Sutter Place Dental Group, Minami, Nathaniel, DDS

Need I say more? I have been a patient of Dr Minami’s for over 10 years and I am so glad I followed him from San Jose to now Sutter Place Dental. This practice used to be a group practice but thankfully now it is all just Dr Minami. He is simply the best and I refuse to let anyone else touch my mouth! A testament to this is that I have been willing to drive over 50 miles each way to see him. He has a wonderful chairside manner– he is pleasant, approachable, and even makes me laugh which is hard to do with your mouth wide open! He is great about explaining everything that he is doing and is never in a rush. My gums are sensitive so I really appreciate his gentle hands. His staff are friendly and professional. They always make me feel welcome.

I am TERRIFIED of the dentist. Even when appointments go well, it’s still the sort of stuff that wakes me in the middle of the night, but I honestly can’t say enough nice things about the staff here. It’s in the Mission, and feels it from the outside, though I’m probably just so used to it having lived in this part of the city for a while that I didn’t really bat an eye. Other reviews took more offense, but there’s no doubt that the building has some age. (Some might call it «character,» but I am not one of them, even if the architecture is neat in a throwback way, and it’s certainly clean-​smelling.)
Kind, understanding of my complete incompetence when it comes to my insurance (again, dentists are my grim reapers, and my trainwreck of a mouth shows it), and infinitely willing to put up with all my you-​should-​be-​too-​old-​to-​ask-​this dumb questions, the team has NEVER failed to placate me without ever feeling like they’e rushed or too above such obvious questions. I’m serious, the desk staff is AMAZING here. I think I might have a crush. Might. Maybe. Probably.
Dr. Minami’s the same way in his demeanor and just how approachable he is. We can chat about random music (and, working in the games industry, video game) stuff and he never seems rushed to finally drop the chair and get to business. This is important, because when I usually come back up at dentists, I look like I just ran a marathon in the Sahara. The sweat is… let’s call it *present* in the most obvious sense. He’s way, WAY more relaxed (dare I say «chill»? I dare not) than any other dentist I’ve talked to, and actually shoots the shiz before/​after.
What I’m getting at here is that he’s okay with people like me that were just reticent to go to the dentist for precisely the reasons this place ISN’T. It’s not stuffy, it’s not cold, it’s warm and accepting, and after the stair climb and the greeting, you’ll see why.
Visited for:
–Root canal (now you understand the fear of dentists)
–Crown Addition
–Teeth cleaning (funny how much easier those are by comparison)
SHORT VERSION: After 20 years of running away from dental care, I’m glad to finally have a real dentist that understands my fears and a staff that takes care of me. Plus, we can talk about b-​sides and sneaky soundboard dumps from live shows.

Once again I was due to see the dentist but since I didn’t have an issue with my teeth I didn’t worry until I got a toothache. I made an appointment very quickly and was asked if I had any concerns and was given an estimate. They were very welcoming and didn’t make you feel like a regular dentist, they really care. I know people are use to the fancy décor of an office but really that doesn’t the dentist is any good. I love my dentist here because he actually explains what is going on with your teeth and what to look out for. I like that the whole staff focuses on the patient and they always follow up. Great price and they always help their patients. So happy to come here again!

Dr. Minami has been my dentist for the past 3 years and he is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, not to mention his exceptional dental skills. His calm demeanor and great chair-​side manners can put anyone at ease. He is very easy to talk to and ask questions, he never over-​treats and suggests only the necessary treatments. I got two beautiful porcelain crowns from him and now I continue coming back for regular cleanings and exams. Five starts all around!

If there is a ZERO star available, I will give it to this place.
I used the Groupon Deal for the teeth cleaning and after visiting this place I regret buying this deal.
The dentist (he) didn’t know what he was doing, let me put it this way, I actually can do what he did to me at home, by myself, maybe even better with my deep cleaning kit. I also had that experience that mentioned from the other reviewers, in the end of my session (which is less than 20 minutes for deep cleaning), the receptionist gave me this recommendation of extra services that I have to do (with them again of course, in their dream), which will cost me another $ 893. I have been seeing my other dentist 8 months ago until I lost my insurance recently so that’s why I purchased the deal while waiting for my new insurance available, she never mentioned about any of this extra service that Sutter Place’s dentist recommended before, ever, I have been seeing her (my previous dentist) for about 4 years.
I walked away and I told the receptionist that this is a joke! and good luck with their business!
Save your time my dear UnilocalER and your money to look somewhere else.
PS.
By the way, for 5 stars reviews that they have received here is for the other dentist when they used to be at Sutter.

Bought a groupon deal for my mom to clean her teeth. She did not have a good experience. States the dentist (who did the cleaning himself) polished her teeth, scraped just 3 teeth in the front and did not floss. Then the receptionist told her needed to get a mouth guard, repair a dent and a cavity. Work costing an additional $ 675, which my mom’s previous dentist told her did not need or never mentioned. My mom sees a dentist every 6 months. She’ll need to get a second opinion since she did not feel she could trust this dentist. The receptionist also said they are the cheapest place to get this work done, everyone else is more expensive.

I have to update my initial review. So I loved my first visit (when the practice was located on Sutter St), the dentist was really friendly and he did a great job. However, 6 months later I needed to schedule a follow-​up visit and found that my dentist was no longer available and his patients had all been moved to the Mission. I got about a million text messages from the new office, stating that they had a «welcome gift» for me and I would «not be disappointed.» So I thought, ok, let me keep my appointment. I need an excuse to get down to the Mission sometimes. I kept my appointment and found the new office. It was upstairs, sandwiched in between two grocery stores or something, the waiting room was dirty, the furniture looked second-​hand and was mismatched, magazines were torn… it was a mess. I was disappointed already. I took a deep breath and thought, ok, you have come all the way here, might as well get your teeth cleaned. The receptionist took me back from the waiting room to the exam room. I passed a man cleaning another patient’s teeth. «Is that the dentist?» Yes, the receptionist told me. This man was not even the same dentist I had previously! I had never seen him before in my life. I was in the chair before I voiced my discomfort to the receptionist. She had only been employed at this office for a week or two and she said, «Go. I will let them know you had an emergency at home and could not make your appointment.»
Thank god I got out of there when I did! I am now a patient of Dr. Leo Arellano at 3030 Geary St and he is fantastic! Phew!

Dr. Minami, Jasmine, and the staff are courteous, friendly, and professional. I’m a pretty social person and talking to Dr. Minami and the staff put me at ease right away. I felt like I was in very good hands they whole time. The appointment was not rushed, they took the most complete set of X-​rays I’ve ever had done (I’m a new patient here, with new insurance), and explained everything they did every step of the way — it wasn’t just random jabbing and poking. Every concern I had listed was acknowledged and dealt with, even if it was just in the form of an explanation. Dr. Minami checked for oral cancers too. The receptionist made sure everything was squared away with my insurance — it was as seamless and painful a dentist trip as ever! I also appreciated that they didn’t try to «upsell» me on treatments I didn’t need!

I am pretty pumped to finally have insurance again and so I promptly made a dentist appointment. This place is across the street from me, so location was good, and they took my insurance, so the price was good.
The staff were friendly and helpful, and my dentist was extremely nice and listened to all my concerns. He constantly explained what he was doing to my mouth instead of just stabbing away in there and leaving me wondering. Going to the dentist is never a glowing experience, but this was pretty great. Made a follow up appointment for those pesky problems, and am not dreading going back.

Near Sutter/​Van Ness. Been going here 5 years, Dr. Darmawan is a fine dentist; she is caring, nice, careful and does a great job.
She is polite, and professional. And the staff is really nice too and they work hard to get me an appointment that fits my schedule. That is why I Smile so much! if they ask how you got there, just say Bert K. recommended Dr. Darmawan.