Fong Clark, DDS

Just say NO. I think there is a fundamental problem with a dental office that operates without the dentist whose name is on the door. Sure, you can pay someone to do the work, but that person is only doing it for the money, they are not invested in building a career-​long reputation, they do not have majority control of the fundamental decisions that affect the practice or its future, and they are not legally liable in the same way. For employees of Dr. Fong, it’s just another day at the office, without enjoying the benefits that building loyal, satisfied patients provides.
I think this is the cause for the disinterest – no, the aversion – to seeing what was really going on in my mouth and escalating accordingly to try and save what was left of the good teeth in my mouth. Instead, I was told there was little urgency for a long-​overdue cleaning, they didn’t see exactly what was going to be needed to be done, and I’m convinced that I have lost one or two teeth because of my poorly-​placed trust in their ‘expertise.’ I don’t think they are incapable, just indifferent. Dr. Fong, did you not earn enough during your career, that you need to keep the wheels turning in your name?

This office does not deserve more than a star. Here is why:
I went to get a regular dental checkup. My insurance only allowed me to go to this office and I do not have a very good insurance, so thats how I ended up here despite of reading Unilocal reviews. Now I know every negative review here is true.
1. I had not been good to my teeth all these years. Do a cleaning was a must. Dr Tran was nice and did recommend me deep cleaning. 2 seatings and it is kind of advanced stage of cleaning. Dr Tran is fine, no problems with that.
2. They charged me 500 $ on top of my insurance. I am fine with that. I have developed some respect to my teeth lately. But later I notice that they have charged me 130 $ for some stupid 28 day compliance dental cleaning kit. WTF! I checked on ebay and that thing costed 30 $ shipped. White collar thieves. I feel stupid. It is hard for me to digest they made me buy a toothpaste and a bottle of chemicals for 130 $. Fear god, arent we in recession! Docs dont care?
3. On second visit Dr Tran said I have 3 cavities. On third visit she said I had 4. She also told me I have to remove my wisdom tooth. I jumped out of window and ran for life (no, literally)
4. I dont know who Dr Fong is and never saw her during my 3 visits.
5. This office, from all angles looks, feels and operates like a money laundering scheme. They quoted me 500 $+ for 4 cavities on top of insurance. I will never use them again.

They are cheater.
I went there to have some filling on my teeth. They over charge me by claim different material to the insurance. I got money back after, but I’ll never go there again.
And the lady in the front has a very rude heart.

Also known as Peninsula Dental @ 401 A N. San Mateo Drive. Their office and equipment is run-​down and very old. The staff is rude.
I have been there 2 – 3 times to get my regular 6 month teeth cleaning and have NEVER received a teeth cleaning. Each time Dr. Tran just evaluated my teeth & gums & told me to come back for a regular cleaning on a different day!!! WASTE OF TIME!
The third & final time I was told that I all-​of-​a-​sudden needed a «Deep Cleaning» which would cost me some absurd amount of money, not covered by insurance. I told Dr. Tran that I’d think about it and get back to them.
I called a few months later and advised the staff on their voicemail (because they never answer the phone) that I would be coming back for a regular cleaning but I did not want the «Deep Cleaning». The staff returned my call later that day and stated that the «Deep Cleaning» was not optional, it was mandatory.
I advised the staff that Dr. Tran had «recommended» the «Deep Cleaning» and that I didn’t want it at this time. They said they’d let her know and she would call me.
I got a message from Dr. Tran a day later and she was extremely rude! She stated that I couldn’t dictate my terms of treatment and that it goes against their «Values, Morals, or whatever…» She also stated that If I didn’t agree with the now MANDATORY «Deep Cleaning», that I should take my business elsewhere.
THANK YOU DR. TRAN! I did immediately take my business elsewhere and they cleaned my teeth like normal dentists do, without trying to gouge me and my insurance.
This place sucks. The staff sucks. The Dr. sucks. Their attitudes suck! STAY AWAY!

I completely agree with Erin A, Dahlia w.
Here are a few tips if you go see these scammers
If you go to this dental group, make sure to read the fine print on every page of that contract you sign.
Ask what procedures will be done, and check to make sure that your insurance carrier covers them. Apparently this dental office uses rare procedures and products that are not covered by most insurance companies, but does not tell you or warn you. You just find out when you receive your bill. (Ie: Mouth rinse, $ 150, not covered by insurance)
$ 150 for mouth rinse, are you kidding me?!
What would have been a normal annual cleaning, covered by my insurance company, turned into a $ 225 visit. I will NEVER go back and will make sure that everyone knows what an absolutely SCAM this is.

ah, peninsula dental group. they were assigned to me by my HMO and i thought it would be ok — since they had better reviews that the other dentist in my area. i was wrong.
currently steeping in my frustrations (read: rage) with this office so I will not go into too much detail, but here are the important points:
((it should be known that i actually love going to the dentist — being in braces for 8 years and having a longterm & very positive relationship with my childhood dentist Dr. Shuff in Walnut Creek, CA — i have nothing but respect for the profession and love for the chair))
1. have been to the office now 4x (two of which were both unnecessary and redundant — for a stay-​at-​home mom this is unacceptable, as if babysitters grew on trees)
2. had to fax $ treatment plans to my insurance agency at every turn to ensure I wasn’t paying out of pocket for things covered by my insurance***
3. rude and curt do not scratch the surface of the way the office staff and doctor Tran (an associate, never seen dr. fong) speak to patients
4. went in for teeth cleaning and filling replacement — now have to have gum surgery following a root canal
5. my teeth have not been cleaned — though the guilt trip of flossing, brushing and necessity of deep cleaning (see other reviews) have been quadruply noted.
***Piece of Advice: contact your HMO with ALL treatment plans before going through with procedures with this dental office (so far it has «saved» me close to $ 500)

This is a review of the office staff, not Dr. Tran. I found Dr. Tran to be a fine dentist, but her office staff is terrible. Here is just ONE example — I called them the other day because I needed a form filled out before my son could start school. The receptionist said to come right now and they would fill it out. I got in my car and was there 15 minutes later. AND… they had closed for lunch. Of course, she neglected to tell me this on the phone. So I knocked on the door… and heard them giggling but they would not answer. I called and left a message… and then left. They never returned my call — never apologized. And as a result, they have lost a client.
I with the dentists would read their Unilocal reviews and realize their office staff is HURTING THEIR BUSINESS.,

I got some teeth work done back in 2008. Dental staff was ok, but one of the admin girls rudely asked me why I didn’t inform her I had 2 insurance carriers. I quick going to them because they couldn’t get reimbursement from my insurance company and kept bugging me every 6 months. I finally contacted my insurance and they finally paid. Still after almost 2 years, I just got a bill for $ 356!!! Total mess… with my current dental office, Vista Dental in SSF, all payments have been handled professionally and without stress. Don’t go to Clark Fong, you’ll regret it financially.

I feel bad writing a poor review for a professional office, but people should know before they get suckered in. I have to go to this office because it is the only one in my area accepting my HMO. I have had the same experience as other people have mentioned. Staff isn’t too nice, and they always try to get you to do the deep cleaning. The cleaning is covered, but the supposed «rinse» afterwards is the part you are paying for out of pocket. I asked another dentist who had never heard of such a thing. I already hate going to the dentist, and these people just don’t help the situation.

This was the worst dentist I have ever been to. I really hope no one will join their clinic as a new patient. Everything said here is true. They are NOT interested in their clients, just their money. They recommend expensive and UNNECESSARY treatments. I even had to pay what looked to me like a ransom to get my dental record and xrays so I could leave them and go to another dental office.
My advice — avoid.

OMG! This is the worst office I’ve ever been too. They are only interested in over billing the insurance company, I’ve requested a cleaning and they want to bill for other things. The staff is rude and the dentist Dr. Tran won’t listen to your questions, she is only interested in $$$$$. They wont give a written plan to my insurance carrier. Go somewhere else, its not worth it.

This is a review of Dr. Fong’s dental office, not of Dr. Fong himself. I have never met Dr. Fong, da man.
I have never had such a bad dentist experience before! I agree with other reviewers that the place is old and dilapidated; it reminds me of those «hole-​in-​the-​wall» eateries, not the look you want for a dentist office. But trying not to judge the book by its cover, I walked in.
The front office staff is not very sweet, but whatever, I just want my teeth cleaned. They hand me paperwork without any explanation, and the intake form asks for stuff like my bank name and account information! I left it blank. The font was like 4 pt., so it was difficult to read. The intake form seems to be very outdated, asking if I’ve used meds that went off the market 20 years ago. I was also asked to sign a consent form for procedures, stating that by coming to this office, I accept the side effects of NUMBNESS, PAIN, BLEEDING, and JAW DISFIGURATION… When I pointed out that I’m just getting a routine cleaning, they took that paper away; I guess I didn’t need to sign it after all. Good, ‘cuz jaw disfiguration was not on my to-​do list today.
The dentist, Dr. Tran, finally came in 30 minutes late. She was polite, but told me that I need a semi-​deep cleaning which is an additional $ 75 and I have to come back for it. Argh, I was frustrated. Then I found out that they recommend that to EVERYONE! They just want that extra money. Also, they make you come back for the cleaning because then they can get paid for an additional visit. *shaking my fists in disgust*
When I started to check out, I had some questions about my insurance. The front office staff would only give minimal answers… it was like PULLING TEETH trying to get answers from them (pun unintended!).
1 star off: an hour wasted
1 star off: unfriendly staff
1 star off: money-​hungry dentists
1 star off: felt like I had my teeth pulled and I didn’t even have it done

I’ve never met Dr. Fong but I’ve been going to Dr. Tran for the past 4 or 5 years. I really like her. She’s considerate, gentle, and thorough and I think does have my best interest at heart. The thought has crossed my mind that the services are matched according to the type of insurance but my bills have always been reasonable for the service provided and my teeth feel healthy and clean, which is probably most important. Actually, she is very good at getting the teeth squeeky clean, which I love, and has never caused me pain. Also, I’ve never been pressured to get any service or had any product or cosmetic procedure mentioned to me. The office could use some updating but is adequate. The front desk gals are friendly enough. It is a minor struggle to ask for more than the minimum from them, but they’ve been there as long as I’ve been been going so I know what to expect. My appointments get made and bills get paid. I don’t like fake, gushing friendliness anyways. They’re real, so is the dentist. No frills but job gets done.

I deifinitely agree with the above review. This office is all about taking money from you. The first time I visited the office, they required me to do a deep cleaning which is not covered by insurance at all. I asked questions on the deep clean is necessary, they could not answer specificly but got vey offensive. I ended up giving in and paid $ 100+ out of pocket, Hoping after the deep celaning, everything will be normal. Then They started to charge me for extra for co-​pay several times. Which I realize only recently when they charged me $ 45 for a filling that is supposed to be covered 100% under my insurance. My insurance compnay called them, they made up a medication’s name to justify for the charge, but they didn’t mention anything about using it during my procedure. when I called them and let them know I will file complaint to insurance compnay about their practice, they said they will credit me back the $ 45 right away. The receptionist s are very rude and they prressed you to set up more frequent cleaning than needed which is not covered by insurance, threatening that if I do clean every 6 mionths not 4 months, I will need a deep cleaning soon again.
This is the worst dentist office I have ever been to!!!

I haven’t been to the dentist in 3 years but after getting new insurance… whoo hooo… I came here. (I didn’t read any of the reviews until after my visit… thank god!) I walked in and was warmly greeted and 5 minutes later I was taken in for full x-​rays. I saw one of the associates, Dr. Tran, who was incredilby thorough, easy to talk with and she explained everything in great detail. During the exam, Dr. Tran was gentle and concerned about my comfort. My new insurance covers a GOOD portion of all the procedures so finances wasn’t a concern. I would have given them 5 stars but I haven’t had any actual work done yet. I go back in a month for a deep cleaning and if all goes well I’ll add the extra star. In the mean time, so far so good! Like hair stylists; good dentists are hard to find.
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I did go back for my deep cleaning (which sounds worse than it is) and had a great experience. I’m a huge baby when it comes to anything doctor related so I asked to have some numbing gel put on my gums before the cleaning started. Dr. Tran gladly obliged and proceeded with the procedure. I don’t know what I was so scared of. (Reading other people’s reviews on Google didn’t help me prepare for the visit! Deep cleanings are not bad at all!!) I hardly felt anything and it was over before I knew it. She told me that if I felt the slightest discomfort she would stop and put more numbing gel on me.
I knew I needed a deep cleaning because it had been recommended by another dentist because of a receding gum line and other factors but I didn’t have the funds then. When I met Dr. Tran she recommended the same thing and explained to me in detail why it should be done but I in no way felt I HAD to get it done. I can’t speak for the other dentists in that office but Dr. Tran is GREAT!

I’ve had about four cleanings and two teeth filled. The cleanings are great and performed by the dentist, not an assistant. Unlike the other reviews on this page, the staff were professional, if not the friendliest. And I’ve never been pressured to have any dental work. In fact, this is the first dentist I’ve been to in the last 7yrs who did not adamantly recommend tooth whitening. My last two dentists strongly recommended that I have a crown replaced and my wisdom teeth removed, even though they dont hurt. When I asked Dr. Fong about this, he said the work was unnecessary. I really trust this dentist.

One of the worst dentists I’ve ever been to. I do not trust them at all. My wife and I just moved here and had been going to our prior dentist for 6 years with no problems (e.g. no cavities, etc). Then when we got here, my wife was told that she had 6 cavities that needed to be fixed urgently… seems fishy to me. How does one dentist miss 6 cavities for 6 years and then 6 months later another finds SIX! He also suggested that she have her molar removed even though it wasn’t bugging her. Really felt like they were trying to make as much money as possible off of us. Then on top of it all, when we asked questions, they got defensive and all the staff were pretty rude. I will never go back and feel I need to warn people.

I don’t know about the dentist, but the staff at this dental office are uncaring and unprofessional. I did not have a good experience with this office and I do not plan on returning.