Robert Chong, Gregory Chong, Alan Chong, DDS

I love the dentistry. It took a long time to find a good dentist in this city. But I do have one significant criticism.
They NEVER answer their phone when you call their office. Making any appointment with this practice usually involve aggravating phone tag. So, while the dentistry is excellent and professional the office itself is not run professionally at the front desk.

Still think they are great dentists – although I haven’t met Dr. Alan yet. It’s nice to think that should my original Dr. Robert Chong ever decide he wants to retire, there are 2 equally good sons to take over his patients (hate having to start brand new with a brand new dentist or doctor). I just wish they’d get some sort of online bill payment system going. I don’t have a printer so every time I have to pay their bill, I have to go look for someplace that I can make a photocopy so I can have a copy and I can return the copy they need for proper credit.

Coming here made me realize how good I had it back in La Jolla. I really miss my dentists there. I never had an issue there about what my visit would be classified as, what procedures I would get, and what kind of billing statement I would receive.
Not the case here.
I have only been seen by Dr. Robert Chong and I think his clinical skills are excellent; I enjoyed how he spent the time talking to me about how to read my X-​rays, what comprises a tooth, what he recommends should be the next steps for my treatment, etc. He really ought to teach in some capacity because I think he has a natural gift for it. When I mentioned this to him, he went on and on about how academia doesn’t pay (which it doesn’t) and just general $ issues and how dental school doesn’t teach its graduates about how to operate a business and $ and $ and more $.
All that talk about $ wasn’t the only bad taste that was left in my mouth.
I got billed heavily for a «comprehensive oral exam» (i.e., Dr. Chong talking to me about what I outlined above). While I appreciated his information, I’d rather spend the time reading this stuff up on Wikipedia rather than getting charged for it and not being told up front that I would be charged for it.

As a new San Francisco resident I was looking for a dentist in the area for my six month checkup. I looked on Unilocal and saw that Dr. Chong had great reviews so I thought I would check him out. Turns out it’s a family practice so I went with Dr Greg.
He did a thorough check of my teeth and gums and said I have quite a bit of plaque built up in areas that are hard to get to and he was worried about my gums receding so he wants to send me to a periodontist for a possible deep cleaning. I did tell him that I see the dentist every six months and am very diligent about brushing my teeth with an electric toothbrush twice a day and flossing every day. I have been going to my last dentist for years and he has never said I need a deep cleaning or that my gums were abnormally receding.
Dr. Greg said I’ll have a periodontist in West Portal give a second opinion and I’ll see you in a year. I thought is he just passing me off to a periodontist and doesn’t even want to bother with me? Turns out the periodontist he recommended did a few hard pokes said I need a deep cleaning and then charged me close to $ 200 for about 10 minutes of her time. My confidence level in Dr. Greg has slipped because of this experience and I’ll look for a dentist elsewhere.

Pros: Good consultation about procedure needed
Cons: Difficult to communicate with office staff (seems like someone), Billing practice seemed bad and no one explained billing/​insurance well.
I saw Dr. Chong in 1’st week of July. It was my first appointment as a new patient. One of my tooth chipped off and hence I wanted to figure out next course of treatment. I didn’t have any pain or swelling when I took Dr. Chong’s appointment. Dr. Chong examined broken tooth, took one X-​Ray of broken tooth and recommended implant procedure. I was satisfied with consultation, but their billing practice left me unhappy. They classified visit under emergency (D9110) even though it didn’t look like an emergency:
* Saw him after taking an appointment
* Had no pain or swelling
* No procedure was performed, but just initial consultation and X-​Ray (was charged separately)

My review is for Dr. Alan Chong.
I have always had a fear of dentists so I haven’t had a regular check up in well over 7 years but due to my sudden move to Orange County AND an unfortunate timing of a filling breaking off, I needed to rush to have a check up before my insurance was gone.
I called this office due to the high ratings but I felt bad being a new client and not maintaining my clientele with them. They didn’t mind that I’d be a one time client and they understood that I needed to come in as soon as possible. The receptionist was able to book me only a couple days later.
The waiting room itself is a bit dark with no windows and the lighting wasn’t amazing, but the receptionists were very welcoming and helpful with my questions. Now onto my experience with Dr. Alan Chong.
He is SUPER friendly and we had a lot of general chit chat to talk about which was very welcoming to my timidness. I apologized that he gets the wrath of 7 years of no dentists visit but he didn’t mind at all. He quickly looked over my teeth and x-​rays and let me know what I needed done which was only one minor cavity to be filled, a crown for my broken cavity and a cleaning which was surprising to me (go me!).
He walked me through how much my insurance would cover, how much I will owe and how much different types of fillings would cost before beginning any procedures. He then explained the crowning process and that I’ll need to visit another dentist in Orange County to put a crown on the buildup he did that appointment.
Dr. Alan Chong was able to clean my teeth on this first visit and create my buildup. He scheduled my second appointment for a week later to fill in my cavity. The x-​rays, explanations and procedures took roughly two hours total and the second appointment for my filling took only an hour. I was super nervous for the injections as that’s what caused my childhood fear of dentists and Dr. Chong made it so painless that I didn’t even feel much, if any of the needle. He was really thoughtful of the uncomfortableness I was having while he was grinding away at the ice age silver fillings I had and even gave me plenty more numbness to make it all go away.
Last but not least, we exchanged email addresses so that he can send me my xrays for my future dentist who places the crown. The best part? He is super responsive to his emails for any questions you may have.
TLDR: I highly recommend Dr. Alan Chong. He is very friendly and can talk nerdy to any fellow gamers, he is gentle to those who are apprehensive of dentists, great at emailing, and explains all procedures and payments beforehand.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend. I wish I were still in San Francisco to continue my checkups and have him finish his crown work himself.

I recently decided to go with Chong, Chong & Chong after not having visited any dentist in 7 years. There were a variety of reasons that this was so, but one of the major deterrents was the difficulty finding a reliable dentist who wouldn’t be trying to up sell me throughout the cleaning.
Well, I couldn’t be more stoked to have had an appointment with Alan! He was super kind, gentle on my sensitive teeth and he also had a good sense of humor. He explained EVERYTHING he was doing or about to do in a way that was extremely anxiety relieving.
And, I noticed that I was tense throughout — waiting for the suggestion that braces might be helpful (despite my exceptionally straight teeth, this HAS happened) or waiting for that moment when he shows me the scary video about how if I don’t get a $ 5000 cleaning, my teeth will rot and fall out of my mouth (also happened) — but he never did any of that! He simply said my teeth looked really great, did a thorough cleaning and I had to ask him to let me know when six months had passed because I *wanted* to come back. WHAT?!
All this to say, I am quite impressed and Alas was, hands down, the best dentist I have seen in my adult life.

Been a patient when I was working as a tech for ucsf, now I’m a student and still see Greg. It’s been over 7 years. Had to take a year off recently and had insurance issues, gave me a discount and was super nice about it. Was a fan before, now a super fan. Only feedback is one time I had his dad for a cleaning and it was more painful than Greg.

Very nice staff. I had gone in just for a regular teeth cleaning and Dr. Robert Chong went the extra mile without my even asking to get rid of a bunch of glue left over from some orthodontic work that I was originally going to schedule an orthodontist appointment for.

When I got a new dental plan I decided to look for a new dentist. The Chong family practice is near me and is in my insurance network, but it was the great Unilocal reviews that made me decide to try it. Luckily for me the Chongs were able to accept a new patient. I’ve only visited twice for routine checkups and cleanings, and so far the practice lives up to its excellent reviews. Dr. Alan Chong treated me, and he and his staff have been friendly and professional. He has given me clear explanations of the status of my teeth and gums. He offered to clean my night guard (I’m a tooth-​grinder). When he found out I like to hike, he even printed out a map of a trail he and his wife enjoy hiking — nice! I recommend the Chongs for a dental experience that’s actually pleasant.

I am moving away from SF, and couldn’t leave without recommending the Chong family. Over the course of 4 years I had routine care delivered by all three dentists, and can say that they — as well as the hygienists, and support staff — work beautifully as a team. Based on your schedule and preference, you may settle on one Dr., as I did eventually, with Alan Chong. Alan performed meticulous cleanings himself, while giving sound, easy-​to-​follow hygienic advice, and working with me to get the most out of my deductible (when I needed to use it). I am very self-​conscious — to my detriment, often — but Alan put me at ease with a chair-​side manner that I can only describe as «universally agreeable». I can tell it runs in the family :-) I will truly miss the care, honesty, and kindness of this office.

I saw Dr. Alan Chong and I was very happy with the treatment I received. He was very talkative, encouraging and straight-​forward. I got an excellent cleaning after an extended break from dental care. He gave me good advice, a seriously thorough (slightly painful, but not too bad considering it is dental work) cleaning and polish.
I highly recommend their office. They are professional and committed to serving their patients. What more can you ask for?

I have always been … hmm … OK, I’ll say it … AFRAID of dentists. Pain, the sound of that dental drill, you know what I mean, right? Well, after seeing Dr. Chong, the fear is gone. Now I am upset I only had two cavities. Dr. Chong is an old-​school dentist with a great sense of humor. And everyone else in his office is super nice.

I’ve been going to see this dentist for 3 years! Same great service.
Dr. Chong always takes the time to make me feel comfortable, taken care of, and that I’m in good hands with a dedicated professional.
Highly recommended, even if that means the usual 1 – 2 weeks wait for an appointment gets longer!
This is the dentist for all who care about the best for their teeth!

I haven’t seen a dentist since moving to SF 9 months ago, but I had a filling fall out, so suddenly I needed an urgent appointment. I came here based on other positive reviews, and I have to add one of my own! First, the office assistant was very thorough on the phone to find out if my insurance would cover the visit. After an hour, she called me back to let me know that they didn’t accept my insurance, and she apologized for assuming I would be covered. (In the meantime, I was doing my own research to find out that my crappy dental HMO only listed the very worst dentists!) So, I asked what the fee would be to pay out of pocket and be seen anyway. She called back to assure me that the dentist said he would work with me.
I was so pleased with my visit. Dr. Robert Chong was incredibly thorough and kind as he took only one needed x-​ray, and explained the exact procedure. He is incredibly knowledgeable and enjoys teaching as he works, which serves as a nice distraction, helps to relax you, and you learn something too. He completed my work in about 45 minutes and never felt rushed, or condescending. His fees were totally reasonable and his demeanor was worth hundreds.
I would certainly come back to this office, and gladly pay out of pocket again, just to be certain I can get this kind of treatment. Thank you Doctors Chong!

Dr. Chong is one of the best dentist. He’s super attentive, spends a lot of time with patients just during routine cleaning, uses the latest technology. I’ve been extremely please with him and would recommend him to everyone. My sister-​in-​law who used to live in SF recommended me to Dr. Chong. She now lives in Seattle, but when comes to visit, she’s sure to schedule a dental appt while in town.

Great dentistry. Hands down. This is highly recommended by a lot of my friends who currently attend UCSF med and dental school. I have to say even with my high expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. I saw Dr. Alan Chong. I believe he is the new addition to the family run practice.
The procedures I underwent was somewhat technically challenging, and required local anesthesia. I did not feel any pain even though Dr. Chong was very thorough and methodical. He also explained all the procedures to me which was very helpful.
The fact they receive five consistently reflects the quality of service.

This review is for Dr. Gregory Chong.
I hadn’t been to the dentist for about 3 years as of last week. I kept putting it off because thoughts of going to the dentist used to make me uncomfortable. Not anymore! Dr. Gregory Chong is an extremely personable and obviously very knowledgeable dentist. He is very interested in getting to know his patients and spent almost 10 minutes getting to know me during my first visit.
I had to go back to his office today to have a filling drilled out and replaced because it had cracked. I was a little apprehensive about the drilling, but he put me at ease by chatting about his most recent adventures in Tahoe with his son and his hobby as a photographer. When beginning the procedure, Greg and his assistant proceeded very carefully at first to be absolutely sure I felt no pain at all. Greg was excellent at keeping a conversation going to distract me from the fact he was drilling in my mouth. This turned what could have been a very unpleasant visit into an «almost» enjoyable one :)
Overall, Dr. Gregory Chong is an excellent dentist and a great guy. I highly recommend his services.
P. S. If you are a UCSF student, he accepts student health insurance and is very conveniently located right next to the Grey Shuttle drop-​off in Parnassus.

This review is for both Dr. Alan Chong and the office in general. Since Dr. Alan is new, his name has not been added to the business, but I just wanted to let Unilocalers know that he is great dentist too! So this is a family business, started by Dr. Robert Chong in the 70s. Then his song Dr. Greg Chong joined in late 90s. Now the other brother, Dr. Alan Chong also joined the practice, although I believe he is still pretty new (joined in August this year I think?).
I have had some great dentist in the past and some not so great ones. I have to say that Dr. Alan Chong and the practice are both great! You get a very friendly and warm vibe coming here. The receptionist and the hygienist are all very helpful and friendly. They called me 3 times before my first appointment to make sure my insurance stuff is in order and that I understand my benefits and costs. Dr. Alan is very patient and friendly. He tries to get to know you as a patient and take the time to explain all the details regarding dental work with you. He also shares his life story with you so you get to know your dentist and feel comfortable with him too. During the cleaning and the filling, Dr. Alan and the hygienist always check how I was feeling and never hesitated answering my trivial questions.
I know that this practice is not just about making money because I mentioned to Dr. Alan that my last dentist suggested 3 different fillings, after careful examination, Dr. Alan explained to me to that he only recommend 1 filling and monitor some of the other minor issues. He also explain to you what type of materials he recommend and give you materials to read about the pros & cons about the different materials.
I will be continue going to this practice and based on my experiences with no less than 4 dentists in the past, I highly recommend this practice.

I love Dr. Greg Chong!
Literally my first check-​up with him led to me needing a root canal… yikes, but I couldn’t have been in better hands. He’s very thorough, practical, and great company when you’re stuck taking care of your bad teeth.
Also, he was very helpful in terms of working with the insurance to help cover my root canal and ease the surprise costs.
Highly recommend him if you’re looking for a dentist!