Since 2023, Van Ness Dental Group has given me the best dental care I've had in years. I've got a fairly complex set of health issues that I need to consider when choosing a dental provider, and Van Ness Dental Group hits all my targets for quality and type of service, matches my insurance, and has an administrative team that's excellent and effective. Dr. Ja is a superb dentist who brings a calm and steady presence that puts me at ease. He's attentive and responsive to my reactions as the work progresses in a way that builds trust and confidence.. We just had the final prep appointment for a bridge I've needed for almost a decade, and I'm very pleased, as always, with Dr. Ja's high-quality work and patient care throughout the process. Sandy and the admin staff are stellar! When I had to appeal an insurance denial, they offered timely and consistent support with providing records, approving forms, and joining conference calls with a parade of phone reps over a period of months; I can't thank them enough for their help. Always generous with their time and support, pleasant, professional, knowledgeable, and easy to reach. It's a boutique practice on Van Ness near Vallejo, easy to get to on the MUNI 49 rapid transit bus. Never crowded, relaxing atmosphere, quiet setting. Highly recommended! [Services provided: Crown repair, Full initial crown-and-bridge, Dental insurance pre-authorization and successful denial appeal support.] read more

I am extremely disappointed by my experience at this dental office. During my visit, both the receptionist and the doctor treated me differently because of the type of insurance I have. I was not given a standard dental hygiene goody bag that other patients received, and it was made clear that this decision was based solely on my insurance coverage. This behavior felt discriminatory and deeply disrespectful. Patients should never be judged or categorized based on their insurance policy. Dental offices are supposed to be safe, welcoming environments where people can trust professionals during what can already be a vulnerable experience. This encounter made me feel unsafe, unseen, and devalued as a patient. It takes very little effort to show kindness and extend the same basic courtesies to everyone -- especially when providing a paid service. No doctor should model or tolerate discriminatory behavior within their practice. I hope this office reflects seriously on how patients are treated and makes meaningful changes so no one else has to feel the way I did. read more

11/7/2025 my first visited with Dr. Nip with Van Ness Dental Group, Office was neat and clean, especially great staff with helpful, patience and very professional knowledgeable. Great service!!. Dr.Christiaan Nip was patience and thorough with my problem. I am very happy to meet Dr. Nip and the office.. read more

Been coming to this Dental office for the last 3 years. Great staff Great Service I'm Grateful & now my spouse too sees them. Thanks Van Ness Dental Group read more

My parents and brother came here. My sister comes here. Several friends come here. Well, guess it's my turn now. Needless to say, I come here, knock wood, mainly for maintenance on my teeth and gums, and have been fortunate to avoid having to do any major dental work. I am on a three-month routine for teeth cleaning as I am a bit lazy about flossing my teeth. I see Dr. Alan Tong who, for many years, was an instructor at the touted UOP (University of Pacific) dental school. Due to the Covid situation and his age, he currently is not teaching there to my knowledge. Dr. Tong is patient and thorough in explaining your situation and advising you of how to address issues or problems. My mom and I just came here for our teeth cleaning and, knock wood, no problems so far. Their hours are limited due to the Covid situation so do be patient. If you seek a particular dentist from this office, please confirm their schedules to coordinate. Also, you may want to check with them about the insurance coverage if you already have a dental plan or, if not, ask them what plans are most suitable for their office. Sandy is the person at the front desk who usually handles my check in and scheduling. Fingers crossed that I won't be coming before my next scheduled teeth cleaning. *** Edit - The current protocol is as follows for returning patients: 1. One or two days before appointment, complete emailed questionnaire about health condition and history as it pertains to Covid. 2. Upon entering, temperature check is done and waiting room chairs are socially distanced. Hand sanitizers provided at check in counter. 3. Masks required until dentist and/or assistant work on your teeth. read more

Van Ness Dental Group - Signage, shelter in place - General Dentistry Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

The dentist here is fine, but the office is terrible at communicating with patients. Expect to call several times before you get through. They never call you back or return your texts. They have a request form on their website that they completely ignore too. If they are so busy with patients, why can't they afford to hire someone who will communicate with patients in a more timely manner. read more

I have been going to Dr Alan Tong for almost 30 years , I truly believe he is the best dentist in San Francisco or Bay Area. Very professional, very knowledgeable and he is very creative to deal with the most complex. I am so happy that he is my dentist.also front desk staff are so professional and helpful. Sabrina read more

Just tried to schedule an appointment. Said don't take my insurance, hung up on me. Glad I couldn't make the appointment if that's the customer service. read more

please guys read all reviews before going in. I'm suspicious of their marketing practices. many people who claim to have been seen by this dentist that say they're a great place have been going for years and those that are new patients leave the bad reviews. why? maybe a change in dentists (new ones probably suck) and those that are already clients are getting good service and probably being asked to leave reviews to try and combat the negative ones. this place does not want to do anything besides cleanings (and not good ones at that) or do anything that will take them some time and care. they are rushing to make the $ and it could not be more obvious. what a joke of a dental office. I went in as a new client and knew I'd need a cleaning and some cavities filled. First off, their bedside manner is lacking. (I saw another review about this and couldn't agree more, the dentist didn't say more than 2 words to me, I felt like I was in his way and he didn't want me there) They did the cleaning and said they'd send off the x rays to the insurance company. check back in 2 weeks if you haven't heard from us, they said. ok, 3 weeks pass and I call. the woman on the phone tells me that the insurance company had not received them yet and to check back in a few weeks again if I hadn't heard from them, which I didn't. unfortunately, I called again 2-3 weeks later only to hear the same info. So I asked, how long does this usually take? its been a while. The woman on the phone actually recommended I come in and have the procedure out of pocket and then get the insurance approval, but no thanks! I'd like to know before I'm going to make a financial commitment how much i'll be spending. will not be returning and wish I could leave zero stars. I needed a root canal and a crown replacement. maybe it was too much work for them. but hey, don't take new patients if you can't actually treat them. screw this place, they wasted my time, who knows how bad my issue has gotten since I last saw them while I was waiting for this imaginary procedure they never intended on doing. looking at their website, they have a reviews tab but nothing there and no way to add. I wonder why. https://www.vannessdentalgroup.com/reviews/ read more

In 2024 I needed extensive dental work. Dr. Alexander Ja and his staff, especially Sandy, showed consistent care and skill. They were always polite and considerate, and I was pleased with the results. A convenient location on Van Ness near Broadway. read more

The receptionist was sweet, but this is probably the worst dental clinic I've been to - nothing about the space was nice. The dentist's hands kept shaking while cleaning my teeth. He didn't explain to me what he was doing, irresponsive to my discomfort and acted like a machine. I felt like he just wanted to rush through the process in order to bill insurance money. I also felt sick with whatever liquid he gave me in the end to rinse barely explained it anything because he was too rushed to jump onto the next patient. The assistant also failed to see how unhappy I was - she smiled robotically asked me if I wanted to schedule the next visit after 6 months. No. Not again. read more

I came in for a routine check up + teeth clean. The doctor was so rough on my teeth that he broke my permanent retainer wire (which is attached to my teeth). Instead of saying anything, or offering to fix it, he sent me my way. On my way home, I started to feel a lot of pressure on my one tooth and noticed that the wire was completely broken and poking my gums. Now I have to go to an orthodontist to get the wire replaced, which will cost a fortune. I really expected the doctor to at least give me a heads up of what happened since a broken retainer is not only dangerous, as it can cause severe injury in the mouth but will also cause my teeth to move - something I don't want to happen since I had to endure wearing braces for many years of my life. read more

Worst experience ever. I made an appointment as a new patient. I filled out all of the paperwork online before going to the appointment. I arrived 15 minutes early. I got fully checked in on the 2nd floor. She said I had to go downstairs to get X-rays. I went downstairs, and the person behind the desk said rudely, 'WHY ARE YOU HERE?' I said, "I am here for an X-Ray, she sent me down here." Her uncaring answer: "You have to go upstairs." So I went back upstairs and told her that the woman downstairs had sent me back upstairs. She said, "You have to go downstairs." So I went back downstairs. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?," she demanded to know (AGAIN!). I said, "I'm here for an X-Ray. She sent me here from upstairs." Her answer: "You have to go upstairs." So I walked out the door FOREVER. I would rather eat broken glass than return to this terrible terrible terrible business. The right hand has no idea what the left hand is doing. Their process is completely broken. I was treated with neither kindness nor dignity. read more

Had a wonderful experience at Van Ness Dental. They really took good care of me. I needed a cleaning before my insurance ran out for the year, they were so kind and took me the same day. Dr. Kim was very thorough and patient with me. He went over the outcome of my Xrays, answered all my questions, and did my regular cleaning. The front desk staff are sweet. Peggy who did my Xrays made me feel comfortable. Looking forward to getting my deep clean next. read more

Dr Kim is the best DDS. Competent, knowledgeable, thorough, approachable. Worth the drive from the NorthBay!

The dental practice: my teeth didn't hurt before I got fillings from them. They hurt after. The receptionist: the one on the second floor is a complete idiot. I don't blame her that she had problem with my insurance coding. But She keeps telling me to speak to her manager but she won't tell me when her manager is there. Insurance: when my insurance company called them and asked them to be compliant with my insurance coverage, they gave my insurance company straight NO and insisted to charge full price. And if I don't accept the price then send me to another place. I have asked my insurance company to take legal action on them. This is not an ethical practice. I am telling you here, that you shall wait for my legal complain to the dental board of California. read more

Was assigned to this group by my insurance. They're impossible to reach and schedule an appointment. Tried phone/email/txt - no luck. Don't wast your time. read more

Yelpers - stay away from this institution!!! I needed a last minute filling done, and came to Van Ness Dental because they were in my network. I was reluctant given the Yelp ratings, but hoped I would be in the 5 star camp and it would be OK. The initial examination went fine until we decided to proceed with the filling. That's when the front office manager came in and asked me to pay $186 out of pocket. Why? Because they claimed my insurance only covered metal fillings, which they don't provide, so I needed to pay the difference. Thank God I called Aetna to double check, because I wasn't responsible for that portion: if only one filling method is offered, it should be provided at no out of pocket cost to the patient. The front office was frustratingly difficult to communicate with - they struggle with speaking English, and because of this misunderstanding, asked me to wait and then it became too late to even get the filling. This office will go out of their way to extract extra dollars from patients. It's almost borderline insurance fraud. Save your time and your money and go elsewhere. read more

This is an OK place if you are unemployed, and don't mind hanging out for hours at a dental office. No lie. I went there two years ago and then switched dentists because the appointment for a cleaning and x-rays took 2.5 hours. No cavities, no problems. Just SLOW moving people and bad scheduling practices. Unfortunately the other dentist nearby that used to take my insurance doesn't anymore. So. I made an appointment for a cleaning last week, spent over an hour in the office, and have not yet had my teeth cleaned. Let me explain. I got there a couple of minutes before my appointment so I could fill out the paperwork and be ready do see the dentist at 11:30. I waited maybe 10 minutes. An assistant person took x-rays, which took maybe 3 minutes. Then I went out to the waiting room. And waited. After a while, they moved me to an exam chair in the back. I waited. At about 12:30, a dentist came over. poked at my teeth, looked at the x-rays, told me that my teeth looked fine. And that I needed to make another appointment to get my teeth cleaned. When I told him that the whole point of the appointment that day was to do a cleaning, he said that I had to do an exam and x-ray appointment, and then do the cleaning separately. WTF? I waited for over an hour to see a dentist, who spent 3 minutes with me and then told me to come back next week. Unfortunately, the process of switching my HMO to a different dentist is too much of a hassle to do just for a cleaning, so I'm going back next week. But after the cleaning, never again. read more

Horrible service, and same experience as other bad reviews. Had me waiting for over an hour with no estimate on when they'd be ready. Reception and dental tech spent majority of time chatting behind the counter. I waited over a month for an appointment, and was told I had to get x-rays. AVOID WASTING YOUR TIME HERE AT ALL COSTS read more

I think the reviews on Google are fake, this group is a disaster to deal with. I was assigned to them by my assurance. They have always been impossible to work with. They refused to see me even when medical services were allowed to open and only offer appointments now once every 4 months. Would not recommend and I have reported their conduct to the insurance company. read more

It was impossible to make appointments (pre-covid.) They never answered phones and they always tried to order x-rays back to back even for a routine cleaning, suggested unnecessary multiple dental fillings, and extra cleaning fees. Glad I asked my dental insurance company to assign me a new dentist. I was upset every time I needed to go there. read more

Friendly staff but a little on the pricey end. Paid about 300-400 for a deep cleaning even WITH insurance, which would normally be free for me. Something shady about it..... Update: OK, so after reading some of the other reviews I definitely agree with the sentiment. I went in to get a filling done and mind you they convinced me to get a special type of filling, not the one off my insurance....okaay... 5 months has passed and it literally came off like nothing. We're talking about a $400 dentist appointment. Are they going to reimburse or fix it? Nope. Anyone reading this, the staff and dentists might seem nice at first but trust me they're not looking out for you. They will recommend "Deep cleaning" or we don't recommend this type of filling but that ($$$). Please just leave. Don't contribute to this practice. I want to believe in the goodness in people, but these people are just low. read more

Very over priced. Charged an arm and a leg for a deep cleaning on top of my insurance co-pay. My family has been coming here for over twenty years so I thought they would not over charge us. Come to find a year later at another dentist that the charges at Van Ness Dental were hundreds of dollars more than my new dentist who only charged my co-pay. And the cleaning job was not all that great either. read more

Been going for a few years. Always prompt. Have only had cleanings and all has been great.

Great , Place , For All Your Dental Needs , Family Friendly . read more

I have been a client of Dr. Ray Lee at Van Ness Dental Group since moving back to SF in 2013. I initially chose them because my coverage was (and is) with Delta Dental. My teeth aren't a challenge -- at age 65 I'm still blessed with zero cavities and haven't needed any serious procedures -- only twice-yearly checkups and cleanings plus periodic x-rays. Dr. Lee (the only one of their dentists who's treated me) and his assistants have been unfailingly professional, upbeat, cheerful, and gentle on my teeth and gums. The reception desk staffers are quick and courteous. The office runs like clockwork. In summary, I have never had anything close to a negative experience at Van Ness Dental, and can recommend them without hesitation. (While preparing to post this review today I was surprised by the less-than-"stellar" average rating, so I read quite a few of the negative reviews. Several were so outlandish that either they visited a dental office on a different planet or were paid to trash this business.) read more

You won't laugh with laughing gas here... Just ain't available. However they are nice efficient honest and effective as my kids and I have been coming here for years. Tho without being gassed going to the dentist is no laughing matter and more painful even if they are good at their job especially with sensitive gums read more

Never go there!! I would give ZERO STAR IF I COULD!!! My mom almost lost her life for having deep cleaning there. She has Alzheimer so I am the one taking care of all her medical and dental appointments. I called them to make a REGULAR cleaning appointment for her and told them several times that she would not need deep cleaning. On that day, we went to the dental office together and I waited outside in my car due to COVID safety. The front desk said it would take about 35 minutes and it took more than an hour. I went in to check on her and they said she was having deep cleaning!!! I said "What!! She cannot have deep cleaning as she is taking blood thinner medication." They just changed the treatment to deep cleaning while she was on the dental chair. Of course she would agree as she has Alzheimer and speaks limited English. They should have checked with me first especially if an elderly is coming with a caregiver. After the deep cleaning, my mom had uncontrollable bleeding. She lost so much blood and eventually collapsed on the floor. I call 911 and have an ambulance to take her to emergency room. She stayed in the hospital for 6 days and received 4 bags of blood. After the incident, the dentist called and texted me several times and said he can compensate for what had happened to my mom. No $ can compensate what we went through. SO DO NOT GO TO THIS DENTAL PRACTICE. THEY CARE MORE ABOUT $$ THAN YOUR LIFE!!!! read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Christiaan Nip for over twenty years. Dr. Nip is thorough, professional, personable and always willing to answer all of my questions. He does not try to sell unnecessary procedures & he advises me of ways I can take better care of my teeth. His staff is likewise friendly and efficient. I highly recommend Dr. Nip & would give him more than five stars if that were an option. read more

Despite having never stepped foot in this building, I am still repeatedly receiving text message alerts about another (apparently unfortunate, going by the reviews here) customer's appointments. Upon giving a courtesy call to inform them of this, I was assured that my number would be removed from her account -- yet here I am, days later, still receiving notifications for her. So I guess not only are they suspect in terms of dental practices, but they're also incompetent and careless with your personal information as well. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!! I rarely write a bad review about a business but this is a life-threatening situation that I've experienced. About 3 months ago I came in with severe tooth pain. The pain was a shooting pain under my back bottom left molar tooth. All symptoms that point to a bacterial infection that may result in a root canal or tooth extraction. 1st Visit (End of July) - Dr. Sang after looking at x-rays gave her evaluation said that deep cleaning and a cavity fill may be the result of my tooth pain. At first, my gut felt I needed a root canal but I'm not a dentist so I went along with her recommendation. Before the procedure, the front desk lady I forgot her name came in and said my insurance only covers a portion so I had to pay some out of pocket expenses. I have Aetna HMO and it made sense that I pay a bit but they charged me I believe $275 for the left side teeth cleaning and $95 for the cavity at that moment I was in complete pain so I just paid it. I called Aetna afterward and they said I should have only paid $130 for my entire teeth to be cleaned, a cavity only $35 Aetna also mentioned my dentist billed them close to 1K on top of what I paid out of pocket. Now back to the procedure, everything went smooth but my pain was still there. Dr. Sang said it's normal and should go away in a few days. 1 week later (Early Aug)... my tooth pain did go away. 2-3 weeks after my first visit... I started to form a gum boil under the same tooth which I originally came in for. I waited for a week or two to see if it'll go away but after researching online I knew I had to go in. I immediately called got an appointment a few days later. 2nd Visit (Mid Sept) - During that appointment, Not sure which Dr. Nip reviewed a new set of x-rays said that the boil was caused by a bacterial build-up and also noticed a crack on that tooth. In my mind, I was furious because I thought the cracked tooth was filled so I questioned him he said the cavity fill was for the tooth above and at that moment I was shocked because Dr. Sang and the front desk lady during my first visit said the cavity fill was for the tooth I originally came in for. At that moment I felt robbed and mislead. Now I feel that this gum boil could have been prevented if Dr. Sang diagnosed me properly. I felt that this gum boil is life-threatening because bacteria can spread to other parts of the body if not treated. Now back to Dr. Nip he suggested I see a specialist who only comes in once a week on Thursdays to see opinions for my tooth and gum boil. He said it may result in a tooth loss or root canal but I was prepared to deal with it. 3rd Visit (Early Oct) - 2 weeks later after my 2nd visit... Dr. Wong was the person who gave me a second opinion. Said the same thing that Dr. Nip said. That a root canal is not possible at this point tooth extraction on my back left tooth molar would be best and get a bridge/tooth replacement. Then he said I would need to make another appointment with the actual dentist who will do the procedure. Before Dr. Wong left the room I had to even question him about antibiotics to help the bacteria spreading to other parts of the body. At that moment I was again shocked because I felt I was going to get this resolved that day now I have to wait for another dentist to do the procedure? Ok now I'm at the front desk getting my prescription for antibiotics that I asked for and then the same front desk lady at my first visit was there to greet me with more payment options and suggestions. She said that this next visit will only be a consultation and the dentist only comes in once a week only on Wednesday and upon coming pay $95 for the consultation. We discussed other payment options for tooth extraction, the overall procedure. Booked an appointment two weeks ahead on a Wednesday. Today Sunday, October 6th, 2019... I've been taking my antibiotics (amoxicillin) it's been only a day but not noticing any improvements on the gum boil. I'm supposed to take it three times a day for seven days so hopefully, it goes away or at least saves my life from the bacteria spreading through my body. In conclusion, my overall experience with this dental group is below 1 star. They may have helped others with better experience and outcomes but for me, I felt that I was just a number and they just collect money rather than helping people. Pro longing my procedures to gain more out of pocket costs from me and my insurance. Due to long waits now my life might be in jeopardy. I feel that I have to write this review just in case anything bad happens to me so there's a track record that they can't just erase. After this review, I will not go back to that consultation and just see another dentist that will ultimately care and not put my life in jeopardy just to prolong, mislead or misdiagnose me. read more

I started seeing Dr. Charles Nip in the mid 70s. When he reduced his workload, I started seeing his son Dr. Christian Nip. Dr. Nip is very thorough when he works on my teeth. He always asks if there are any issues I need him to look at, and he'll always make suggestions on what I should continue doing or do more of. Every time I come in to the office, I'm always greeted by name with a smile and small talk. The only negative is, parking can be tough in the area....but that's not their fault! I live in SSF and sure, there are plenty of dentists closer to home, but after 40+ years of great service, it's worth the drive! read more

The receptionist here just keep wasting my time, canceled my appointment by giving me just 2 hours notice after I requested the day off for it then they rescheduled me come back after one month ,they told me that can find my name on the insurance so I had to call... after confirmed my insurance plan is active the receptionist still couldn't find my name so wanted me to take picture of my insurance card ... ok I have done everything making their job so much easier then never hear back from them if they able to take me in for my upcoming appointment! I really don't care much about their patients! On each of my visit before , I often seen the receptionist spending so much time chatting ( not work related) DO NOT GO THERE read more

Excellent service i have been going to van ness Dental for a very long time and i Recommend a lot of friends and co workers

I visited to do a filling and had to do the usual x-rays etc before that. They didn't have time for filling and i scheduled a return appointment. Similar to many other Yelpers, i was told that they did not do amalgam or resin and that i needed to fork out $140 per tooth ($280 total) for the special nano technology they were using in my next visit. I was quite suspicious but went ahead to schedule an appointment. Fortunately when i got home, i saw all the reviews and proceeded to call Cigna to clarify. Low and behold, i was only responsible for $65 co-pay. When i called back, the receptionist said she doesn't know why it's the case and told me to visit other dentists instead if i don't wanna pay $280. I cancelled the appointment immediately. I'm glad i didn't do the treatment and read the reviews before proceeding with the procedure. Moral of the story: they overcharge and please check your bills and dont blindly agree to the fees they charge. read more

Dr. Alex Ja is an excellent dentist. For more than 20 years+ he has taken good care of my teeth. He is pleasant, persistent, and does thorough work. He will always answer your questions, if you ask. Herb Caen would have loved his name! read more

My partner and I had a very good experience with this group. The dentists and support staff were punctual, friendly, and thorough. I really appreciated that they did not try to talk me into unnecessary (read: costly) dental procedures. We intend to come here regularly. read more

I don't know why this place has such bad rating, my experience with them was good! I got my tooth extraction, root canal treatment and crown placement done about 2 years ago and I haven't faced any problem with my tooth. My dentist was really nice and considerate. The procedure was quick, easy and not so painful. I did not had to wait long hours. I booked my appointment in advance and everytime I went there for my follow check ups, it was swift. They didn't try to rip me off or tried selling any unwanted dental products like many other dentists I have been to. read more

I've been coming here for over 15 years (Dr. Nip), since I used to live just a few blocks away. The same staff has worked the desk and front office during my entire time coming here - they are friendly, competent and extremely organized. I've had my routine dental work and Invisalign here and been super-happy with everything (I've never had to have major dental work done). The office hasn't had any issues with scheduling for me. My personal experience has been great with this office! Dr. Nip is friendly, practical and I like that he himself (not an assistant) does the cleanings. read more