Chester S Handelman, DMD

Years and years of consultations resulted in, «we’re going to have to break your jaw». Um, no thanks.
Fast forward to a consultation with Handelman (after not being able to eat an apple). After the x-​rays, photos, and blah blah blah, the final verdict came in. He had my face in his hand and kept turning it – side to side, up and down. «You should really look deformed,» he pronounced. «WHAT?!» He pulled out models and powerpoints and went on to explain about the structural issues that I am lucky was not more apparent. It was worse that I thought. And then he said, «We can do this old school with great results.»
3 years later and I can say he was right. I am not going to lie and say it was easy (palate expander!) but the whole team made it bearable. I am certain that what was going on structurally stumped him a few times but Dr. H was flexible with his treatment plan. He really worked hard at getting the best results.
And now, not only is my smile pretty (it is perfect!) but I can bite into an apple ;)
PS: In my three years, I overheard a lot of conversations. Yes, he’s forthright but he knows his stuff and is a master of his craft. Realistic expectations for this type of thing is necessary.

Dr. Handelman is a totally and I mean a totally rip off. He charged me $ 75 for a tem min. exam (if that is what you want to call it) This ortho pads the bill so high, he tried to charge me $ 12,000 for braces. I went to 2 other downtown orthos and one was $ 4,000 and the other $ 4,5000 for the same braces, same work. So more than twice the price. He listen to what I had to say, about having 4 kids and only getting the braces because I had to etc… and still came back with a $ 12,000 estimate. I know his office is downtown however this is ridiculous! Avoid this guy he’s old, mumbles too much and charges way too much money.

To update my previous entry, I did see a highly skilled and friendly orthodontist in Lakeview, Dr. Robert Perrie (
). He was just fantastic. He immediately saw what Dr. Handelman did not and immediately removed my permanent retainer and expertly scraped off the glue. He said it was undoubtedly distorted, and had I waited to remove it, I could have undone thousands of dollars of work because it was applying pressure unevenly. I got a new impression done and was able to pick up a new temporary, removable retainer (clear plastic) within the week. After I got my teeth cleaned (a couple months later, took a while to get in), I had another impression taken and picked up a a removable Hawley retainer (metal wire, more durable). I could have gotten another permanent wire retainer, but I really like being able to brush and floss behind my bottom teeth better. I cannot emphasize enough how many times more pleasant my experience with Dr. Perrie and his staff was. I still can’t believe a dental «professional» scammed me out of $ 50 to just mumble some insults in my face for a few minutes. Please, for your sake, go elsewhere.

Those who teach…? The guy’s resting on past laurels.
My daughter and I waited forever to get into see Handelman, and that was with an appointment. His manner was gruff and he said right off the bat that he would want to pull four teeth– to a kid who was already terrified. To make matters worse, he noted that after the extractions, she might be left with a permanent gap-​tooth effect. GET ME OUT OF HERE! I thought.
We went to another orthodontist, one who knows and respects Handelman as a professor but couldn’t believe the recommendations. We got not teeth extracted, my daughter’s smile is fabulous – and ten years later, the wisdom teeth did not even get impacted before coming out. I’m now lookng for an orthodontist for my son – but I had to warn everyone about this guy first.

After seeing a 2* review I had to defend Dr. Handelman. I hate Dr. s offices — they always make you feel like you’re inconveniencing them. Not so with Dr. Handelman. I wish he was my grandpa so I could have seen him more often — he is gentle and kind and very good at what he does. I’m sure there are 100s of happy children with great teeth for every 2* review. He’s a sure thing, I just hope he’s still practicing when my kids need orthodontia!

Dr. Handelman is great. He has a ton of experience and it’s amazing to watch him make adjustments. Yet he also keeps up with the latest changes in his field. The staff in his office are great fun, and put everyone at ease. I highly recommend him.

You may not think so when you first meet him, but Chester Handelman is «the man». When I recently moved to San Francisco and found someone to continue the work Dr. Handelman started, this is how my new orthodontist described him. He continued: «I can’t believe you saw Dr. Handelman. He’s…he’s sort of a hero of mine.» He gazed into the distance. There may even have been tears welling up.
Now, having only seen two orthodontists I don’t have any other points of reference to fully appreciate how wonderful Chester was, but I was definitely happy with my treatment. He’s been in the business a very long time and some of his gear seemed, at first, a bit dated. But, he’s honest, straightforward, and really knows his teeth.
You may be a bit disappointed with his level of communication, as he could have done a better job updating me on length of treatment and just generally telling me what was going on. But at the end of the day, I was there to get my teeth pretty and this is what he does apparently better than anyone around.
As an added bonus, his staff is absolutely wonderful. We sort of became buddies after my second or third visit, and they always made me feel welcome and comfortable.
So if you need some serious teeth straightenin’ or as in my case, just a little spiffing up, give Dr. H a try. You’ll be smiling big in no time.

I just finished my treatments with Dr. Handelman for invisalign. Overall I was very pleased with the care and attention that he gave my teeth. I definitely recommend him and his staff is very caring and great to see on a monthly basis. His office is also conveniently located in the loop.