Finding a good dentist in Albany, California comes down to comparing what the data shows: across 27 dental practices in this small Alameda County city, 18 carry enough patient ratings to score, averaging 4.36 stars. Start with the highest-rated offices below, then match one to the specialty care you actually need.
What the numbers say about Albany’s 27 practices
Albany is one of the most compact incorporated cities in the East Bay — roughly 1.8 square miles wedged between Berkeley to the south and El Cerrito to the north, with Kensington to the east and San Francisco Bay to the west. Its dental market is correspondingly small, and that is an advantage when you are choosing: there are 27 practices to weigh, not hundreds, and 18 of them have collected enough patient ratings to produce a meaningful score. Those 18 rated offices average 4.36 stars and hold 1,692 reviews between them, so most Albany households can reach a well-reviewed dentist within the city or a few blocks past its border.
The rating spread is what tells you where to spend your attention. Seven Albany practices sit in the top band at 4.8 stars or higher, five land between 4.5 and 4.79, three fall in the 4.0 to 4.49 range, and three come in under 4.0. That top band of seven is where you should begin, because it represents the practices with the highest ratings, though each one’s review count is worth checking.
The highest-rated dental practices in Albany
The table below ranks six of Albany’s highest-rated practices by star rating, breaking ties by the number of reviews behind that rating. Two offices — Ellen Pacleb and Nourah Abdul Kader, DMD, MS — hold a perfect 5.0, and Ellen Pacleb does it on 371 reviews, the largest review base of any practice on this list. A perfect score on a handful of reviews and a perfect score on several hundred are not the same signal, which is why the review column matters as much as the star column.
| Practice | Rating | Reviews | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Pacleb | 5.0 | 371 | View profile |
| Nourah Abdul Kader, DMD, MS, Inc | 5.0 | 207 | View profile |
| Valerie Gutierrez-Poquiz | 4.9 | 299 | View profile |
| North Berkeley Dental Arts | 4.9 | 296 | View profile |
| Yu-Ching Lai | 4.9 | 46 | View profile |
| Christina Woo | 4.7 | 21 | View profile |
Notice how the review counts cluster. Ellen Pacleb (371), Valerie Gutierrez-Poquiz (299), and North Berkeley Dental Arts (296) sit near the top on review volume, while Yu-Ching Lai (46) and Christina Woo (21) carry strong ratings on a much thinner base. Both types belong on your shortlist — a less-reviewed office can be an excellent fit — but you should read a 4.9 backed by 46 reviews with a slightly different eye than a 4.9 backed by 299.
How the Dental.me Score reads these offices
Every Albany practice on this page is ranked by an independent Dental.me Score, which is earned and never sold. The Score weighs a practice’s star rating, the volume of reviews behind that rating, and whether the office has confirmed its own listing details, so that a 5.0 built on 371 reviews and a 5.0 built on a dozen are not treated as identical. That is deliberately different from sorting by stars alone: it rewards offices like Ellen Pacleb and Valerie Gutierrez-Poquiz that carry a high rating across hundreds of reviews.
Only Featured placement can be paid for, and Featured status sits apart from the Score — no practice in Albany can buy its way up the ranking. When you compare the offices below, you are looking at a merit ordering, which is exactly what you want when the decision is who works on your teeth. Use the Score as your first filter, then let the specifics — location on Solano or San Pablo Avenue, the services you need, whether you can get a first appointment quickly — settle the final choice.
Website presence and how to reach an Albany office
Of Albany’s 27 practices, 14 have a website URL on file with Dental.me. A little over half, in other words, give you a page you can open before you ever pick up the phone — to check services, forms, and hours on your own schedule. For the remaining 13, the practice profile on Dental.me is your starting point, and a phone call is the natural next step to confirm details a website would otherwise show you.
This matters most when you are new to the area or switching dentists mid-treatment. If having an online booking page, a services list, or new-patient paperwork available in advance is important to you, weight the 14 practices with a website URL on file more heavily. If you are comfortable calling to confirm, the field opens back up to all 27. Either way, verify current hours and whether an office is taking new patients directly with the practice before you build your visit around it.
Specialty care: orthodontics in Albany
Beyond general and family dentistry, Albany’s directory surfaces one specialty category worth knowing about before you commit to a general dentist. Six practices in the Albany area are listed under orthodontics, the category that covers braces and clear aligners. If braces or aligners are on your horizon — for yourself or a child — it is worth confirming whether your prospective general dentist handles that work in-house or refers out, since a referral may send you a few minutes down San Pablo Avenue into Berkeley or El Cerrito.
Because Albany is so small and sits directly against Berkeley, the practical catchment for orthodontic care is really the North Berkeley–Albany corridor. Browse the full Albany orthodontists directory to see the current roster, and start from the highest-rated general offices on this page for the routine cleanings, fillings, and checkups that make up most visits.
Looking just beyond Albany’s borders
Because Albany measures under two square miles, a dentist a short distance outside city limits can be closer than one across town. That makes the surrounding directories a genuine part of your search rather than an afterthought. Directly south, the Berkeley dentist directory is the largest adjacent market and shares the Solano Avenue corridor with Albany. To the north, the El Cerrito dentist directory sits right along the San Pablo Avenue line, and a little farther up is the Richmond dentist directory for a broader set of options.
Two smaller neighbors round out the map: Kensington, the unincorporated community tucked against Albany’s eastern hills, and Emeryville, a short drive down the I-80 corridor toward the Bay Bridge. If your top Albany pick is not taking new patients, these five directories give you the nearest well-reviewed alternatives without pushing you far from home.
How to choose your Albany dentist
Put the pieces together in order. First, filter to the seven practices in the 4.8-and-up band, since that is where the highest ratings sit. Second, read each candidate’s rating against its review count using the table above — a high score on hundreds of reviews is a stronger signal than the same score on a couple dozen. Third, decide whether you need a website URL on file to research an office and check whether it books online, which narrows the field to 14 of the 27. Fourth, flag any specialty need up front: if orthodontics is likely, check the six-practice roster before you settle on a general dentist.
Finally, make one call or send one message to confirm the things data cannot show you — current hours, new-patient availability, and whether the office takes your insurance. Start from the Albany dentist directory to see every practice in one place, open the profiles that fit your shortlist, and you will have moved from 27 options to a confident choice in an afternoon.
Frequently asked questions
How many dentists are there in Albany, CA?
Dental.me lists 27 dental practices in Albany, California. Of those, 18 have collected enough patient ratings to earn a score, and together they hold 1,692 reviews at a 4.36-star average.
Which Albany dental practice has the highest rating?
Two practices share the top rating of 5.0 stars: Ellen Pacleb, with 371 reviews, and Nourah Abdul Kader, DMD, MS. Ellen Pacleb has the largest review base of any rated practice in Albany.
How many Albany dentists are rated 4.8 stars or higher?
Seven of Albany’s 18 rated practices sit in the top band at 4.8 stars or higher. Five more rate between 4.5 and 4.79, three between 4.0 and 4.49, and three under 4.0.
Can I find an orthodontist in Albany?
Yes. Six practices in the Albany area are listed under orthodontics. Because Albany borders Berkeley and El Cerrito, some specialty care sits just past the city line.
Do all Albany dental practices have a website?
Fourteen of Albany’s 27 practices have a website URL on file with Dental.me. For the other 13, the Dental.me profile is your starting point and a phone call confirms hours and availability.
How does the Dental.me Score rank Albany dentists?
The independent Dental.me Score weighs a practice’s star rating, its review volume, and office-confirmation details. It is earned, never sold; only Featured placement can be paid for, and it sits apart from the Score.
Dental.me organizes dental directory data so patients can compare offices with confidence. Use each practice profile and its available website, map, and phone details for current appointment, payment, and care decisions.