Re: Denti-cal dentist near Richmond
Dr. Yu, a very gentle Burmese dentist at El Cerrito Dental, helped my two extremely dental-phobic children. I am sure he accepts Denti-Cal. His office is calm, without any of the bells and whistles at pediatric dentists (no germy toys, no Hawaiian print on the walls, no treasure chest of plastic trinkets after the visit). He has very kid-friendly assistants as well, who (refreshingly) do not use falsely cheerful baby talk during dental procedures (that always creeped my kids out!). 510-527-5944 Dental Phobic Family

Re: Family dentist for children
Dr. Raymond Yu in El Cerrito 10321 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530-3113 - (510) 527-5944 We had the same problem, 3 kids and huge bills and unnecessary (in retrospect) interventions. We love Dr. Yu, and he is very gentle with the kids. In fact our kids have a lot less trauma in his office than in the pediatric ones. His staff is very gentle too. Because they do not usually serve Berkeley types, I just keep a close eye--I ask for only one x-ray per year, and I make sure that non-mercury fillings are used, etc. They have been amenable to all of my requests--puzzled at times, but amenable and friendly. The litmus test was when Dr. Yu succeeded in examining my 3 year old with no drama--none of the pediatric dentists could do it without my little guy going into hysterics--that sure sealed our loyalty. Plus the waiting room is clean and empty (no germy toys--phew!) and the appointments always happen on time. Better WITHOUT the bells and Whistles