Helen T Dolatre, DMD

I have been coming to Dr. Dolatre for many years now. We are always very picky about our doctors and i can say with full assurance that if you are looking for a Dentist… your search can stop here. The office is warm and charming as are the Dental assistants and Dr. Dolatre. They take their time with each client and are extremely friendly. I referred my husband my mother and my father. Top stars for this office!

We have been going to Dr. Dolatre for the last 2 years, mostly as a result of Unilocal.We have learnt our lesson — Unilocal is mostly good, but sometimes one ends up paying the price for not doing more rigorous homework and relying on «casual» social advice.
Here’s what happened: our kid had cavities which she referred us to a pediatric dentist to (she can’t do nitro or general anesthesia — which is something I should have researched first before taking my kids there — shame on me).
Then came the shocker: the pediatric dentist she referred my kid to found eight (8) cavities, whereas she only referred for two. We have since confirmed with another dentist that there are 8. He said they had been there for at least 6 months, so how could she have missed the others in an exam just a couple months prior?
Shocker #2: two of the cavities were so severly deteriorated that they need a root canal and crown — being done today. Dr Dolatre’s office really betrayed our trust in her — she has seen this kid 4 times over the past 2 years — how could she not have seen this worsening that made a routine filling into a root canal?
I’m just shocked, I hope someone in her office reads this so she thinks about what she has done for us. FInancially, we are also out of pocket close $ 1000 beyond what insurance will cover due to her negligence (yes, I can use that strong a word).
I would agree with other posts — very pleasant and pretty atmosphere, the video glasses are very cool.

I haven’t EVER been this happy with a dental office. They’re awesome. I never feel like I’m being sold something, and they’ve gotten to know my entire family. Dr. Dolatre does a wonderful job with my dentalphobe wife, and is great at giving you an honest assessment of what she feels the condition of your mouth is, and what your options are, without patronizing or talking down to you. Their office seems to be well-​equipped, the kids like being able to watch movies while they’re being worked on… And the office staff are quite good. My only minor nit to pick would be that I’ve sometimes had to remind them a few times when I have a concern — and want something that isn’t obvious looked at.

My whole family goes here. I like the movie goggles she gives you to make the trip go by faster. Lots of the latest movies :) Dr. Dolatre is very gentle, and massages your jaw after keeping your mouth wide open for a long time. Very considerate of her. She’s gotten so popular that she hired another dentist to work with her. He’s nice, but not as dedicated to being gentle. His jaw massages are cursory. But he’s fine.
Dr. Dolatre’s receptionists are great however. They do a lot of research into your insurance to make sure you are covered. Overall, I feel like Dr. Dolatre is a compassionate dentist who understands the pains of medical insurance as well as she does the pains of the teeth.

I’ve had bad luck with finding a good dentist in the Bay Area. I am so glad that I found her b/​c both my husband and I absolutely dislike going to the dentist at all.
Dr. Dolatre’s staff is very professional and takes the time to work with your insurance prior to doing any major procedures. She works within your coverage and even your budget. She also takes extra time to make sure any work is done right. If you need a new crown she makes sure it’s a perfect fit before putting it in. If you have an issue with something that she has done previously, she makes the time to fix it immediately.
If there are any cancellations that can accommodate your schedule, her staff takes the time to call you right away. For those of you who work during the week, it’s nice that she is open on Saturday.

I’ve been avoiding writing this review. I actually had decided to not write it at all, but today I went to a dental specialist and it’s clear I have a problem.
So, first off, I really really like Dr. Dolatre and her staff. They are so nice, they seem like extended family the way they take the time to talk to you and see how you are. I also love watching movies on their cool movie-​watching glasses because it makes waiting a lot easier. For routine dental care I think Dr. Dolatre is great and very professional.
So, the problem was that I needed a crown for my root canal. It was for the far back tooth so it’s a difficult spot to reach for anyone. Dr. Dolatre had to fit a mold to my tooth and then send it out for some lab to make a crown and then send it back. It took 3 tries, each try requiring me to drive back to the dentist’s office and so that was 5 trips over the span of several weeks. It would not have been a HUGE deal but Dr. Dolatre said it was because I wasn’t biting down on the mold correctly. The way I think about it is, I am a patient and do not professionally bite down on molds so it’s the dentist’s job to make sure I’m doing it right. Also, a 1 time mistake is one thing, but 3 times? I didn’t make a fuss and was just happy when it finally fit. Yet 6 months later and it hurts every now and then and food gets stuck there EVERY time I eat.
Recently I went to a new dentist and she said something was wrong with my root canal. She sent me to a endodontist and he showed me exactly what my teeth and crown looked like. The crown was so far from my other tooth that it made sense why food always got stuck there. Also because of the gap, there was a major inflammation of my gums causing a lot of bleeding so now I have to spend a whole crapload of money to get the crown redone AGAIN.
If the crown turned out fine, I would have just let it be. But now, I have to spend a whole lot of extra money and time and effort to get her work redone. So I have to write this and let people know what the deal is. If it’s for normal dental work, she’s a great dentist and really pleasant to be around. If it’s for specialty work or something difficult, I’d say, spare yourself the grief and find someone else.

I was looking for a dentist after I first moved to the Bay area. After reading rave reviews for Dr. Dolatre on Unilocal,I decided to go there in April last year. I had a ton of refillings and crowns that needed to be done and I wanted to go to a good dentist.
I have to say the staff and doctor are pretty friendly, but my visits always felt rushed. The doctor is pretty heavily booked and doesn’t spend a minute more on you than the time you are allocated. I got one of my crowns done there and instead of the dentist doing the fitting for such an expensive procedure, she let her assistant do it and he did a pretty bad job at it. I couldn’t eat properly from that side of my mouth for a few weeks. I had to go back to her 3 more times just to get the bite right and it still wasn’t right. Since my insurance money had run out I had to wait till January to go to another dentist and get my bite right.
I am glad I switched from her to my current dentist. Yes, you get to see a movie there while you are getting your work done but I would rather have my $ 750 procedure done well than see a $ 10 movie. Maybe I am one of the few people who had a bad experience there but I am just giving my opinion

I love Dr. Dolatre. I’ve been looking for a good dentist for years and have had no luck until I read about Dr. Dolatre on Unilocal.I liked the office and the desk staff. The assistants were great and Dr. Dolatre herself is very nice and very gentle. I had to get several fillings replaced which took a long time and she was awesome, working calmly and steadily, letting me take breaks to rest my jaw — she even massaged the jaw muscles. Watching a movie is a nice distraction too.
I’ve already sent my mother-​in-​law to Dr. Dolatre and she loved her too. My husband will be going to see her soon too.

Well again, I’ve decided to come here because of the high rating from Unilocal!And I was not wrong with my decision! Thanks again Unilocalers! From Cynthia, the front desk (I guess she’s the sister of Dr. Dolatre), from her assistant like Cy, and of course Dr. Helen Dolatre. They are all very professional, friendly, and warm. Like what the other reviews said, they have a high tech equipment and the clinic has a good ambiance.
The appointment was for me and my son. I was so surprised because my son never cried and was so cooperative of whatever they asked him to do. Unlike 6 months ago, when he had a dentist appointment with a different doctor, just sitting on the dental chair made him cry as well as opening his mouth. Cy, even gave him surgical glove that he made into a balloon plus some drawings as my son’s prize for being cooperative. When it was my turn, Dr. Dolatre gave my son a toy (it was actually her son’s toy whom she said is already 19 years old now). Well, my son was too much so she let Cynthia took care of him and Cynthia even gave him a cookie. Dr. Dolatre wanted me to relax and also let me watch a movie using their eyeglass headset.
At the end of my appointment I had a consultation with her in her cute little office. I would definitely recommend her dental clinic!!!

I’ll keep this short and simple but it may be difficult because my first visit was a great experience. First I sat in the waiting room that had a really good ambiance and comfy couches — Then they took an x-​ray of my teeth with a standing x-​ray machine that felt like a video game — Then they took pictures of me with a digital camera… one funny shot of me with a mouthpiece that made me look like a fish with teeth and another one of me just showing my smile. — Then they put the movie goggles over my eyes and told me to relax — Then I sat on the warm dental chair with a soft pillow under my knees — Then Dr. Dolatre massaged my jaws which she repeated every ten or fifteen minutes during the cleaning. — Then she showed me my x-​rays together with digital image that showed the good and the bad.
All I can say is… Dr. Dolatre, her staff, and her office deserves more than five stars. I just wish I could of stayed longer to finish the movie. Who knew a dental exam would be this relaxing??? The only thing missing was having my manicure and pedicure done at the same time. =D

Being the new kid out here in Fremont and not really being such a fan of the dentist’s office, it was really hard for me to select a dentist I felt that would be great for me and my needs. It was on a whim that I had selected Dr. Dolatre to be my dentist and boy am I super happy to have select her! She has such a caring personality that she could almost have been an aunt of mine. Along with that, her professionalism is beyond par. She really looks at the person as a whole and not just by your teeth. I recommend Dr. Dolatre with out hesitation to anyone looking for an amazing dentist!

Dr. Dolatre is the best! I decided to go to her after reading the other reviews on Unilocal and she is all that everyone said she was going to be. I did notice that the majority of the Unilocal reviews are from men who apparently don’t have a fear of dentists! That was the only thing that made me hesitant about finally deciding on Dr. Dolatre.
Well let me tell you from the perspective of someone who still has fear issues from childhood and a horrible dental experience (imagine a torture scene from a movie — dark room, one dental chair lit under a flimsy light, a line of people leaning on walls waiting for their turn). To say the least I’ve shook like a dog every time I visit the dentist and have been trying to find a lifelong dentist for, well, my entire life.
I finally found her!!! Dr. Dolatre is fantastic. Yes, the movies are cool. But it is Dr. Dolatre that makes this practice absolutely wonderful. You don’t feel like it’s a dental office when you enter — they don’t follow the protocol of having linoleum floors, fluorescent lights, and cold interiors. They try to make it as homey as possible wherever possible which already gave me a sense of ease.
Dr. Dolatre took the extra time to make sure to calm my fears while I went through a cleaning. She would stop to give me a break, pat me on the hands to let me calm down, and talk me through the entire procedure. And for those who are scared to have shots? Don’t worry about it. She makes it seem like nothing. Talk about a gentle hand! I will never be going anywhere else. She comes highly, HIGHLY recommended!

My husband and I found this place on Unilocal and decided to give them a shot after reading all the wonderful reviews. This place is incredible. It looks more like a spa than a dentist’s office. Everything from the warm décor to the comfortable rooms to the courtesy of the staff is outstanding. We’ve definitely found our dentist!

Because I’ve been busy with business & all the past 3 years, I’ve not seen a dentist in almost 5 years! So, you could imagine the shape my teeth were in… I heard about Dr. Dolatre from several satisfied people, so thought I’d give them a shot. Well, it was an urgent matter as I had the world’s worst toothache and tried to fight it for several weeks. That toothache was a blessing in disguise! Dr. Dolatre did everything she could to help me, prevented me from having to get oral surgery (that Nerve ending was HUGE and the canal was difficult to find), and she got my teeth back to par! (I will NOT tell you the rest of the work she performed). But do know, she has meticulous attention to detail (that’s right, that’s like DOUBLE statement, well she’s that good!). I also admire her honesty, which is rare in this business of BS consultations like the one I had 5 years ago! And, you get to watch any of their wide selection of DVD’s while being worked on! Keep in mind, do NOT watch comedies while getting your teeth worked on… I learned that the hard way, laughing while Dr. Dolatre was drilling, and spitting out a little… how embarassing… but she was in total control and did not even hit the gums with the drill! How CAN you go wrong?!

Dr. Dolatre runs a superb dental establishment! I started going to Dr. Dolatre a year or so ago and have not had one problem! The technology they have there is amazing, computer programs that show exactly how your teeth look and precisely where a cavity is (hopefully you don’t have one).I went in for cleaning one day in the morning found out i had a cavity and it was filled by the afternoon!
The unique part is the pseudo-​Virtual Reality headset that you put on to watch the latest movies from ATL to Zathura while the dentist is doing her thang! If you don’t finish it, you can 1) watch it the next time you come in or 2) she might even let you take it home to finish watching, if she trusts you… haha.
Best part is, they are open on the weekend, so you don’t have to use your precious vacation time to go to the dentist, although it will be a pleasurable mini-​vacation, if you will.

If you’re around the area and are looking for an EXCELLENT dentist, this is the one! I never thought I’d enjoy going to the dentist but I look forward to every visit! In the last month, I went to see her 3 times, one for cleaning, and 2 others for cavity fillings. ALL incredible experiences. From the outside you would not be able to tell but when you enter the waiting area it gives off a very cozy and warm feeling, unlike other offices. The staff is friendly and attentive and the best part *drum roll*…you get to watch movies while getting your teeth worked on!!! They have a list of movies you can choose from (great selections btw)! Most of the time you can’t finish the movie since appointments don’t last that long, so I’m always leaving with an «awww, I didn’t get to finish that». But no fear, they will remember where you left off for the next time you visit =)! Dr. Dolatre rocks!