Shannon Shariat Shabnam,DDS

Dr. Shariat has been my (and my elderly mom’s) dentist for about 7 years. I recently had my regular x-​ray, exam and cleaning. I experienced more of the same — easy to get to location, friendly staff, focus on my comfort, and quality dental care. Dr. Shariat has always given me reasonable and easy to follow advice to help me keep my teeth healthy. I don’t have any reason to go anywhere else for my dental care!

I have been going to Dr. Shariat office since it was close to the financial district and pretty convenient to walk to. Back then, she worked out of an old office at 500 Sutter but now she has moved right next door to a brand new office. The new office is pretty laid back and quiet. Today, my whole family including my two daughters see her on a regular Basis. She does not do a lot of complicated and expensive procedures but she is a good dentist and very capable of taking care of routine stuff like crowns and extractions. I know there are a lot of old timers at 450 and 500 Sutter but I consider her 15 year old practice to be vibrant and patient friendly. My only complaint is that she does not have extended hours. I work in a software company and sometimes have to work until late hours. She is also not open on Saturdays, so I have to find time to go in during normal business hours.

I’ve been seeing Dr Shariat since I moved to San Francisco in 2010. I always look forward to my visits every 6 months because Dr Shariat and her staff are kind, welcoming and always ready for a good laugh. Over the years, I’ve had several procedures with Dr Shariat. I know that Dr Shariat really cares about her patients. Once, she called me the evening after I had some extensive work done just to check on me and make sure that I was feeling okay. She listens and is also a good coach for proper dental hygiene. She lets me know practical things that help me maintain my teeth and gums.

Don’t come here if you value your time OR your teeth. Like previous «one star» posters before me, I want to WARN YOU before you come here. I was her patient for several years (just cleanings) before I fell victim to the «SCAM». Shabnam Shariat was great just for general cleanings but when she started to «upsell» me is when I started to have problems.
She told me that I absolutely «needed» a deep cleaning, which required anesthesia/​numbing of each quadrant of my mouth. So I followed her recommendations — after all, she’s the doctor, and I always follow my doctors advice!
The next appointment 6 months later she is looking at my chart and my teeth and tells me, «oh you need a deep cleaning». Huh??? I told her I just did it last appointment! She goes back to her desk and comes back 15 mins later and agrees, «oh oops okay you don’t need one». Should have been my red flag right there. (FWIW my new dentist told me that you *might* only need 1 deep cleaning your entire lifetime, esp since I was religious about cleanings every 6 months)
So then she tells me, «ok you don’t need a deep clean this time but you need to replace any metal fillings that you already have — I can do it with this new resin. It’s recommended bc fillings can get old». Naively I listened to her and she proceeded to replace all the old metal fillings I had.
The next appointment 6 months later, she told me that I had a cavity in one of the teeth that she had replaced the filling for. And that I would need a root canal because of it. How is that possible? Well apparently she didn’t do the replacement filling correctly. But of course I just chalked it up to «things happen» no big deal let’s just take care of it.
So she gives me a root canal ON THE SPOT bc she says oh lucky for you I have time I can do it right now!
Well I’ll save you the gory details but a year later I have a fistula (big painful bump on my gum outside of the tooth that she gave me a root canal and crown for) and I finally decide I need to see a specialist. I see 3 specialists who tell me that I have what is called a «failed root canal». She didn’t drill deep enough to put the post in deep enough, and she also placed the post on an angle instead of straight up and down. So over the course of a year, while chewing food or putting pressure on the tooth, the post cracked the side of the root of my tooth — which resulted in an abscess in my gum and the fistula.
All the doctors (gum specialists and dental bone specialists) recommended that I send her the information that they had given me (X-​rays and photos showing the short and crooked post that she had put in for my root canal) and ask her to do the right thing — to pay the $ 5k it cost me to fix this mess. It had taken A YEAR of appointments and pain to fix everything and they each said that a «stand up doctor would definitely do the right thing».
Well I sent her all the paperwork with a nice letter explaining all the documentation, asking her to take ownership. A month later she wrote me a short and curt letter saying she didn’t think it was her fault and that she wouldn’t be doing anything about it. She basically took no ownership of what she did despite the evidence and concurrence from specialists that said it was her fault. She knows her stuff bc apparently my case was too small to take her to court.
I consulted with lawyers to see what my options were but bc the «damages» weren’t considered high enough and bc it would cost me $ 8k more to have an dental expert in arbitration, they recommended that financially I just drop it bc it didn’t make sense, unless I just wanted to stick it to her. I am angry about what happened to me but I don’t have $ 25k to pay lawyers and experts, nor do I have the time/​energy to spend litigating this.
But the least I can do is tell everyone about my experience and warn everyone online not to see this doctor. She’s def a SCAM artist with a DDS.

We have been going to Dr Shariat for over 10 years, even after we got married and moved an hour away.
Through deep cleanings, crowns and fillings, we’ve always been satisfied with the work and service. I understand that she has now moved into a new office space next door and has stepped up into state of the art equipment. I’m excited to get back for a visit, but our schedules always limit when we can make an appointment.
I’ve tried looking into other dentists locally but haven’t gotten the warm fuzzy, «I’m not ripping you off» feelings yet. I love this office and so does my husband (who hated going to the dentist before I introduced him to Dr. Shariat). Office staff has always been friendly and it’s like «coming home» every visit.

I’ve been seeing her now for 3 years and have nothing but good experiences to go by. She does the work very professionally, understands budget limits and does it all with great humor. Surprisingly a visit to the dentist can have moments of levity. I see some of the more negative comments are for associates that are no longer there. She has a new updated office and is within the Anthem Blue Cross system. The staff is responsive and appointments are easy to schedule. I don’t need anything more in a dentist.

I find it next to impossible to give 5 stars to a dentist as they always cause me so much pain and cost so much money; but Dr. Shariat has earned these stars.
I have been a patient of Shariat’s since 2007. They have worked with me as far as my insurance is concerned, payment plans and limited budget I live on.
With the exception of one mishap with Dr. Azad (WHO IS NO LONGER EMPLOYED HERE!!), all of my fillings, crowns, root canals, and bridges (clearly I have horrible teeth hygiene) have been performed by Shariat herself and to this day still remain in tack in my mouth. Dually noted she has performed these with kindness and care needed from a person who is going to be tinkering in a very sensitive area.

Dr. Shariat used to be my dentist. She was friendly and professional but I agree with other reviewers. Unnecessary dental work + bad crowns. One of the crowns I had done there had a gap and always bothered me. At that time, she explained to me that it’s because of the shape of my gum and the tooth next to it and I believed her. Looking back, she should have sent it back to the lab and have it redone. I had to live with it for several years thinking there is no other way. And of course she recommended that I get a gold crown.
I finally had it redone at another dentist’s and there is no gap anymore.
Anyway always get a second opinion.

Having switched to a cheaper dental insurer I was limited by the dental providers in my network. I read Dr. Shariat’s reviews and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt but I have to agree with most of the negative reviews. During May 2011 I went for a routine inspection and she told me I needed a deep clean, fillings etc. and it would cost $ 700. The Unilocal reviews were correct!
One year later I went back to another dentist and was given a clean bill of health.
Anyway seems like her business is doing well with a nice location and plenty of support staff. Just a shame that it’s all about money to her and not about the patient.

**Review is based on an initial consultation, no actual dental work has yet been done*
I was referred to Dr. Shariat by a coworker who absolutely loves her (I believe my coworker had a root canal done there and said she was very gentle and kind).
I have pretty terrible teeth (thanks, soft enamel), so I decided to give her a try.
First issue: I tried calling 3 weeks before the end of 2011. I was told the office manager would call me back to set up an appointment.
I waited a week and… nothing.
I called back 3 times, left a message twice, explained it was important I get in before the end of the year due to my insurance situation. Still nothing. My co-​worker later told me the office closes for a few weeks around the end of the year. It would’ve been nice if their voicemail had explained that.
Then life got in the way and I only had the opportunity to call back last week. I was able to get an appointment set up within a week’s time, which I thought was fair.
I had my appointment today, and right now I’m going to withhold judgment until I actually get some work done.
Here’s what happened though: Wait time was fine. I got there right at my appointment time on the dot and spent about 5 minutes filling out two sheets of paper. The receptionist wasn’t initially all-​smiles kind of friendly, but she was polite.
I was taken back to get about 10 – 15 x-​rays, which went fine.
I did have to wait in the chair for the dentist for about 5 minutes, no big deal.
When she arrived, Dr. Shariat introduced herself to me and was very nice. She let me voice my concerns (I hadn’t been to a dentist in 3 years by that point), then proceeded to go through each tooth (presumably looking at x-​rays as she went, but I couldn’t see them from where I was sitting), telling who I assume was an assistant what work I’d had done in the past.
She said due to my gum tenderness that I should get a deep cleaning, something I’d never heard of before (who uses novacaine during a cleaning? …given how bad my teeth can be though, this does make sense as a viable option to reduce pain during tartar scraping). I suppose I was a little surprised because I thought I’d scheduled myself for a cleaning today (heck, I had the little bib thing on as well), but alright, I’ll go with it. This is my own fault for having waited so long to go back to a dentist.
I honestly didn’t get the sense that Dr. Shariat was trying to push me into a lot of work being done. There was one big issue she said had to be dealt with: a fracture in a filling that would need a crown. She detailed the procedure, warned that it was possible I might need a root canal, and then explained that she would want to give it some time between the crown prep and cementing the crown to ensure my tooth was doing alright before proceeding (who wants to have someone drill straight through a crown a week later when you discover you do, in fact, need a root canal a week too late?).
I didn’t get the sense that she was trying to rip me off or that she wasn’t willing to refer out if she couldn’t handle the work on the root canal. She even proposed a two appointment set-​up so we could focus on half a tooth cleaning on the side that needs the fracture fixed, then the other side of my tooth cleaning during an appointment where the crown is actually cemented.
The only other issues she noted were two molars that need to be crowned but she said they weren’t urgent and I could opt to do them on my own time when I’m financially comfortable in that regard.
My appointment lasted no more than 45 minutes total and before I left I spoke with the receptionist (Rosalyn, I believe) who went over what my out of pocket insurance costs would be for the deep cleaning (my insurance covers 80% of that, as well as 80% for a filling and 50% for crowns) and then set up my next appointment about a month from now.
Overall, I had a good experience and feeling leaving Dr. Shariat’s office. The only thing that puzzled me was the lack of tooth cleaning today, since it’s not what I’m accustomed to.
I’ll update this again after my first dental work appointment in May and raise or lower my review accordingly at that time based on my experience.

Hi! Like other reviewers here I’m completely perplexed by the bad comments. I LOVE Dr. Shariat. My teeth have never been in better shape. I’ve had a ton of dental work in my life, largely by other people, and hers is great. I have no pain with anything she’s done, ever, and she has never tried to sell me something that wasn’t completely obvious I needed. She’s even talked my out of getting stuff done before.
In short, I was afraid of dentistry for many years, but since switching to Dr. Shariat I love getting my cleanings. She’s been a very positive influence in my life because I’ve been able to let go of my dental phobia.

I’ve had Dr. Shariat for years now and have had nothing but a flawless experience, and my teeth have never been in better shape. I don’t know anybody who’s had a bad experience there, but I know lots of people who have had great experiences.
My guess about the bad reviews is people who don’t want any form of preventative care and are just looking to do the minimum. Yes, she will generally do a «deep cleaning» on a greater frequency, and if your teeth suck (as mine do) she’ll encourage you to come back more frequently than others.
You can complain about that — after all, preventative care isn’t strictly necessary right away so there’s no way to *prove* you needed it. Or you can just be happy that someone is taking great care of your teeth and gums so you can go about your life not worrying about it.
So If you are really looking to cut costs and just do «emergency care», maybe there’s someone cheaper who is less proactive. But if you want your teeth to look, feel, and actually be healthy, she’s awesome.

I love Dr. Shabnam. She has been my dentist for over 5 years now, and I’ve recommended her to many of my friends. My cleanings are always great. I’ve had a crown done with no issues, and she fixed my two front teeth. And now I have my great smile back! It will be sad if I ever have to move and find another DR. I don’t trust anyone else with my teeth, but her.

Famous line on Unilocal: I wish I had read the reviews before going here.
The front desk staff was as cool as they come but the Dr. is skipping some steps to make some dough. She knocked out an existing filling during a cleaning and then insisted she didn’t do it and wouldn’t fix it. But the day she removed my wisdom teeth, still not sure if it was necessary, was the single most painful experience of my life. I have had Novocaine dozens of times before, but her method or technique of injection had tears streaming from my eyes and I nearly ripped the arm rests from the chair. I have never felt that kind of searing pain before and when I told my then GF’s mother (who was a dental assistant) she said she had never heard of anyone describing Novocaine injections as being that awful. I have no idea what the problem is but I would do my own dental work before going back there.

As with many of the other posts here, I was also almost ensnared in a SCAM at this office. I chose Shabnam Shariat because she was the closest dentist available in my Dental HMO plan. I showed up on time for my appt and was quickly x-​rayed and seated in a dentist’s chair. Then I waited… and waited… even though there were no other patients in the office. The dentist finally showed up and said I needed a «deep cleaning.» I thought that just meant that they would have to work extra hard (as was normal with my first visits to new dentists). Then she said her asst would return with a quote.
The quote was for $ 600 and none of it would be covered by insurance! Of course, the fact that insurance covers 0% made me wonder if this was a necessary procedure or purely optional. I told the dentist I would think about it but for now I’ll do the standard cleaning that is covered by my insurance. She then proceeded to try to belittle my financial situation and said that I really needed the procedure to be done. That’s when the SCAM alarm went off in my head. I’ve had some great dentists in NYC and Houston and not one ever asked me to pay for a procedure that wasn’t covered by insurance. Also, they never tried to make me feel bad or shame me into doing something.
Of course, the standard cleaning was quick and relatively lousy. (It was by far the worst dental cleaning I’ve ever received and all of my other cleanings were «standard» cleanings as well.) All of the office staff also seemed surprised that I wasn’t doing the «deep cleaning» as if everyone who comes into the office gets the same diagnosis.
She also wanted to redo my fillings. (The same fillings that other dentists have told me are really well done!) The whole appt also took over 2 hours, most of which I spent just staring at the window alone in the dentist’s chair.
That office is just a money trap for unsuspecting Dental HMO holders who have limited options. Instead, I would recommend that you upgrade your insurance to a PPO and go to a reputable dentist. You’ll save more money in the long run and have better teeth. That’s what I did.

I love Dr. Shariat. Don’t get me wrong, no one loves going to the dentist. But I feel like I can trust that when she tells me I’m in good dental health… I’m actually in good dental health. She’s no non-​sense. She gets the job done.
My last dentist– I swear they would barely clean my teeth, look for 5 min and send me on my way. Here, they take time to REALLY clean my teeth. I never knew what a good cleaning was until I came here! The dental hygienist is honestly an expert in what he does. He’s easy going, soft and tender with my teeth, and does an amazing job with the clean.
Going to the dentist is in some ways likes taking your car into the shop, you have no idea if you actually need what they are saying you need. So yes there is a potential for someone to rip you off. I don’t see Dr. Shariat as doing that, but if any dentist, doctor, or car repair shop says you need something, you’re an adult… get a second opinion.
Dr. Shariat did a wonderful job replacing my fillings, and I am glad that I replaced them. Maybe I didn’t 100% need them right this second… but is this really where I want to save my money?
I highly recommend Dr. Shairat!

I am one of those annoying people that loves going to the dentist and enjoys just about every aspect of oral hygiene, including ultrasonic cleaning.
I go see Dr. Shariat four times a year because that’s the most my insurance will cover. Given the opportunity, I’d go once a month. In all of the times I’ve been to Dr. Shariat’s office, I’ve never felt any pressure for unnecessary dental work or products. She is very kind and patient when it comes time for me to ask a thousand questions.
Dr. Shariat has a phenomenal staff, and I’ve always enjoyed my interactions with them. Maria, in particular, is always fun to talk to on the way in and out, and I’m always impressed that she knows who I am when I call and announce myself as «Tyler, the best patient in the world».

It’s strange that there seems to be so many negative post. I’ve been going to Dr. Shariat forever and she has always been nice, gentle, has not suggested extra work and makes me feel at ease. I’ve double checked her recommendations (like a getting a night guard) and they’ve checked out with other specialist I’ve visited. It’s strange that my experience is pretty positive, but I don’t feel like a sucker.
She doesn’t get 5 stars because her office isn’t as nice as my other dentist. It could be a bit cleaner, the equipment newer, ect. But the work is good and she seems sweet.
The End.

I like how 4 stars= «Yay! I’m a fan»
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of any dentist, but Dr. Shariat does a great job, puts me at ease and makes me feel like I may be able to keep my teeth into old age.
Yolee R. is actually one who referred me (in real life, not Unilocal world), thanks girl!
I’ve had a cleaning, deep gum scaling and a couple fillings here, all without drama or complaint.
The appointments are on time (office did have to cancel once but called a day in advance to advise).
A couple things that keep it from being a 5 star, no digital imaging or xrays, older office building and set up (not a modern luxury dentist), the hygenist/​assistant does a lot of the cleaning and prep instead of the dentist herself (yes, in some offices the dentist does everything).
I would definitely refer others to her practice for any dental needs, I’m a nervous patient and I continue to go back to her.

First off, I’d like to say that like any other review on here this is my personal opinion based on my experience with Dr. Shariat. I understand some people on here seem to have had issues with this office but hey what can I say — different strokes for different folks!
My dealings with Dr. Shariat and her staff have thus far been only positive. I found their office from a directory listing from my dental insurance. No word of mouth or reference so I was taking a risk. You have to also understand that I have a slight phobia when it comes to dentists. It all began when I had a lot of cavities filled on the same day as a kid by a rogue dentist. I tell ya he was crazy. With a name like Dr. Beeker what could I expect… But I digress.
My main fear are the dreaded numbing injections. Something about those darn metal incased syringes just creep me the heck out. That’s when closing my eyes kicks in. As long as I don’t see it, it’s not as bad. Anyhow, I’ve been a patient of Dr. Shariat for almost 2 years now and am pleased with the level of service I’ve received. I’ve had some route canals done as well as crowns and cavities filled there. Oh yeah, I’ve had some major work done! She’s always made me feel very comfrotable which really helps with the anxiety I initially walk in with. The staff is always very friendly and welcoming as well. I must also have to give them props for fitting me in within a day of calling for an appointment.
Thankfully, I’ve been blessed with really good dental insurance so I’ve never had to deal with worrying about outlandish bills but nowadays any dentist you go to will be expensive. It sucks but it’s true! Unless you go to Western Dental — now they truly are horrible!
Lastly, I just wanted to mention that I had seen another reputable dentist prior to Dr. Shariat and all the work they mentioned I needed done was the same stuff Dr. Shariat said so there wasn’t any flim-​flam going on with that. I understand when it comes to choosing a dentist it is something rather personal so I’m not offended if people disagree with me. As I stated before this is MY opinion and I stick to it 100%. In my book Dr. Shariat and her staff are amazing! I just recommended her recently to some family and friends which also says a lot. Now I’m looking forward to my new crown which should be delivered shortly. I call it my pirate tooth since I decided on gold. You can’t really see it though as it’s one of my molars way in the back. But I know it’s there and that’s all that matters… LOL!