I had a disappointing experience at this orthodontic clinic during my consultation. I was quoted $250 just for photos and iCast/digital model, which is something multiple other clinics in the area provided at no cost as part of a standard consultation. When I politely asked if there was any flexibility or clarification on the fee, the orthodontist responded by saying he would not work on my case. The overall tone felt rude and very money-focused, rather than patient-focused. During the consultation, he also stated that my dental midline was 4 mm shifted without properly examining or measuring. I mentioned that from previous evaluations it was closer to 1.5-2 mm, and after checking more carefully, he agreed it was about 2 mm. This made me question the thoroughness of the initial assessment. I understand that every practice has its own pricing structure, but patients should be treated with respect and clear communication--especially during a first consultation where trust is being built. Because of the lack of professionalism and transparency, I decided to continue my treatment with another provider. I'm sharing this so other patients are aware of the consultation policy and the communication style at this office. read more

Summary: I paid lots of money and time to make my teeth worse than the originally were. It's not the end of the world and I don't have any serious problems at the moment, but my gumline receded significantly so I'm more likely to have dental problems earlier than I would've. On top of that I have poorer dental hygiene despite spending more time on dental hygiene (flossing and brushing twice per day, and wearing retainers all the time), and the original bite issue was not solved in any significant way. Dr. Chen takes his work seriously and generally tries to do what he can to help. However, he has made a couple of decisions which I believe negatively influenced my dental health. The first was that he should've persuaded me not to get braces in the first place or at least been upfront about the possible negative effects. I know orthodontists need to make a living doing orthodontics but they should be more strict about accepting only patients who have a high chance of benefitting from the procedure. In my case, my only problem was a bad bite where only my back teeth were touching. I later read that this is actually not a very severe issue and most people can/should live with it without needing any dental treatment. Another issue is that the decision to correct the vertical alignment of my bite with a rubber band was hastily made and may not even have been the right fix to my issue. It was based on a few seconds of looking at my teeth getting my "comfortable bite", even though I had explicitly voiced a concern that I really have no idea if this is the most natural bite since it could just be my brain's way of trying to compensate and get the teeth to touch better when eating. Based on this short assessment I wore strong side-to-side rubber bands to move my teeth horizontally which I believe might have contributed to bone loss. Moreover the movement did not even stick and would frequently have to be redone. Dr. Chen insists there was no significant bone loss; however, my other dentist and I agree that bone loss from the treatment was pretty significant and obvious in the x-rays (x-rays included below). Another issue is that many of the changes during this procedure simply wouldn't stick and the teeth would revert to how they were before. As a result there was a lot of moving back and forth with no forward progress (there was some forward progress, but it was made mainly by the braces, not the rubber bands). One particular rubber band treatment felt quite magical in that it actually closed my bite to the point that I felt like something positive had come from the treatment. Unfortunately my teeth moved so fast that as soon as I removed my rubber bands it would regress literally hours later, so by the time I got my retainers, these changes were not present. I also feel that the TAD (screws in mouth as anchor points) treatment is oversold, as there is no evidence that they significantly moved my teeth, and also came out way earlier than expected, in the middle of treatment. x-rays before treatment (2014): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByBotxOxRJkDN3dhWjc2cnNMZkRQUkYzYnNDQ0V5NkdXUlRF/view?resourcekey=0-6GwJoKNFXhHQqXV5c3Qr5Q x-rays after treatment (2018): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1c0xRPsg134DjNbDSPOUXObsne9DR9eUg (Bone loss seems apparent to me, and my other dentist agrees there is bone loss even though Dr. Chen claimed there isn't. In the lower front teeth, what used to be "snaking" has become "stubby" and I even had to triple check to make sure I was looking at the same teeth). Gum line before: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByBotxOxRJkDZ21HcEN6cGxab0p6TFFtNzRiZ0tpcExXQV9z/view?resourcekey=0-ngV58DlBce9b3zw6HjaRtA Gum line after: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByBotxOxRJkDVG5NbVJ4aWV1eTlkWWg2eWtQMkozbjd4bHhz/view?resourcekey=0-eYOyPDKAcGklsOipjevm9Q As you can see the difference is visually quite pronounced and definitely not purely attributable to the 3 years of natural aging which was the duration of my treatment. My bite is still basically the same as before, so it seems the only positive outcome was improved cosmetic straightness of teeth, which is actually not a positive because I don't care about cosmetics at all (and, aesthetically speaking, higher gum line looks healthier and more youthful than receded gyms anyway). There's also a void of gum in my back teeth which has a 100% chance of being occupied by food every meal, which wasn't there before. My bottom front teeth still wiggle when moved years after treatment, and they never did before. These side effects including gum recession and bone loss were never mentioned in the consultation and sadly I had not done enough research at the time to realize they'd be such an issue. One good thing about Dr. Chen is that he is very available/responsive to questions by text message, and takes the time to explain read more

Dr. Robert Chen's orthodontic practice comes highly recommended within the Cupertino community. Dr. Chen's treatment approach is conservative, but also effective. He doesn't aggressively push for unnecessary appliances that hinder proper oral hygiene. His extensive research and training from UCSF enable him to utilize the latest technology and techniques to achieve esthetic and stable results, within a minimal amount of treatment time. Dr. Chen's staff are great with whom to work. Matty, the financial coordinator, is very knowledgeable in all facets of dental insurance billing. He is so pleasant and easy with whom to speak. Michelle is a consistent RDA who takes pride in delivering exceptional patient care with the wire adjustments, impressions, and articulately explaining home care instructions for new appliances. She is very gentle with the patients, and keeps them comfortable. Kassandra is so professional and friendly at the front desk. She greets everyone with a warm smile, and stays calm no matter how many people are waiting or how many phone calls are coming in. She makes sure to answer our scheduling questions thoroughly. This is a top notch team who work seamlessly together. read more

Yaaaay! Dr. Chen is uber cool! (and his staff, of course). There was this one time (at Band Camp), a few days before Christmas (when I did nothing but chow and chow....and chow), the edge of my wires slipped out the end bracket and was making me very uncomfortable from all the poking it did to my inner cheek. I call the office and voila! I was asked to come in - and was given 2 choices of times to come - the same day. I had anticipated from them to tell me something like "Uh, sorry, we're trying to finish every single child before the Holiday" or "Eh, just bear with it until after the fireworks in 2011." During that day that this even occured, my family and I had planned a lunch out at En. My appointment with Dr. Chen was right after lunch and I was a little worried that I'd arrive at the office with plenty of seaweeds or fresh fish meat stuck in betweenmy brackets. Lunch finished early and I decide to just drive to Cupertino already. I arrive at Dr. Chen's office 15 minutes early. Dr. Chen comes out of the clinic and greets me. He starts to talk to me about what happened with my wires and immediately asks me to come in to be seen! So he explains to me that the wire he used for my lower brackets the last time were actually super thin and that it can easily bend when I eat (GUILTY as charged) and slip out of the bracket. He tells me that they'll replace it with a slightly thicker wire. I was in and out of the office before my actual schedule! Whew! Although I live in Sunnyvale, I do not mind driving to Cupertino for some of my appointments. The staff is friendly and pleasant. Dr. Chen is very tact and professional. This office is not one of those offices I'd not look forward to going back. This clinic is located in a little retail strip along Stevens Creek and De Anza - Town Center Lane. There's a froyo shop next door and martial arts clinic. It may be a little bit of a challenge to find the office if it's your first time so plan to come here early, so you don't miss your appointment in case you get lost. Parking is plenty at a lot. Thank you, Dr. Chen. See you next year! Oh and my teeth are straighter now, more than ever. Can't wait to get them off and flash better smiles! read more

Dr. Chen and his office members offer the most top notch and comprehensive orthodontic care that one can find in Silicon Valley. He is extremely thorough with his evaluations and answers all questions clearly during the consultation. It's reassuring to know that Dr. Chen is realistic and honest about the treatment plan, without being overly aggressive. He patiently discusses any concerns that we have, and expertly caters each treatment methodology to fit the patients' individual needs the best. Dr. Chen is certainly not a "cookie cutter" type of orthodontist, who uses the same approach and appliances for every patient. He takes the time to develop the most efficient treatment method for each patient, with excellent results each time. We are also very pleased with his Grade A+ staff. We'd like to give special accolade to Matty, Dr. Chen's financial coordinator extraordinaire. He is incredibly knowledgeable about all facets of dental insurance. His billing accuracy is impeccable. What makes Matty particularly stand out though is his warmth and charisma. He takes a personal interest in every patient, and even remembers our favorite hobbies, movies, and so forth. His exceptional customer service also sets this orthodontic office apart from all others. Thank you, Matty, for taking the guess work out of insurance billing, and for making each of our visits so personable and absolutely delightful. Michelle, the experienced RDA is fantastic too. She has been a loyal and consistent staff member there for years. She keeps our kids so comfortable for all of the wire changes and follow up appointments. Michelle is gentle and knowledgeable. We are so happy every time we get to see Michelle. Kassandra is an amazing front staff. She is friendly and answers all of our scheduling questions perfectly. Her customer service is the best. We highly recommend Dr. Robert Chen's orthodontic office for kids and adults alike. The results are consistent, and the bite transformations are amazing. read more

I'm off braces for couple years now. I think ppl should know the true nature of Dr. Chen's office The office was clean and the staff were nice. However, there are couple things you need to know if you want to get treatments with Dr. Chen. 1. His weekly working hours are less than other orthodontists offices and that's probably why it's so hard to reschedule your appointments with Dr Chen. If you only have a poking wire then that's another story cause his staff will be there to help you but not Dr. Chen. 2. Dr. Chen doesn't like to wait so when you walk into that checkup room, you will see all the dental chairs are occupied cause Dr. Chen can only see one patient at a time and the rest patients need to wait till Dr. Chen gives instruction to his staff. After his staff finishes the procedure then you will need to wait for Dr. Chen to check again if the procedure his staff did was right. This is time consuming thinking about other 5 patients are all waiting for the same thing. It's not just patients waiting for Dr Chen but also his staffs were waiting for his directions too. If your plan to take your kid somewhere after his dental routine checkup, I strongly suggest you give it at least 30 minutes extra time or you will be late 3. His wife, Grace, manages new patients instruction and insurance. When she showed me the examples and after braces treatment, I remember exactly what she said but that's not the treatment I got. I informed Dr. Chen about what his wife said but then he took out the contract and said it didn't say on the contract. Obviously Dr. Chen knows exactly what his wife told his patients but did not even try to correct that wrongful information. It's important to visit more orthodontist offices and get more options and make sure what they say was indicated in the contract before you sign. read more

I went here with my cousin because she had a consultation appointment here. I'll give a star for where the location is at but that's it. As for my experience here, I was waiting for my cousin in the lobby, I over heard a woman, I believe her name is Grace, speaking in mandarin talking about their patients of other ethnicities, such as mexicans not knowing anything about math and so forth. I couldn't believe what I was listening to and thankfully my cousin didn't continue to go with this dental office. I suggest take your business elsewhere if you don't want to be judge! read more

Today is my last doctor visit at Dr. Chen's office. After a 12 months Invisalign treatment, I finally have a nice beautiful smile and am very happy with the result. My bite has been fixed! I started my Invisalign program in February 2011. My experience with Dr. Chen and his staff members has been excellent. Dr. Chen is an Invisalign specialist. He's knowledgeable and very delicate especially during the computer programming phase. I believe this is instrumental in getting the right teeth alignment. The staff at the office is very nice and friendly. There are two offices (Cupertino and Sunnyvale), which give the patients more flexibility and convenience in terms of office visits. The facilities are clean and well-kept (although the Cupertino one is newer and better-lit). Grace who handles the quoting and claims is very knowledgeable about the insurance claim process. She's very responsive in responding to my emails and makes sure I have all the documents I needed to submit for my FSA claim. Thank you to Dr. Chen and all the staff at New Age Braces once again! read more

Matthew Yang helped me and mom with paperwork. He was very nice, professional, and relatable. His service was thorough and helpful. 10/10 read more

Their staff is uncoordinated and schedules are haphazard. They just cannot seem to get their act together and stick to their committed appointments. They messed up my appointment . The doctor may be good, but his staff and systems and proceduces are mess. read more

Wow. Dr. Chen is awesome. He always makes time to talk to me if I have concerns about my kids treatment. He also provides his cell number to all his patients. Really? Who does that in this day and age? Once we had an emergency because my daughter's screws came off. Dr. Chen basically opened up his office early on Saturday morning just to fix the problem. This is my 4th orthodontic experience. Our first 3 were with another orthodontist. Dr. Chen is so superb in comparison. Yes, he doesn't work on your teeth the entire time. But, that's the way orthodontics is nowadays. But, he will ALWAYS check to make sure things are done right. He is very obsessed with orthodontics and probably relaxes at night by studying different cases. He was the only orthodontist we visited (out of 4) that pointed out a problem with my kid's profile. And, he was able to fix it. All the other orthodontists we visited just do the basics of straightening teeth. He is straight-forward and extremely knowledgable. I'm so happy I took the chance to switch orthodontists. read more

I do not recommend Dr. Chen at all. First of all, Dr. Chen does not spend time treating my teeth. His assistants do it. Many of them are junior, and do not explain well and just do whatever was told to do quickly by Dr. Chen. When Dr. Chen treats my teeth, it is always in a hurry. His treatment is short and rough. The office assistants are not friendly. The office assistants always look busy and the reception is full of chaotic atmosphere. I always come to the place on time but have to wait for at least 20 min. It has been very disappointing to come to this place. But, I cannot switch to a different orthodontist because I had to sign for non refundable contract for the treatment once it stated. I regret that I did not research to find a decent orthodontist enough. read more

Visiting Dr. Chen for a medical consultation was a flustering experience. I am 19 years old and was not able to get braces as a child. I came in to see how I could correct a deep overbite that was causing me to grind my teeth. Here's what I learned: 1. Dr. Chen is condescending. After I told him that the teeth grinding was causing sensitivity and soreness, he interjected with a long-winded lecture of how I was wrong. "Your teeth aren't causing you to clench your jaw, YOU are causing you to clench your jaw. Ok? Do you get it? The brain sends signals down to the muscles, not to the teeth." 2. Dr. Chen is insulting. I made the mistake of wearing a Wharton T-shirt. I happen to have worked my ass off to get into this school. For some reason, Dr. Chen thought I was stupid and found it necessary to illustrate his point via analogies involving my school. "You could've gone to Wharton, or you could have gone to De Anza (community college). But you can pay the expensive tuition for an Ivy League School. Think long term." Somehow this related to teeth. And by far the most ridiculous part... 3. Dr. Chen is unprofessional. My mother of 45 years was with me during the consultation. She was raised in India in a time and place where there was no orthodontic treatment. He said to her (yes to her not to me), "I don't need to examine your teeth and I already know your problems. Your teeth are small. In a few years, they'll be even smaller. Your going to need root canal, crowning, hell you might have to get all your teeth removed." This is how he tried to convince me to get treatment, by making an example out of my mother's teeth. After all this, Dr. Chen got up and left without so much as bothering to shake our hands, and left us with one of his office assistants. She had to explain how Invisalign treatment works and let us actually see a model. Why didn't the doctor show this to us himself? Please do yourself a favor and find another orthodontist. read more

After several treatments there, this is my review so far. Believe me, I gave them as many chances as I humanly could. The facility is very clean and nice. However my experience was just the opposite for 4 reasons: 1. The staffs have miscommunications amongst each other, they already took my insurance info but the other one ask me again. This shows lack of preparation and attention prior to patient's appointment. 2. They have one staff for scheduling, another one for pricing, another one for something else...etc. So confusing. And they make you wait for a long time in between, basically wasting your time. 3. They are very expensive for all the treatment plans. The staff Grace is a bit snobby and constantly interrupting the patients' question with her "pre-emptive" sales script before you even finish. People go to dentist office for customizing plan. 4. Dr. Chen lacks patience and bedside manner, he is a poor communicator and doesn't listen to patient very well. Basically it seems the condescending company culture seems to run across the entire office. I don't care how many years of extra school the dentist goes to or how good the facility is. I already drag going to dentists, it would make it worse if I have to deal with their poor customer service also! It's not worth the high price. I wasn't happy with the result for my teeth either. read more

Before I got braces, I visited a few other doctors to get a consult. After visiting Dr. Chen, it was clear to me that I wanted him as my orthodontist. He had a friendly staff that greeted me every time I walked into the office. I was always a bit afraid of doctor's offices but I could not have felt more comfortable here. Dr. Chen was patient and paid close attention to all the small details. He explained to me thoroughly of what will be the process of getting braces so I will know what kind of a result I would get. As those monthly check-ups came around, Dr. Chen never failed to give me the attention I needed. He would notice those small fine points that I'm sure other doctors would not have noticed. I remember there was this one time where he switched out my wire a few times just so he can make it perfect. There is no doubt he is fully dedicated to satisfy his patients. I'm a swimmer so my schedule is really busy. The only time I have is usually in the morning. When we were scheduling an appointment to put on my braces for the first time, Dr. Chen was willing to come early in the morning before my school started. He is the only doctor I know who would go out of their normal schedule to do this. Not to mention, all their tools and machines are state of the art and brand new. Many would think getting braces is a painful process, and at times it is. But with a wonderful doctor and staff, your experience will be that much better. I know I made a right decision to go to Dr. Chen and I hope everyone else does too. read more

Dr. Chen treated my siblings and I, and we all had great results, and we are all really happy with their service. After your consultation, you'll have monthly appointments. The staff will send you a reminder of your appointment via e-mail or phone as your appointment approaches. The facility itself is beautiful and professional, and the staff is very kind and welcoming. I never had to wait long in the lobby before I was called in. Dr. Chen is really kind and professional, and he is always really good at addressing any of your questions or concerns. I got to know the staff pretty well, and they were always really fun and easy to talk to about anything, really. Dr. Chen's wife is also gave me great advice on school haha. I am really happy with my results, and I wouldn't recommend any other orthodontist! read more

Both my children are under Dr.Chen's care. We are happy so far. The staff is friendly. Dr.Chen takes time to explain all your queries. My teen has invisalign and from day one he was motivated and encouraged to use it right so he has effective results and he does it. There is definitely something about Dr.Chen that my children want to follow daily routine. The ex-pander tightening,keeping the braces clean,flossing between the braces etc.... Know to call if you cannot make for an appt for any reason. Overall,will continue with Dr.Chen and will recommend to others. read more

Dr Chen is the best of the best when it comes to correcting cross bites and other tough dental issues. He has done a great job with my teeth so far and I am excited to find out what my teeth will look like when we are done. read more

I am disappointed that it's not the orthodontist who would work on my teeth every time. He placed the brackets onto my teeth and thereafter, his assistants would do the rest with his given instructions. I'm paying $8400 to have his dental assistants training on my teeth, my husband would say every time I came back complaining about my routine visits. Why I complained every time? Well, I got inexperienced staffs most of my visits and I would have to reschedule right after because of something poking or popping out. Dr. Chen hardly ever checked to make sure his assistant would do things correctly on my teeth. I wish he could just work on the patients' teeth instead of his assistants like his advertisement. Or, he could just at least check it afterwards. The orthodontist in SoCal, that my sister-in-law's daughter goes to, worked on her teeth every single time; even on small procedures like putting elastic band on! Maybe Dr. Chen was once like that to his patients. However, as his business grows, there is no way he could work on 4-5 patients at the same time. I should have stopped after a few visits but I didn't want to lose the money I have put down. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone else unless I see some improvement. I give this a 2 stars because sometimes, I got a really skilled dental assistant and that would make up for the real doctor. read more

Dr. Robert Chen and his staff are always very nice, attentive, courteous, and professional. 3 of my four children are or have been patients of Dr. Chen's over the past 10 years. The fourth child is still too young to see an orthodontist, but if and when she does need to see one, we will make a bee-line to Dr. Chen's. He even has given out his cell phone number in the case of an emergency. I don't know how many doctors are willing to do that and most want you to go through an answering service after hours. I am very satisfied with the care my children have received and am very please with the results. read more

I go here for invisalign treatment and all I have to say is that i am NOT HAPPY. Very expensive and Dr. Chen doesn't spend time with you the assistants do the work and they don't get it right the first time. If you are going to charge people 7or 8k because you say you are a specialist then do the job of a specialist not a mediocre Doctor. read more

Thanks to Dr.Chen and his friendly staff, I am able to smile freely with my teeth now :) I truly enjoy their great services!!!

Best orthodontist ever, The price is a little high, yet you paid for what you get. He is genuinely care for your teeth. He answers all of your question anytime in the day and even the silly question through email he is still answer for you. His staff are also great. I have one kid is done with braces and her teeth look flawless, can't wait for the second kid to be done. read more