UCSF Orthodontic Practice

I had an Express Invisalign treatment (approximately 10 weeks long) after seeing my teeth shift noticeably. Yeap, the results of not wearing my retainer after my teenage metal braces years. My main complaints were about my lower teeth, which looked like they were leaning over one side, as well as an uneven bite. Dr. Castle was able to resolve all of that! Not only did my husband notice the change, but my general dentist complimented the work, which is a solid professional thumbs up. Now, I am wearing Vivera religiously to preserve the alignment.
If you conclude your Invisalign treatment through UCSF, I highly recommend that you ask for the Vivera retainer because my non-​Vivera alternative cracked and got worn down after a few months of grinding. All patients are different, but my husband’s dentist informed me that Vivera is much stronger than my non-​Vivera alternative. In the end, I was able to obtain Vivera, so that was resolved nicely. All in all, very satisfied with UCSF.
During a rare scheduling mix-​up, I was assigned to Dr. I Chen for a retainer check-​up, but I enjoyed meeting him, too– very funny and skilled during my short encounter.

I wish I could give 6 or 10 stars! I have had the most positive dental experience with UCSF. Over the past 6 months or so, Dr. Castle has provided me with Invisalign treatments that have yielded amazing results, even in that short time span. My family and friends have been impressed with the results and I feel great! I have never waited more than 5 minutes for an appointment and Dr. Castle actually makes visiting the dentist pleasant! He and his team have always been helpfully accommodating to my work schedule. The costs are very reasonable relatively, too.
Given the nature of this kind of treatment, I really can’t say enough glowing things about my experience.

I originally put this review on Dr Chen’s current location of business, ‘The Daily Orthodontist’ in Daly City, but it was pulled because it ‘lacked firsthand customer experience’, since, I presume, our experience was from when Dr Chen was working at UCSF. Since i think it is important, I’m reposting it here instead:
Dr James Chen is a very cheerful and positive person and orthodontist. He likes to say that he treats his patients as family. Judging from the website he thinks very highly of himself and his ‘long academic career’, scientific interest and humanitarian mission to Guatemala.
Our family also experienced another side of Dr Chen. He was my son’s orthodontist at the Orthodontics Department of UCSF from April 2012 until August 2013, after we came there for a second opinion. I found out about Dr Chen’s current employment when I sent in a complaint to the California Dental Board concerning my son’s treatment at UCSF.
In the spring of 2012 my son was 14 years old with two impacted canines. Both teeth had a curious resorption going on that had me very worried and that I kept asking about. I only got indulgent smiles from Dr Chen in response.
Dr Chen never wrote a comment on the resorption in my son’s records as we discovered later. He never did a model of the teeth. He did not document results of tests or consultations with other professors, he never did a proper periapical of the canines.
We did do a CBCT, computer imaging of the teeth, that Dr Chen said was for the surgeon and, as we understood too late, Dr Chen was not competent in analyzing the images. The CBCT would have been a valuable tool in evaluating the resorption and what to do, but it was never analyzed even though it cost $ 388 and subjected my son to radiation.
After 5 months of trying to get the canines to emerge, my son had a second surgery. It turned out that that the surgeon, Dr Janice Lee, had not seen the CBCT that she ordered with Dr Chen, was unaware of the resorption and had obviously not even looked closely at the older panorama’s or discussed my son’s case with Dr Chen even though their departments were located in the same building.
In the summer of 2013, after reading orthodontic articles by an expert on impacted canines, I became aware of conditions like ICRR (invasive cervical root resorption) and PEIR (preeruptive intracorontal resorption). I emailed Dr Chen and first got no response. I emailed Dr Adrian Becker in Jerusalem, the author, and got immediate, very interested and thoughtful responses. Dr Chen eventually said that the information I forwarded him was ‘pretty interesting’, but he would have to ‘familiarize’ himself with the condition first.
Three weeks later we were driving home from summer vacation to make it to our son’s orthodontic appointment the next day, hoping Dr Chen would have some answers for us, when Dr Chen cancelled the appointment by email because of ‘restructuring of the clinic’ and goes off to Guatemala and China.
You can read information on impacted canines and the full and ongoing story of my
son’s ordeal with Orthodontics on a website I made:
Our experience with Dr Chen was very disappointing and in retrospect it is clear that he was very interested in furthering his career and resume, but not very caring or competent to our son as a patient.

Extremely impressed with results. Got braces done by a third year student in my middle school years. Treatment was over in under two years. Friendly staff and great price.

Although a bit unclear about pricing until it was time for me to pay (I paid for some things in advance), I was quite impressed! Fast, friendly, and affordable! I certainly trust Dr. Nelson, he’s fantastic.

I have nothing but great things to say about the staff and faculty at UCSF orthodontics. They have gone above and beyond to cater to my needs as a patient. I have been with them for a little over a year now and you start to feel like a family during your months visits. Dr. Lucas and Dr. Chen have taken great care of me and have been very diligent about giving me great results with my braces. They have great attitudes and are very professional. The nurses are funny and accommodating. Ok. My orthodontist is funny too. Sometimes (hahaha). The price is great and I am already thrilled with the results they have given me so far as I’m a little over halfway through my treatment.

Don’t waste your time or energy.
Apparently, asking the staff member to look up a phone number for an insurance provider that most UC staff have, is a hassle… and management’s email response to my concern, «I’m not sure why you see that as inappropriate», simply supports the poor customer service behavior.
I’ll pay a thousand extra to go to a seasoned professional in a high tech modern office, where I won’t be treated like an inconvenience.
Thanks for saving me months of additional headaches!
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Email to UCSF Ortho
Dear UCSF Othodontist Managment–
This morning I came I as a new patient to see someone about braces and
had so much trouble at check in that I left.
I didn’t have my whole medical history on me and this was off-​putting to the
woman reviewing my forms. Additinally I didn’t have the group number for the
University’s Delta Dental PPO, as they do not provide UC employees with that
information or an ID card.
I asked if the woman behind the counter could look up the number for Delta for
me, so that I could call and get my ID number from them, she nodded and then
responded with, «your visit is 50.00». I told her that I Understood the visit
was covered, to which she replied, «you don’t have your insurance number so
you have to pay.» I left without receiving any services from UCSF.
I came to UCSF, because I’m also a UC employee and I wanted to support the
University’s teaching mission.
Today really left me feeling like that was a mistake.
I gave up on getting any answers or help from the staff at the counter and
left without seeing the orthodontist.
— — — — — — — — — — —
UCSF’s response:
I am sorry to hear that you felt uncomfortable with your visit to the UCSF Orthodontic Clinic.
The front desk staff follows my protocol for a new patient visit. If they cannot establish the source of the insurance they will post a payment. If it turns out later that your insurance is valid, then the payment would be returned. I’m not sure why you see that as inappropriate.
You mentioned that you could not ‘get any answer’ from our staff member. If you would like information, please contact ***** who supervises our front desk personnel.
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I found UCSF’s orthodontic clinic while researching places that offered Invisalign. After getting quotes from Orthoworks and several other private practices (~$ 6700), I decided to go with UCSF based on price ($ 4200) and its proximity to my workplace. Note that prices have probably increased, as I was given this quote over 2 years ago.
I originally thought that I would be seen by a dental student, but was mistaken. The receptionist assigned me to a new faculty member — Dr. Maria Orellana — who had years of experience as an orthodontist but was new to UCSF and accepting patients at the time.
Dr. Orellana is a wonderful lady and a skilled professional. She has a PhD in dental research in addition to a dental degree because she is really passionate about teeth. Props to her!
During my visits, I never had to wait more than 20 minutes to be seen, but come prepared with a book or reading material to make the most of your time. Admittedly, Dr. Orellana is a very busy lady, but her assistant Sonja helps out whenever possible and is extremely good at her job, too. The atmosphere can be a little chaotic at times, but usually everyone is really friendly and you can hear lively salsa music in the background.
Lastly, the Invisialign treatment worked like a charm, and my lower set of teeth are now straight. I have to go back a few times for follow up appointments where she adjusts my retainers but this has also been a smooth process.
In addition to accepting most types of insurance, the clinic also offers an interest free payment plan which makes Invisialign treatment very affordable. I highly recommend UCSF’s orthodontic clinic for its fair prices, professional and knowledgeable staff, and excellent quality of service.