Santa Cruz Children’s Dental Group

I cannot express how happy I have been with my experience here. My 3 year old recently had to go in for a X-​ray after falling on his front teeth. The staff were so wonderful in the way they worked with him. So patient. So kind. They were also great at entertaining my infant while I was trying to attend to my toddler. A potentially stressful situation for me was made so much better by their great teamwork. I was very happy with the office after our routine cleanings but this non routine visit really put it over the top.

Oh my goodness! We have found our life long Dentist! We took our 3 year old yesterday for his first visit and not only did it go amazingly, the passion from the Dentist and Hygienist was so heartfelt. They took their time and really made our son comfortable. Their office is decorated in an under the ocean theme and at the end he picked a treasure from the treasure chest. Since our son has been fighting the brushing at night I was a little worried but he let them clean and polish his teeth, AND when he came home he must have brushed his teeth 6 times that afternoon. I can’t wait to go back in 6 mos. Thanks Dr Ryan and team for your passion, you are definitely leaders in the Dentistry World!

Today was the second time we visited this practice. Both visits were just for cleanings and check ups. My daughter is very young still. She turned 3 recently. I realize the dentist can be a frightening place for a child this young. I am so happy I found this place! Dr. Ryan is kind and friendly and works very well with children. All of the staff is wonderful as well. They do a great job of keeping kids well entertained as well as not leaving them waiting for too long. My little one left with a smile and asked when she gets to go back!!!
I can’t imagine taking my daughter to anyone else! I took some extra cards today because if anyone ever asks if I know of a good dentist for kids I know who to send them to! I could ask for a better group of people to take care of my daughters precious smile!
I wish they billed my insurance directly but they are worth the out of pocket expense!!! WELL WORTH IT!

We have been going here for several years and never seemed to have much of a problem, I don’t agree with the constant «need» to x-​ray my child’s teeth but other than that, I was pretty happy with them, especially because they agreed to work with me on my bill. Then earlier this year I did not receive my bill for 2 or 3 months in a row. The first month I was actually there and alerted them to the problem and made a payment. The next month I once again did not receive my bill. I called them and they «confirmed» my mailing address again. I then just recently received a statement and when I called to speak to them about it, suddenly I was told that I had no valid payment plan on file, that finance charges could not be waived like they had been in the past because I have not made regular payments, they don’t send out bills when payments are pending from insurance providers etc etc etc. Also, they’re not allowed to see patients if the bill is over $ 500 and she would just go ahead and cancel our next appointment. Wow, all of this was news to me. I then told her that I indeed had a payment plan and not only that but I had been making way bigger payments than agreed upon, I had only missed a single payment and that was because I had not received statements for several months — which by the way I had alerted them to several times. She was not very nice about any of it. I am sorry, but to treat someone this way when they’re actually trying to work with you and want to pay your bill and then give them the news they won’t honor an upcoming appointment — when this threshold of $ 500 was never before mentioned and our bill has been higher than that on several occasions, is not good customer service. In addition, her attitude and tone of voice totally turned me off. I am taking my business elsewhere.

Our family of 6 has had extensive experience at a variety of dentists around the country. This practice hits it out of the ballpark. Not only are they sensitive to the individual levels of my children’s comfort, but they are particularly affirming and understanding to my role as a busy parent. They give suggestions and encouragement rather than negative feedback regarding my children’s teeth. I only wish that I could be a patient as well!

We have been going for several years for both of our children. I work in the healthcare industry and nothing at all is amiss from my perspective. Office is clean, staff is friendly, décor is inviting and engaging for the little ones. The MDs are very personable, knowledgeable, and have never seemed to be ‘trolling for procedures.’ They had actually talked us out of a procedure another pediatric dentist had recommended — all is well since that time.
Can’t say anything but positive things. No billing issues that I recall.

We have always loved this office, but after our last experience, I think they are just absolutely spectacular.
My two year old inherited my teeth– and when we brought her in for her first appointment, she had one tooth that would need to be crowned and three more cavities. They told me with children as young as she is, they would put her under general anesthesia. This, understandably, was hard for me. We scheduled it for the next month.
A few days before the appointment, the pediatric dental anesthesiologist called and answered my questions. He called the night before in case I had other questions that I hadn’t thought of. He was very personable and friendly. We arrived the next morning at the office, and everyone was so lovely. I was able to hold my daughter on my lap as they slowly eased the mask up to her face, all the while talking us through it all. Everything was done slowly and thoughtfully to make it as easy as possible for my daughter and myself.
Once she fell asleep, they helped me put her in the chair and then brought me out to the waiting room. I had three of the front office staff offer me everything from water and tea to coffee and donuts. They were so sweet and understanding. Another thing I love about this staff is that I NEVER feel judged. Even with a two year old with a mouth full of cavities. :-) I was able to walk back whenever I wanted to check in with the dentist and anesthesiologist, and the front staff kept me updated while I waited.
Everything went well, and they were very helpful about what to expect when she woke up, etc. They didn’t rush us out at all even though we sat in their little private waiting room for a good half hour before I felt ready to leave.
Once we were home, both the anesthesiologist and the dentist (Dr. Wittwer) called to make sure that we were fine and had no questions.
I cannot believe we had the good fortune to find this dentist office– they are absolutely phenomenal and we will go until they kick us out. :-) I have two other children (6 and 5) and they love going. Leaving the office it looks like they are leaving a carnival with goodie bags and balloons. Thank you Santa Cruz Children’s Dental Group– I cannot say enough good things about you.

I’ve taken my 2 sons, ages 8 & 5 here for years and they LOVE it! They are always so excited to see their names on the fun reminders we get in the mail and the goodies and supplies they get when they are done.
SCCDG has done an absolutely amazing job in the office to make it inviting, fun, interesting, rewarding, and educational. The staff and Doctors are friendly, patient, respectful, knowledgeable, professional and accommodating. Always talking clearly and kindly to the children and parents. They have never been forceful in regards to the children’s personal limits when they have ever been shy or scared and I truly believe this is why my kids love the Dentist and taking care of their teeth. Thank you!

Dr. Joe is slammin. Also good with kids!

I absolutely love Dr Joe and Dr Ryan. I have a lot of kiddos including a special needs child and they are sweet, patient, and very calm with them. They leave all the dental talk out of it and I feel they are genuinely good hearted.
My big beef with this office is billing. The billing is an absolute nightmare. I usually
always end up with mis quotes, errors. This drives me absolutely bonkers. We always eventually get it worked out but it’s very time consuming. The reason I still go, and deal with with billing, is because I am so over the moon for the love and care my kids gets from their dentists! That makes it worth any billing issues :-)

ive taken my son here twice now and these people are really good with kids. they come up with some interesting and cool ways to distract your kids so they can do their job. ill be seeing them in 6 months for another check up.

LOVE this place! I take my toddler here to see Dr. Joe. The reception area is so kid friendly. They have kids movies playing, fun toddler appropriate toys, etc. The reception staff have been super friendly and accommodating every time I have taken my son here. Of course, the most important thing about this place is the level of care and professionalism. The dental assistants and Dr. Joe really work to make sure my son is comfortable. They are constantly validating him and they are always checking in to make sure that he is doing okay. Dr. Joe has a way of really communicating well and getting down on my son’s level. My son loves him. I totally trust this group and will continue to come here for my son and my daughter once she is old enough.

We’ve been going here for years and have been quite happy. Other than a couple of billing glitches (setting appointments before the 6 months our insurance will pay for) several years ago, and that they – like every other dentist it seems – want to do xrays (and sealants) way more frequently than I think is necessary, they are friendly, clean, great with kids, and do good work. Even though they are pro-​sealant and pro-​xray, they are willing to back off if you’re not interested. I love that all 3 kids can be seen at the same time, so I can get it all over with at one time.

I would give them negative stars if I could~
They seem «nice», but that’s not what I look for when I’m taking care of my daughters teeth!
My girl went there for over 6 yrs– she had no cavities until a month ago, and then she suddenly had 5!!! They told me it would be $ 1200.00 to fix them. I took her for a 2^nd opinion and the 1^st thing the dentist did was give her fluoride tablets~ When I called SCCDG to talk to them about it they didn’t even call me back~ When I called them to get her x-​rays to send them to her new dentist they called me back immediately and said they didn’t know anything about my message asking them to call me~ They also told me that fluoride tablets were not necessary and not effective and fluoride could be delivered internally by having the her swallow toothpaste!!!
All in all– they seem like nice enough people, but not really serious about preventative care and not very professional about communication–
I checked the ADA website and they still say that fluoride is key to developing healthy teeth~

I totally agree with Amanda’s review.
This office and Dr. Joe are organized, professional, kind, and careful with both of my kids (ages 4 and 8). The artwork, fish tanks, prizes, and movies are fun! Its like Vegas for kids in there! As a result, both of my kids are fine with going to the dentist. Ive never had a problem with billing or messed up appointments. The doc explains everything in «non-​dentist» terms and is very careful not to scare the kids if they need to have anything unpleasant done to fix a problem.
Great job SCCDG!