m concerned, they were the first Dentist to actually really care about my dental health and do a proper intake of me as a patient. For me, a teeth cleaning is not the same thing as getting an oil change.
I did get to my cleaning on my first visit as, if you don’t sit there and give long answers during the interview, I don’t think there should be a problem.
After going to Dr. Roberts five times so far, I have been happy with the experience and can honestly say, my oral hygiene has improved vastly.
They do this thing to measure gum health and I could visibly see the difference after my oral hygeinist recommended I switch to an electric tooth brush. The next time, my gum health and bleeding areas were much reduced.
On my next visit, they emphasized flossing, and I have improved a lot in that regards, and it shows on my gum checks and teeth cleanings.
I will say that they do seem a little hippy, and they do promote their services, if you are a smart consumer, you have a nice little word called NO, just use it, and you will have a fine experience at Dr. Roberts’ office.

This is absolutely the worst dental experience ever. This dentist is like a used car salesman, just trying to pass on unnecessary work so he can make some extra money.
Like Elena M’s review, I went in for a comprehensive exam and cleaning. Before I arrived, I called to ask if I was a covered. I understand that could mean I am only covered for out-​of-​network but when I asked what would be my co-​pay, they explicitly said I would not pay anything. When I got in the chair, they asked if I wanted full x-​rays. I wasn’t sure if my insurance covered a full set of x-​rays, so I again explicitly asked if I would have to pay for anything. The dental hygienist left and came back stating I would not. This was twice they said I would not have to pay for anything for this
After finishing my x-​rays, they told me I needed my fillings replaced as my teeth might crack. I told them at this time, I would not want to do this, but might in the future. Afterward, just like Elena M, I was told that they wouldn’t have time to finish my cleaning that day, but they had time for me to go to the «interview» room and ask me a bunch of questions about how I was feeling regarding the possible procedure and what not. What’s even worse, is that they were stating that there was no charge again and that when I came back for my cleaning, the charge would be nothing since I had a credit referral.
Anyway, after it was all done, I looked up Thomas Roberts on trusty olé’ Unilocal.Lo and behold, my experience was almost an exact duplicate of Elena M’s experience. That’s when I started to get suspicious and canceled my cleaning appointment. Interestingly, a few weeks later, I got bills for my «free» examination. I’m currently trying to dispute these bills now and will have to write to the California Dental Societies and California Dental Boards with my complaint.
Eventually, I went to another dentist for the cleaning and he said that my fillings were fine and he thinks the other doctor was just «looking for work.» Ugh, such a horrible dentist to make money off people’s fears. I hope other Unilocalers read this review before making the same mistake I did.

If you like an open atmosphere (meaning clients are separated by wall partitions), friendly staff, updated equipment, a clean office, and people that really care about the future of your teeth, go to Dr. Roberts! I’ve always felt claustrophobic at other offices, but I liked the open feel. At any dentists office, you’re going to hear grinding of teeth and equipment anyway, whether you have a separate room or not. And I’ve read the other reviews with people complaining about them talking to patients about upgrades, but if you have insurance and care about your teeth, I don’t think it should matter. I’ve never been offered any upgrade or something I didn’t need. And if I told them I didn’t have much money at the time, they worked around that.
I also have been known to have panic attacks which can lead to seizures, and Dr. Roberts totally talked me through one of my episodes in a very calm and trustful way, making me understand what was really going on, and I calmed down within no time. Sometimes my insurance didn’t cover what I needed to do, but I did what I had to, to fix my problems because I don’t want to go back in 10 years with missing teeth and having to get false teeth early in life! I also like the Zen-​like décor; it made me feel relaxed. I’d rather see that, than dirty chairs and equipment at other places where sanitary conditions are not high on their list. I like the office modern screens where I can see what they’re doing in my mouth too, that was fun!

OMG! All I wanted was to have my teeth cleaned. I walked past his office every day on my way to work, so decided to call there. After all, a teeth cleaning is going to much the same anywhere, right?
The bowl of candy in the waiting room (I kid you not) was the first thing that made me feel a bit uneasy about this place. But, all I wanted I was to have my teeth cleaned. (I drink a lot of black tea and red wine, and, hence, teeth stains are my constant companions.) So, I stuck around. I completed all the paperwork, or I should say, most of it. For example, they asked for my driver’s license number. Why would my dentist possibly need to know that?
I went in and had a comprehensive set of x-​rays taken. That was fine. But, I was told there would probably not be time for my teeth cleaning that day. That was not. The dental assistant then came in to «interview» me and ask me questions like «how do you feel about your smile?» My only thought during all this BS was they were trying to find ways they might be able to get me to sign up for some cosmetic services and, thus, make more money off me.
Dr Roberts came in and did the exam. He decided I have several old fillings with tiny cracks in them. These would need to be replaced immediately, to the tune of several thousand dollars; else, the next time I bit into something harder than oatmeal half my teeth would just crumble in my mouth. Dental assistant shook her head sadly. But, then quickly whisked me off to the «financial adviser» so we could discuss my payment options. It did not seem to occur to any of them that I had the option of just saying «no» to the suggestion I have these fillings replaced.
Also, at one point, the dentist assistant took my picture. I was too taken aback by this at the moment to tell her I wanted it destroyed and that she had no right to take my picture without my consent. (And, why would they possibly need this?)
Still, I did go back in a few days later for the cleaning. (Despite being completely weirded out/​irritated by this place, it would have been too much hassle to find another dentist to do the second part of my semi-​annual check-​up/​cleaning.) They decided I needed a «deep» cleaning, which is more expensive than a standard cleaning and is not completely covered by insurance, which a standard cleaning is. I suspect they pull this on a lot people as, as part of their initial paperwork, they specifically say «you might be told you need a deep cleaning.» I have never heard this mentioned at any other dentist.
In short, I decided these people were just out to make as much money as possible off their patients even to the point of recommending unnecessary procedures. (I never did have any of those fillings replaced, and, more than seven years later [updated on 17SEP14], all these teeth are still in tact and my new dentist does not see these as a problem.)