OrthoWorks Invisalign and Braces

I started my treatment in January 2014 and had them removed in January 2016 which was exactly two years. I was given the option to choose between the plastic retainers or the wire retainers. I chose the clear ones. After your orthodontic treatment you are instructed to wear them ²⁴⁄₇ unless if you are eating. I would be lying if I did adhere to the treatment plan and as a result my teeth shifted quickly.
Two days ago, I was concerned with the way my teeth looked and so I booked an appointment to see Dr. Shen. He took a look at my teeth and showed me before and after photos. Being a good listener and a patient advocate makes a good health care provider and I knew that he was a good doctor when he sat down when me and listened to all of my concerns and even allowed me to choose between two treatment plans without quoting me an outrageous fee. He was also very flexible with allowing me to begin my braces treatment again after I come back from vacation in August 2016. Dr. Shen is a wonderful orthodontist and a true role model to all health care providers. I really admire his success as a businessman and doctor.

We took the BART from Oakley. Super easy to walk from BART, about 5 mins or so.
The office is in a old beautiful building, up 24 floors. It does have a waiting room that seats 10.
Received a warm welcome upon arriving (40 mins early).

Hands down a great experience. The workers were friendly and welcoming. I was a bit skeptical about using Invisalign but now I’m definitely recommending it to anyone thinking about fixing the alignment of their teeth. Thank you guys for fixing my smile!

I’m one year into my treatment, and I’m very happy with the results so far. Because this was my second time wearing braces (the first time was WAY back in high school), I wanted to get it right and researched all of my options carefully. After considering Invisalign (expensive; increased risk of cavities) and lingual braces (very expensive; my friend had a noticeable lisp for what seemed like months; supposedly slower to straighten teeth), I selected ceramic braces since they were more reasonably priced, and less obvious compared to stainless steel brackets. May, the office manager, was patient and helpful as I explored my options and asked a million questions. I also signed up for a CareCredit payment plan where I pay a fixed amount every month for 24 months, and I use my HSA plan through my job to pay for the braces (due to the tax savings, my true out of pocket cost is much lower).
The staff is friendly and efficient (hi to Phan, Nancy, Pamela, and Rowena), and the orthodontists are skilled (I mainly work with Dr. Nguyen; Drs, Yoon, Shen, and Tomer have been great too). During my initial consultation, Dr. Yoon predicted a 24 month treatment time, and I’m on track to meet, if not beat, this target. The key is to follow their directions religiously (avoid no-​no foods like toffee; floss every night; wear rubber bands as instructed). Despite the many annoyances of having braces (discomfort after the every-​six-​week adjustments; discomfort from wearing rubber bands; getting the spacers in the beginning was painful; having to avoid many types of food because of the risk of popping off a bracket…), I’m still glad I got them. My teeth are so much straighter, my bite is better aligned, and my dentist even said my dental health will improve. Thank you, Orthoworks!

The staffs here are amazing are always cheerful. Pamela, who consulted with me during my initial visit was extremely helpful when I had doubts of getting braces. A year and a half later, my teeth are almost completely straight and my underbite is fixed without the need of surgery. This place is easily one of my favorites not only because they monitor your progress every step of the way, they are very transparent about treatment time, billing, and scheduling. Today, I met Dr. Nguyen (pronounced «WIN») who was friendly and professional. She took care of my adjustments, and made sure I walked out pain free. Kudos to this team!

I began my orthodontic work with Orthoworks in January 2016 and they have made what is an uncomfortable experience as easy as possible to deal with. The team are amazing, super friendly and complete experts, always explaining the goal of the check up, how much progress is being made and are excellent at keeping you motivated even whilst you’ve got metal in your mouth.
My treatment involves incognito (behind the teeth) braces and I have also used their Propel treatment to quicken things up and the results have already been amazing. In just 4 months I can see huge differences already. They don’t mess about!
Their schedules are also very accommodating, if I arrive early or late they always make sure I am seen to quickly.
Two huge thumbs up from me.

Good company for braces in San Francisco
I like my new Braces pain full but got better not painful no more

May from Ortho Works is very nice very understanding about my situation. I came here recommended by my another patient (my younger sibling) & they gave me a family discount which helped us alot with the payment process. I’m go glad I came to Orthoworks! I would recommend this specific office to anyone I know. You won’t be disappointed! I guarantee you they will help you with any process you need. I’m 30 yrs old in a week I can’t believe I waited this long to get my braces done but here I am and I’m thankful I went forward with this decision. Orthworks is the best & I can’t wait for the end results of my teeth finally being straight.

I would like to thank Dr Shen and his team for kindly fixing the wire that was sticking out, free of charge. Even though I got my braces done in Japan and it was my first time going there, Dr Shen knew exactly how to fix it and he seemed very knowledgable about my teeth. Again, thank you so much for your kindness!

Very disappointed with my past experience with Orthoworks. The staff was unfriendly and I wish I made a better choice on who to go to for Invisalign/​braces.
I stopped my treatment with them after a year. Waste of my time and money.
Try Dr. Salins in South San Francisco instead! My smile looks amazing!!!

I got braces from Orthoworks back in 8^th grade. Over the years I’ve A. stopped wearing my retainer because of mocking schoolmates B. Lost my retainer C. somehow retainer broke. Anyways after getting reamed each time for replacements and dealing with shitty treatment from the staff I am never coming back here. Horrible location, rude staff, bait and switch office hours. If I need my teeth fixed again and/​or magically lose my retainer I am going to another orthodontist regardless of their price. I’m not paying more for shoddy treatment.
Bite me, Orthoworks.

Have been with them for years and it’s been great! Dr. Shen remembers me and all the other patients and cares about how we take care of our teeth and smiles. I love the invisalign that enabled me to go about my everyday life without feeling awkward or discomforted by the braces. Once, I missed my morning appointment, for semi-​annual retainer check up, and was able to reschedule for the afternoon instead. Dr. Shen and everyone at Orthoworks are very professional and friendly!

Hands down the best orthodonic office in San Francisco. Seriously, don’t even waste your time looking for anyone else. Dr. Shen and his team are your new brace fairies.
The entire staff from reception to billing are fast, efficient, and very friendly. Also, Dr. Shen has to be the kindest and most calming person I’ve ever met. Also, even though this office is very busy (waiting room is always packed!) I have never had to wait longer than 5 minutes for my appointment. They are that efficient.

Dr. Shen and his team are literally the BEST! not only did they welcome me with open arms but they still saw me under weird circumstances. weird meaning before I saw Dr. Shen I already had braces but because my treating dentist had to leave the country I has no where else to go! I had no idea what to do. But after Dr. Shen saw me he saif he was still able to continue my treatment. That being said, not many dentist likes to pick up after another dentists leftovers because they don’t know what their initial treatment plan was. Dr. Shen did not even hesitate or think twice about taking me as his patient. So, yes they are awesome! The staff there is super friendly and really courteous to you and there is like no one in there who doesn’t smile. Haha well obviously besides the patients but the staff there are awesome. Initially, I felt really weird in his office because of how «open» it was and the other person is like 3 feet away from you. But after going ther several times I got used to it already! And I’ve recommended one of my friends to go here as well. :D so Thank You Dr. Shen and his staff!!!

i’m half way through my invisalign treatment and so far i’m not sure abt how it’s working yet, but i am pretty happy with the service i’ve gotten so far aside from my invisalign treatment which i’ll update my review after the treatment is complete.
–the wait is usually fairly short which im happy abt. since there’s always a never ending wait at doc’s office.
–staff members are always friendly and attentive. they’re efficient!
the only thing i’m iffy abt is that i requested Dr. Shen to be my main doc and i only saw him on my 1^st appointment –_​-​…
it could be the fact that my appointments after my 1^st one have been always scheduled around evening and he happened to not be around… but i thought i should at least see him from time to time…

The staff at orthoworks are very friendly and helpful.
I started off at the Geary branch but needed Saturday apppintments due to school conflicts and the staff helped me switch to the downtown branch to get saturday appointments for my covenience!

I did research at a few places and decided to settle on Orthoworks because of a variety of reason.
1. Positive reputation:
Positive review and also recommendations from other people. I guess Unilocal came to the rescue with this one… I literally read each and every single review on this thing. I wanted to know what kind of practice this was, and whether the satisfaction of the patients was held in the highest regard. After getting treatment (still am), I have to admit, this is still true to a high degree. They care about their patients a lot which speaks volumes
2. Experience and knowledge from the doctors:
Ive had the opportunity to be treated by Dr. Trinh and Dr. Shen. Dr. Trinh was a blessing to this place (hes left i believe) and along with Dr. Shen, were both very meticulous about answering and helping me to whatever I need. Yes, it is a very scary process and I want to know everything going in my teeth. New technology coming out? Sure. Got a question about why they are putting this crap in between my teeth? You got it. They know what they are doing and have never crossed the line that made me feel silly.
3. Consultation:
The consultation was a great process… very easy onboarding and they did not try to shove a contract down your throat. They were aggressive, but it was very in line with what I was looking for so it was merely which option I was going to go with. I felt that they were not desperate for my business and had a lot of offices going on in the bay area. that is a sign of a successful practice
THESE FACTS ALONE should warrant them a 5 star.
That said, there were a few things that needs to be noted… I mean, i DID post up a 4 star.
1. Assistants lack of sensitivity:
My lord, sometimes they forget that they are working with the inside of my teeth. I would Highly highly recommend that they tone it down a notch and be sensitive when working on my already oversensitive teeth (teeth gets sensitive after braces are on them, new concept right? lol). There have been many occasions where the new wires were shoved into my teeth and I had to scream to tell them to chill out with the strength of their grip. Maybe thats why the doctors make the assisants do this portion… SOMEONES gotta be the bad cop.
2. Pricing
Alright alright, not much of a point here, but i know that i was paying a heftier amount of dollars to my my braces done here. I know its a much higher premium, but damn it still hurts!!! lol, geezus, lower your prices already Dr. Shen, sheesh!
3. Please refer back to point #1 about the strength of the assistant’s hands lol
***Overall***: I opted to come because of the doctors and after visiting, i return mainly FOR the doctors. Their level of professionalism and knowledge makes me respect this practice and recommend others to come if they want to have it DONE RIGHT

I haven’t been to many doctors, dentists, or any other private medical practices, but I do think Orthoworks is probably one of the best thought-​of ideas in the field. They put a bunch of orthodontists together and open a bunch of offices in the Bay Area. This way appointment times can be very flexible and tailored to your busy schedule.
The flexibility also means that there is high probability that you will be seen by a different orthodontist during each visit. Initially I was concerned about this but they made sure that all the doctors would have access to my file, thus any of them will know the progress of my treatment at any given time. If you are particularly attached to one of them (cough-​cough Dr. Lam cough-​cough), you can pick and choose your appointment to match his/​her schedule, so no huge deal.
Their accounting/​finance department does a great job at maximizing your insurance. Their website also gives you access to your account and your appointment times, both past and future. To say they have the system down is an understatement.
So with all my singing praises, why the four stars and not five? Well…, I’m not a fan of some of the doctors. I feel that some of them need a crash course in bedside (chairside?) manners. I know that I need to floss more often, but couldn’t you simply tell me instead of chiding me? Because making me feel like an eight-​year old doesn’t necessarily speed up my treatment. Or does it? Hmm…

From the moment I set up my Orthoworks appointment, the staff were courteous, respectful and helpful. The staff remembers my name and greets me with a smile. Once I left my lunch there and they called me to tell me.
I chose Orthoworks because they have a long history working with Invisalign aligners. I’m almost through and, although I was a difficult case, the teeth are looking GREAT!

I’ve been meaning to write this for the last 6 months. Braces off, I have THE most amazing smile now. Seriously, I never dreamed I’d ever have straight even teeth and they look fabulous! They performed a miracle. Fixing my underbite w/​o surgery and to some extent fixing my profile. I smile more now and feel a lot more confident when I speak to people because they’re not looking at my big ol’ gaps.
Removal of braces is never fun, it hurts, it’s scary but they did it pretty efficiently. My friend had me terrified as she said her removal was bloody but that didn’t happen at all. The best part was their polish job to get the glue off. Dr. Truong ROCKS for that. In fact, I went to my dentist soon after and she was amazed that they did such a good polish job. So I have a removeable top retainer and a fixed bottom one. They had to repair it once but glued it back in just fine.
My only gripes which don’t outweigh the fact they FIXED MY HORRID GRILL are:
*They charge separately for x-​rays on top of all the money you throw at them for braces
*No good freebies, my cousin had braces around the same time I did, her orthodonist gave her a SonicCare toothbrush when she got started and a ton of candy when she was done, I just got pack of gum :(
*Their offices are scattered everywhere and only open on certain days, so when there were some emergencies (e.g. poking wire) I had to go all the way to San Bruno or Hercules. (I’m not faulting them for the poking wires, that’s just a part of having braces for some folks).
*I’d get different doctors a few times throughout which made me feel a bit neglected, but whatever they’re doing it must go well and they must have decent communication because for the most part they were all on the same page regarding my treatment.
So yep, I didn’t feel too price gouged and I’m going about my business with my lovely new smile which in the end is most important :)