James H Nottingham, DMD

Simply the best dentist I’ve had in my 50+ years. You never wait and they make any procedure very bearable. If you are looking for a great dentist in Norfolk, he can’t be beat,

I absolutely loathe going to the dentist. And that is probably one of the main reason, I tend to skip several years before I go to one. That is until I found Dr. Nottingham. He’s absolutely the best there is! I’ve seen several dentists, since I’ve never been happy with any of them. But TRUST that I will be returning as frequent as my insurance will let me.
New clients get a little «talk» about his private practice and how he likes to run his practice. And I absolutely agreed to everything. A simple business principle that seems to be lacking in a lot of places nowadays; doing great work in return for happy customers. He truly cares for his patients and that is how it should be.
Thank you for saving my tooth!

My family has been seeing Dr Nottingham since 2003 and plan on being his patients until the day he retires (hopefully in the distant future). I will forever be thankful to the ENT who referred me to Dr Nottingham.
Thankfully Dr Nottingham fixed all my dental woes and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since.
I love how he explains the biomechanics of what he is doing and how gentle he is. He truly cares about not causing any pain or discomfort.
Our children have seen him since they were 3. He is kind and gentle and really engages our kids. He has infinite patience with our son who wants to know what each piece of equipment is and why it gets used.
We are forever referring our friends and associates to Dr Nottingham. We’ve gotten into the habit of telling anyone who tells us that they need thousands of dollars of dental work done, to call Dr Nottingham for a second opinion.
Without fail, Dr Nottingham’s solution is less invasive and costs a mere fraction of the original proposal.
Dr Nottingham is one of those rare dentists who cares for the patient’s pockets and the outcome. He never recommends any procedures that he does not think are medically necessary.
I also like how he doesn’t refer kids out to orthodontists at the drop of a hat. He has not bought into the money making, dare i say it, scam, of putting braces on pre-​adolescents.
The combination of being an engineer and a dentist, plus a retired naval officer makes for a winning dentist

Great Dentist. Very personable. Timely, attentive, direct and no nonsense. Just what you need in a dentist. Dr. Nottingham is truly geared to being the best dentist for his patients and not just out to get as many patients as possible. He will recommend the best most cost effective treatment you need and nothing more. Best dentist I have had in 8 years.

Because I’m not very happy with my current dentist now and am a frequent visitor to Unilocal,I have decided to visit the Unilocal pages of the two dentists that I really regret having to leave (due to military relocation) and make sure that the world knows how wonderful they are. Dr. Nottingham is one of those dentists.
I was referred to Dr. Nottingham’s office by a co-​worker when I was searching for a dentist. She told me that he did not advertise and only relied on word-​of-​mouth to promote his practice. She highly recommended him.
I took her word on it and I am so glad that I did. What other Unilocalers have said about him is very true. He is one of a kind. The time that he took explaining his practice, his education, his career path (inclusive of military service), and just getting to know his patients is commendable.
I like having a relationship with my dentists and the fact that they respect me as an individual with unique issues and concerns. I also can entertain them joking with me and having some casual conversation, but when medical/​dental professionals get too chatty with me (and spend time not addressing what I’m really there for, it makes me leery and nervous). He was extremely personable and very much about his business. When he got to work, he worked!
His front office staff was amazing too. I’d go in and felt like we were old friends or something. They were very professional and accommodating. They were always helpful.
His dental assistants were great, with the exception of one that I encountered. Its been so long since I’ve been to his office and I can’t remember exactly what happened, but this particular assistant (she was new) said something to me that was off-​key and he dealt with it (professionally) right then and there, so I wasn’t left feeling like I didn’t matter. I also picked up that they didn’t vibe while working together. I’m sorry, but while in my mouth and I’m vulnerable, I need to know that my dentist and his assistants are in sync! I further complained about something else that happened with the same assistant and was informed that I wasn’t the first to make these accusations. Her bedside manner was the worst. Anyways, she wasn’t with the practice for long. The next time I went, she was gone. Sorry for her loss of employment, but happy that they recognized the feelings of their patients regarding their service and care.
All in all, Dr. Nottingham may be as good as it gets in Norfolk, VA. He’s interesting, professional, qualified, dedicated, and educated. He’s also quite nice. Give him a chance, you’ll see what all the rave is about!

Thank god for Unilocal pointing me in the direction of Dr. Nottingham! I hadn’t been to the dentist in years (my personal shame!) when I developed a painful toothache and knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. I was terrified about going to a dentist who would make me feel ashamed for having gone so long between dental checkups, but I liked the sound of the reviews Dr. Nottingham had, so I took the plunge.
Dr. Nottingham is really one of a kind. He’s nothing like the dentists who turned me off the industry years ago. During my first appointment, he sat me down and just TALKED to me for a good fifteen minutes, about himself, his background, his philosophy for treating patients, my own history, my concerns for my teeth, any worries I had, etc. He then did the cleaning on my teeth himself — he does this for all of his patients rather than relegating the cleaning to a hygienist, so that he is able to thoroughly examine each tooth himself. While doing the cleaning, he allowed me to hold a mirror and showed me every single cause for concern he believed he saw, and made it clear to me that if I did not agree, he would not perform or pressure me to acquiesce to any procedures whatsoever.
I went back four days later to replace the filling on the tooth that was giving me the toothache (decay was forming beneath the old filling) and to have an extremely uncomfortable nonfunctional tooth removed — a tooth I had requested my previous dentist to remove over 5 years ago, but had been refused because she was pressuring me so heavily into getting orthodontic work instead, although I made it very clear I was not going to go that route. Dr. Nottingham actually LISTENED to what I wanted inside my mouth, and made that happen.
I was very nervous about the extraction, which was done under local anesthesia. Dr. Nottingham promised me it would be pain-​free and he was a man of his word. He even used a topical anesthetic to numb the areas where he injected the novocaine before doing so, so there was never ANY pain during ANY part of my two-​part appointment.
The staff at Dr. Nottingham’s office is so friendly and understanding, and you really do feel like they value you as a person, and not just a customer. I never thought I’d be writing a review for a dentist on Unilocal (much less a positive one, haha!) but Dr. Nottingham has changed all that! If you’re at all nervous about a procedure you need to have done, or just need a new dentist, I couldn’t possibly recommend him more highly. GO SEE DR. NOTTINGHAM!

Dr. Nottingham is my savior!
Afraid of the dentist? I know I am! I’ve hated the dentist (going to, not the actual person) since I was a kid. I hated the waiting and I hated the pain or even the thought of it. Nothing stressed me like going to the dentist. Despite taking care of my teeth, my DNA and an affinity for all things sugary led me to having at least one cavity per visit, braces, wisdom teeth removed, permanent teeth removed (believe it or not, my mouth was too small for all of my adult teeth) and 4 – 6 crowns (I’ve forgotten the actual number).
Dr. Nottingham, yes, is my savior. I still hate going; it’s a Pavlovian reaction. BUT, when I go, I’m seen ON TIME and IMMEDIATELY; no sitting in the chair stressing. I’ve had several fillings-​ALL without a shot and NO PAIN. He does no unnecessary work and he’s GOOD. I leave feeling like I’ve been taken care of the way I should. And, best of all, his prices are VERY REASONABLE.
I’m no shill: just came from the office after having cracked a crown and requiring two fillings. And I feel GREAT!
Don’t put off going to the dentist; go to MY dentist!