Timothy D Lee, DDS

My initial review that I gave was in July 2015 and that was 5 stars. Since that time things have changed. Dr. Lee merged with another dental office and the experience since then has been less than stellar. The new billing department is too much and I have chosen to move on. They did a pre-​authorization for work that I need to get done. That’s fine. What’s not fine is this: I’ve never had a dentist who would expect you to pay the ENTIRE amount of a large bill in one payment. Most dentists (on a case by case) basis generally will ask for at least 50% up front and then will deduct the balance over the course of say 90 days maximum from a checking account or charge card. Maybe Dr. Lee would be willing to work with you but I was told flat out that «payment in full» was his policy. What the billing clerk could have said was «Well Dr. Lee does have a „pay in full“ policy but I could have him give you a call so that you could discuss this with him.» That’s much gentler than the «well if you can’t afford to pay it all right now than give us a call when you can». These weren’t the exact words spoken but this was the mentality. It seems like this «merged staff» has a different business ethic from the staff that I met when I started coming to see Dr. Lee and I don’t want to to be patronized by this «new staff».

My invisalign has been going well and the gap is unnoticeable now! In the meanwhile, I went to get my first cleaning — I didn’t know what I was missing out on. My previous dentist had not been using one of these ultrasonic cleaners that Dr. Lee’s office uses. After my cleaning, my teeth felt smoother than they have ever felt before and the cleaning took half as long :) amazing!
Also, most importantly, Dr. Lee is one of the few dentists that I’ve been to who actually checks your tongue and whole mouth for any sketchy looking bumbs, sores, etc. I had been having redness on my lower gums for months and I had seen my regular Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor about it, but he had said I had just burned myself. I thought it was weird because I don’t remember drinking anything too warm. Dr. Lee noticed the redness without me pointing it out and was actually able to properly diagnose me with Lichen Planus (an inflammatory disease). He said that it’s nothing to worry about and that we would just need to monitor it at my cleanings.
I really appreciate Dr. Lee for being so thorough and for being able to diagnose something that my ENT missed. Thank you Dr. Lee! I highly recommend him if you want someone who is thorough and really cares about your health!

I felt compelled to respond to Danielle W.‘s review. When we moved to Oakland 10 years ago, I tried three different practices — one of them being Dr. Noe’s — and none were to my satisfaction. Then I found Dr. Lee about two years ago, and I was pleased and impressed with him and the hygienists, and I thought that I finally had a ‘keeper’!
I was SO dismayed when I found out he had merged with Dr. Noe’s practice. Years ago, the two times I went to Dr. Noe’s practice, they were always 30 minutes late. When I complained to Dr. Noe after the second time, she had the nerve to reprimand me WHILE she was working on my teeth, so I couldn’t even respond because her hands were in my mouth. I never went back.
Recently, I received a message the day before my first appointment at the new location; it had been changed to 45 minutes later than my originally scheduled appointment. I have a very tight schedule and I wasn’t going to be able to make it. There were no explanations, no apologies, no other options, nothing. So I had to reschedule for several weeks later.
As I said earlier, I was really dismayed with the change to Dr. Noe’s office. I had hoped he would keep his previous office staff, but he did not, it is Dr. Noe’s original staff.
I’m sorry you weren’t informed that they no longer accepted your insurance. Is it the staff’s responsibility to inform a patient of such changes? If so, it’s Dr. Noe’s staff, so that you weren’t informed, unfortunately, does not surprise me.
I don’t know why he merged with Dr. Noe’s practice. I feel like he would have been very successful on his own. It would be a shame if he loses patients due to this changeover, because he really is a good dentist.

My 1^st visit to Dr. Lee was in April this year. I left my previous dentist (whom I loved, but no longer accepted my insurance) to try Dr. Lee since he accepted my insurance. My first visit went pretty well. I really enjoyed my dental hygienist, Anna. I came back again for preventative fillings and to fix a chipped tooth. My bill came out to more than 50% than his original estimate due to having to fill deeper pockets than he expected. And I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the repair to my chipped tooth, but I understood from my previous dentist that it was tricky repair in any case. But I liked Dr. Lee and Anna well enough, so I thought I’d continue to see them.
So, I came in a couple weeks ago for a cleaning. In the meantime, Dr. Lee had merged his practice with another dentist across the street. So unfortunately, I did not have an appointment with Anna as I expected, but instead with a hygienist from the new practice. She was 30 minutes late and spent most of my appointment blaming her tardiness on the new staff’s scheduling error. But Dr. Lee confirmed that it was not the staff’s error, but she was just running really late. My appointment felt rushed and my parting gift was a line from the receptionist… something about me having a past due amount from my appointment in April. But someone was supposed to call me the next day. Of course, no one called me, so I thought it was straightened out.
So, I came back yesterday (Oct. 22^nd) for a filling in a cavity discovered during my cleaning. To my chagrin, I was immediately pulled aside to speak with the accounting manager who informed me of a $ 275 balance. I won’t even go into the details, but suffice it to say that the issue was due to poor accounting on Dr. Lee’s staff’s part. And through this discussion, I learned that since the merge, he dropped my insurance! This had nothing to do with the past due balance since he carried my insurance at the time of my appointments. BUT, they would’ve charged me the out-​of-​network rate had I kept yesterday’s appointment. SO I canceled everything, got a copy of my x-​rays and went home to start writing this review.
Why they neglected to notify any patients about the change in coverage is beyond me.
Why I never heard from anyone about a past due balance for 6 months, only to be blind-​sided in-​person at my appointment is beyond me.
Why they had me take a day off to come all the way down to the office to discover their accounting incompetence and lack of coverage of my insurance is beyond me.
Mostly I’m frustrated because it’s really hard for me to find time to get to the dentist and I feel like my entire experience with Dr. Lee this year was a waste of stress, time, and money.
Dr. Lee, this is your good name on the line! Get it together!
Back to the drawing board… best of luck to you all.

It meant a lot to me that you were able to take my emergency call on Saturday and that your office was able to squeeze me in to handle my emergency today, and I was able to see my regular dentist, Dr. Noe. Thank you.

Dr. Lee is pro. His staff is top notch as well.

He is a solid straight shooting dentist. He was great with my daughters. Unfortunately, he is no longer covered with my insurance. If that changes, we will be back.

Ana was gentle. I like the new location. See you again, real soon

My routine dental office visit was a pleasure. I am very happy to see the great staff in the office and to get my teeth cleaned and checked by Anita between more extensive check-​ups by the dentist. I met Dr. Lee and I will return for future dental care needs.

Dr. Lee is a great dentist who is not only amazing at what he does but also very honest with his patients. He takes his time to explain the details of the procedure and performs incredible work. I have been to other dentists in the past and I must say, Dr. Lee is by far the best. If you’re looking for a dentist, stop your search here. His staff is also very friendly and attentive — it’s always a good experience when I come for a visit.

Ok so first of all its best if this place is not listed in the emergency dentist category. They have a lady called Joy who does a great job of talking and not listening so when i explained to her that i could not afford the whole bill she should have turned me away. I’m too pissed at her and in too much pain right now to go into more detail but the dentist Dr Lee is SUPERB! Let me at least say that because it aint his fault he employed someone who has no clue and doesn’t listen properly!

I was traveling through the area when I called Dr Lee’s office based off of Unilocal reviews and he was able to see me for a consultation that afternoon! I have a 10+ year old root canal and cap that became loose, so it could not wait until I got home. Dr. Lee clearly explained to situation and patiently answered all my questions, I left the office feeling much more hopeful about the situation than I did going in. He even connected me with another dentist in SoCal so that I would be able to get a good recommendation for further work.

We have been going to Dr. Noe for years. She treats the whole family and does excellent, excellent work. Her staff is fabulous.

I was very pleased with the service here, very professional and informative. They did an amazing job actually cared about my level of comfort.

A hidden gem on the «pill hill» of Oakland, California — the dentist office of Dr. Timothy Lee could not be more unassuming. Flexible and personable staff are wonderful about scheduling (and rescheduling).
Highly recommend the team here for all your dentistry needs!

My husband and I both have been seeing Dr. Lee for about 3 years now. He’s super friendly, explains his procedures well and stays open late sometimes to accommodate working folks.
In addition to the basic check ups and cleanings, I had a crown put on a dead tooth (right in front!). This had 3 benefits: 1) a stronger tooth than the dead one, 2) a whiter smile since he replaced the yellowed dead tooth with a nice, well-​matching one and 3) a straighter smile since we made the crown fit the space perfectly, unlike my crooked old tooth.
When the crown first arrived and we put it in, I didn’t think the color was a close enough match and Dr. Lee sent it back and had it remade to specs. The second one was perfect and it looks so much better than my old tooth! Thanks Dr. Lee!

I’m always a little skeptical about going to the dentist. I had a pretty bad experience last time, which was about two years ago.
I decided to see Dr. Timothy Lee because of his Unilocal reviews, and I’m glad I did.
The last time I went to the dentist they were unable to fully numb me. I don’t know if it was because of placement or the amount injected, but I had to tell the doctor over and over that I could still feel the drilling.
I told Dr. Lee that I may be hard to numb because of my previous experience. He understood and he numbed me up good! I will admit that the process of numbing was painful, but he got right to the nerve and I was completely numb throughout the replacement of 3 older filings (previous dentist didn’t do a great job, and cavities were growing under the filing).
His workmanship was wonderful! For the first time after leaving a dentists office I haven’t needed to return to have the fillings drilled down because of an awkward bite. He was fast and efficient and I love the high-​tech mouthguard that held my mouth open for me while he was working!
I opted to purchase the whitening kit and they took a mold of my mouth after my filings were completed. My only complaint is that on just a few teeth, the plastic mold doesn’t completely cover the tooth to the gum line. I just got the kit so I’m waiting to see how much of an impact it will make on my already semi white teeth.
Overall, I would definitely recommend seeing Dr. Lee!
P. S. Yes, the in-​office waiting room décor is out dated, but I tell you… it’s well worth overlooking… he’s an amazing dentist!

Dr Lee and his staff are professional, friendly, and genuine. I get email updates about when to schedule a new appointment (so handy), online scheduling, and personal service if the time I request isn’t available. They’re a great little team, and although I’m grateful not to have many dental issues, I feel like he and the hygienist do a thorough job each time I come in.

I am one of those people who is obnoxiously resistant to anesthesia, opiates and barbiturates so it may be understandable that I have always, always, always dreaded going to the dentist. No numbing or pain relief for me! This is precisely why I try to take excellent care of my teeth and mouth (all the kissin’ I like to do is another part).
Upon my return to California and the start of my new job (YAY, dental insurance!), I was desperate for a dentist as I’d started having some pain in a tooth. I saw the overwhelmingly great Unilocal for Dr. Lee and thought I would give him a whirl.
The first visit was pretty okay, a consultation, some x-​rays, and a plan of attack. I have great dental, but my out of pocket was still expected to be about $ 200; nothing I can blame him for, really. Dr. Lee was really compassionate and kind, and I felt completely comfortable in his hands. He was frank, direct and understanding.
His assistant, Christina, is a total sweetheart. The lady at the front desk who I forgot her name (sorry!) was super friendly too. All in all, it seems an office full of very caring and nice folks.
The second visit progressed as I expected it to at first because my body laughs at lidocaine and pats it on the head like a silly puppy, rather than cooperating and going numb. So, y’know, when Dr. Lee started up with the drill, it frigging hurt!
I sucked it up for a while because I am used to this sort of experience, but when Dr. Lee saw I was actually in pain rather than being a wimp, he stopped, loaded up a different and scary-​looking syringe and injected me liberally with sweet, icy nothingness. For the first time IN MY LIFE, a dentist was able to actually numb my mouth, not just lessen the agony from having a tooth drilled into. Septocaine is my new third best friend. WHY do other dentists not use this stuff?!
The rest of the work went by with me blissfully unconcerned, with Dr. Lee patiently explaining every single thing he was doing and seeing. Before too long, I went on my merry way to work, drooling and sounding like Stallone and Ozzy’s lovechild. As my mouth woke up, however, I realized that with as numb as I was, I could not detect that my bite was off, because of the filling material; my back teeth could not close properly, whoops. I called the office, Christina shoe-​horned me in immediately, and ten minutes after that visit, Dr. Lee was once again stripping off his gloves and shaking my hand.
I have already strongly recommended this guy to a coworker, and I would not hesitate to send anyone else to see him. He took good care of me, and I am really grateful for it.
tl;dr:
Do not let the creepy hallway or sketchy-​looking building deter you; this guy is a GOD when it comes to dentistry, especially for finicky cases.

Just had my second visit with Dr. Lee and his wonderful hygienist Anna. I wanted to wait to write a review until I had gone at least twice to make sure there was consistency in care. My first appointment 6 months ago was with Dr. Lee and he did a very thorough cleaning and exam. I had some sensitivity issues which he addressed with a paste that he applied to my teeth after the cleaning. It took some time to work, but my sensitivity issue resolved and has not come back at all. It was well worth the $ 20 I spent for it. Dr. Lee is very friendly and makes me feel at ease.
Today I saw Anna who is one of his dental hygienists. She had taken the time to look through my chart and asked me if I still had sensitivity in my teeth. I told her it had resolved and she didn’t try to hard sell me on getting the paste again. She just let me know that it’s available if I want to get it again. She did a very thorough job, explained everything well, and gave me some good tips.
This is probably the 10^th dentist I’ve been to in my life and is easily the best I’ve seen. Overall I’d highly recommend Dr. Lee and his staff.