I didn't get braces until a couple years after college and was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, since (a) I knew I would likely need four teeth extracted in order to make room (in addition to the four wisdom teeth I had already extracted a few years earlier), and (b) by that age I had heard a number of horror stories of orthodontics gone wrong. While asking around, I heard of some who had to get braces twice, because their first orthodontist had messed up. I've heard of cases that took too long (5+ years), and others where the orthodontists took risks to meet the deadlines they over-promised (moving teeth too quickly can cause root resorption, look it up). After speaking to a number of people, more than three - including a stranger I sat next to on a plane - suggested Dr. Chin's office, so I made an appointment with Dr. Chin, and boy am I so glad I did. For the next 2.5 years, I saw Dr. Chin monthly as he guided me through the entire process. I worked in San Mateo at the time, which made weekday appointments less convenient, but thankfully Dr. Chin offers Saturday hours once a month, matching the frequency most patients need. Dr. Chin has excellent bedside manners, genuinely cares about his patients, and demonstrates a true passion for his work. Dr. Chin has decades of experience and, from what I could tell (and to be clear, I'm not qualified to evaluate), seems to take a conservative approach in his treatments. Over the years, I've gotten the sense that Dr. Chin continues practicing every day because he enjoys the work. He's not out to make a buck off someone and his prices are very reasonable. (Sometimes, younger dentists have greater financial pressures that impact the way they practice.) To this day, I recommend Dr. Chin to anyone who ever asks about orthodontics in San Francisco, including my younger sister who went to Dr. Chin on my recommendation and is also happy with her outcome. If you're thinking about braces, make an appointment with Dr. Chin. He'll do a great job for you, just as he had done for me. read more

I am writing review for Dr. Harry Chin and Dr. Melissa Chin. They are the best orthodontists. They are very patient, very nice, very friendly, very professional, attentive to your concerns, and detailed to get best results. They do really care for their patients. I am a general dentist. I definitely will choose Dr. Chin over other orthodontists. You will not regret choosing them. All office staffs are very nice and professional. read more

In 2015, Dr. Harry Chin (at office: 2000 Van Ness Ave. San Francisco) evaluated my 10 year old daughter for braces treatment and said it would take 4 years, to which I agreed. By Nov. 2020, her teeth were still not straight. My daughter asked a dentist for a second opinion as to why her teeth were not straight yet, and was advised to talk to Dr. Chin about pulling some teeth to make room for straightening. After alerting Dr. Chin, he said to have four teeth pulled out to make room for teeth straightening (he should have done this from the get-go to avoid having all of her teeth crammed together and compromised teeth health). During the braces treatment, I periodically asked Dr. Chin how things were going. He kept on telling me that everything was fine and that the braces treatment will be done soon. As time progressed, he tried to blame her for a tongue thrusting problem and insisted that she sees a specialist located above his office. To avoid a conflict of interest in seeing someone he knew, I asked him to put it in writing so she can seek a specialist elsewhere. He refused to put it in writing and continued with her braces treatment. She got several second opinions and no tongue thrusting problem was found. It appeared that he was trying to falsify a tongue thrusting problem to deflect from his prolonged braces treatment on my daughter. Then he lied that her braces were ready to be removed but we objected for no reason. I took pictures of every time she attended an orthodontic appointment along with her teeth/bite to track attendance and teeth progress. The pictures showed that she still had an open bite (when upper teeth closed down on lower teeth, a bunch of teeth did not touch, leaving an open gap/unhealthy bite). After about 7 years, he removed her braces and used a positioner to try to correct her open bite. The positioner failed to correct the open bite, so he removed it and put braces back on her teeth. After such a long period of wearing braces, she had a problem with one of her tooth's root, which required a root canal. She was a great patient. Overall, she went to her appointments consistently, and in the few occasions when she was ill, upon recovery, she followed up with her appointments. During her braces treatment, first she had to wear a removable ortho pendulum appliance, then a headgear, and rubber bands, all of which she wore according to instructions and diligently. In Feb. 2024, after 8 years of braces treatment, she finally had her braces removed at the age of over 18. Based on our experience with Dr. Chin, we found him to be dishonest, cruel, immoral, unethical, incompetent, etc.. Basically, not only that he did not fulfill his duty of care, but he had committed a breach of contract (turned a 4 year contract into a 8 year contract), gross negligence and malpractice. Furthermore, he told us that he was retiring this year but upon looking up his dental license which was due to expire earlier this year, he renewed his dental license again to allow him to practice orthodontic for the next two years (just one lie after another). Even though he had refunded our money, he can never repay the pain and suffering he had caused and the livelihood he had robbed from my daughter, his young patient. In my opinion, any orthodontist who cannot fulfill one's duty of care properly should remove oneself from practice to avoid harming innocent young patients, as most patients with braces are young children. read more

Although it takes us over a half hour to get to this orthodontic office, we believe they practice good ethics and really care about their patients. My daughter has been going to Dr. Melissa Chin for the past 4 years. They are trustworthy and do a thorough job in making sure you're satisfied with the results. They even helped my daughter fix an underbite to avoid surgery. She will have to wear braces for a few more years compared to other patients, but we know in the end, we will be happy. They come highly recommended by my own dentist and I know Harry Chin has been in business since I was a kid! Now his daughter, Melissa who followed in his footsteps will take over when he retires. She's personable and puts you at ease with the whole process of getting braces. They explain what they will do and how they will get from point A to point B and how long it will take as well. They're a busy office, but it shows how good they are! read more

I wish I could give Dr. Chin 10 stars because he truly deserves it. I think he is my favorite doctor I've EVER had, including dentists, medical doctors and nurse practitioners. First of all, Dr. Chin is one of those super jovial people who seems to never have been in a bad mood in his life. Even though I was miserable having braces, and my teeth tended to ache after each visit, I always looked forward to my appointments regardless because everyone in Dr. Chin's office, himself especially, is so friendly and nice. Secondly, Dr. Chin is extremely competent and has years and years of experience. My regular dentist just took a look at my post-braces teeth and she raved about how well they had turned out. She said my bite was perfect and she'd rarely seen such great results. And Dr. Chin wasn't even the orthodontist that she had originally referred me to! Also, Dr. Chin is super dedicated to his practice. Apparently, he lets some of his patients visit him on the weekend at his home (where he has a home office setup) if it's too inconvenient for them to visit him in the city! That totally blew my mind when I found out. Last, but definitely not least, Dr. Chin is a really honest guy. My treatment ended up taking significantly less time that he'd originally estimated (not because he'd misjudged the treatment length, but because I'd followed his instructions so diligently in wearing rubber bands, etc), that he actually ordered me to STOP paying my bills. Apparently, since the original price quote had covered many more months of office visits, I no longer had to pay the full amount. I was completely unaware of this, and if he hadn't said anything, I probably would've have continued paying. But he wanted to make sure he did right by me, which I sincerely appreciated. What a guy! If all this hasn't given you the urge to go get braces, how's this? Dr. Chin's original quote was about $2000 less than another orthodontist I'd consulted with, for the same length of treatment. I'll admit, that other ortho had a pretty fancy office with a lot of nice amenities (i.e. cable TV at every patient station and a thumbprint check-in system), but I don't know... I'd kinda rather have an extra $2000 in my bank account, right? Plus, at Dr. Chin's office, I don't have to check in at all since the receptionist recognizes the patients on sight. (Some reviewers have said that there's often a long wait. This might be true, especially if you get caught in the post-school afternoon crowd. BUT at the same time, the waits are usually because Dr. Chin and his staff are going over and beyond making sure their patients are taken care of. And when it's finally your turn, they never make you feel rushed.) read more

Dr. Chin is the best! I highly recommend him! Dr. Chin used his magical orthodontic powers to turn my smile into something I proudly beam on the daily. I had braces for three, long excruciating years, but it was well worth it! Not only does Dr. Chin know what he's doing, but he is charismatic, friendly, and genuinely cares about his patients. I had my braces throughout college, and he would open up his office in San Francisco on THANKSGIVING DAY for those who attended school from out of town. I've had many people compliment on my smile. Thank you, Dr. Chin! I recommend his services to all! :) read more

I have been coming here for 5 years plus and that is because Dr. Chin has kept me on check to wear my retainers. Coming here is my second ortho experience, and so, I have comparison. There are some really bad and inexperienced orthodontists out there. You really cannot, and should not, shop for the cheapest one. Dr. Chin is legit. He's very, very good at what he does. Very picky about perfection -- which I greatly appreciates. Cares about his patients, and his staff is awesome. I already told him, I'm gonna send my (not yet born) kids to him too. That saids it all, I think. read more

My sisters and I went here as children and when it came time for me to take my child to the orthodontist there was no one else that even came close to Dr. Chin! We looked at several places closer to home, but my husband and I agreed that it was worth the drive to have our daughters smile corrected the right way. He really took the time to figure out the best and least invasive way to correct my daughters teeth. We have now had the chance to take our daughter to Dr. Harry Chin as well as Dr. Melissa Chin and both are the best of the best. It is without hesitation that I would recommend either. read more

Very cool orthodontist. The assistants at his office are all very friendly, experienced, and competent. They have a lot of different colored bands available for you to choose from and you even get to choose the color of your retainers after your braces come off! (Most places just do the standard pink.) The wait can be very long for appointments in the 3:30-4:30 time slots because that's when all the teenagers get out of school, so it's best to make your appointments for different times unless you like waiting 30-45 minutes out in the lobby when the small waiting room is too full. read more

I've had braces for about a year or so now, and before I got them, I was skeptical at first. They were really nice when I went in for the first time, and explained everything clearly. All of the staff working there including the orthodontists are very cheerful most of the time. They take their job seriously, and sometimes even have a nice conversation with patients that come in. Since I live out in the East Bay, it's very difficult for me to get from here to there especially when I can't drive yet. So when I have little things that only need 5 minutes to be checked up on, Dr.Chin let me come over to his house in Walnut Creek, so I wouldn't have to take 1 hour on transportation just to get a 5 minute checkup on something. Everyone is nice there, even secretaries and nurses. I can't wait to see how my teeth look after my braces are off . (: read more

I went to the doctor for a free consultation and he is very honest! He looked at my teeth and explained his opinions very well.

Fixed my Class 3 underbite when I was six years old and then made me wear braces for two and a half years (!). I remember him as a tall, handsome man, though everyone seems a giant when you're a little kid, and my only memories of him are from childhood. Loved the Lowell High School yearbooks from the 80's in the waiting room. What a great idea. I used to LOVE looking at funny-looking Chinese people from the 80's. read more

I first had braces when I was 16. I had them on for 2.5 years and I couldn't have been more excited to get them of. To my horror, I found out I had to get braces again just to move one tooth around because I need to get two dental implants. When I first found out I cried to my husband. Being vain and 30, its like a bad dream having to get braces again. The only saving grace is it's only for 6 months and Dr. Harry Chin is the best orthodontist around. I asked several dentists who I should see and they all said no one can compare to Dr. Chin. Not only that, but his soothing smooth operator voice puts you to ease. Ok, so I look like I am 14 right now, but when I am done, I know for sure my teeth are going to be AMAZING! read more

Dr. Chin is awesome. I first had my braces in 1984-1986, and they came off just in time for Sr. Pictures! Woo hoo! My family was dirt poor at the time, and he was willing to work with us on a financing plan. Dunno if that is still the case. I go back every 6 months for a retainer check (free)... so it was a superb investment at the time. Since I can go for a visit now early in the morning, there is never a wait, and the office is open as early as 8:30 a.m. My current dentists all complement me on the orthodontic work. :oD read more

I had braces when i was younger quite a few years ago but this office has always left a strong impact on me and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for anyone else even to this day. I have a brother much older than me that also got braces (and more!) here, and Dr. Chin still remembered him! When we were shopping around for braces for me, he was also the only orthodontist who said I wouldn't need to remove any teeth (and we didn't), it makes me wonder why other places were so quick to recommend removing four teeth, seems kind of shady right? They also worked with us to work out a monthly payment plan that worked with our circumstances, even when i lost my first set of retainers. I was not the best patient in that regard, but they still helped us because they seemed to obviously care that i get the treatment i needed. And the work itself was great of course, a lot of my friends went to him and we all have great smiles now, some of whom had more serious alignment issues. The only thing I wish was that it was in a more accessible area but honestly they can hardly help that can they? Highly recommend Harry chin DDS! read more

Dr. Chin is seriously the best! I saw Dr. Chin as a kid and had braces for almost 3.5 years. Luckily, all that pain paid off. My teeth are still straight (I wear my retainers every night), and I get compliments on how straight they are. When my lower retainer broke last year, I went in to get a new one and had a friendly chat with Dr. Chin (I don't know if he remembered me). Dr. Chin is so great that my husband is now a current patient! read more

Dr.Chin and his daughter are both amazing at what they do. His daughter (also Dr. Chin) was the one who put my braces on for me during my freshman year of high school. And after 3 long years, I took them off just before prom, my senior year. They were both super friendly and understanding. Every time I had a problem, all I had to do was call in and they were super patient with me and answered all my questions. Really knowledgable and friendly staff too! read more

Dr. Chin is the best! I had braces when I was a kid and I still get my retainer checked out semi-annually. Great guy and professional staff! I recommend! read more

Wow.... I don't even know where to start. Dr. Chin and I go waaaay back... ALMOST 20 years. To this day I still go back every 6 months to get my retainer adjusted. We chat for a bit about his kids and about me and I go back in 6 months and do the same routine. He's awesome. If you want a shorter wait time, make your appointments before 3pm (before the kids get off of school). read more

Everyone is very professional! All my questions and concerns were answered. I love the Dr. Chins and staff!

Dr. Chin was my orthodontist for me and all my sisters years ago. He has a great sense of humor, and is fantastic is teaching oral hygiene. I highly recommend his work. read more