Marcel Orthodontics

Dr. Marcel is knowledgable and knows his stuff. The staff is friendly and is usually on top of things. Overall, the office is clean and organized. I got my braces done here.

This review is for Dr. Claire Marcel and her lovely staff at the Tracy office.
I am so happy that I found such a kind and caring orthodontic office to help me journey through the ’ omg I’m an adult with braces’ odyssey… took me a long time to make the decision to finally just do it and Dr. Claire and Lorena and Angie have been so patient and kind at every appointment.
Even though I dread every appointment (dental appt. anxiety anyone?) I also look forward to going and visiting these nice ladies and they always make what isn’t always a pleasant hour sort of fun!
Very gentle, very accommodating, and I think I’m actually getting these things off early so thats a huge bonus. Looking forward to my new smile but I will actually miss our monthly visits :)
Managerial and office staff are A-​plus too and scheduling is easy to do as well as available staff for little emergencies.
Thanks Dr. Claire!

Dr. Marcel and his staff are the best. My daughter is in between her two phases of braces and comes in for periodic check ups. Everyone is very nice and gentle with her and have been since the beginning. She was only 8 years old when the pallet expander was put in. She has never had a bad experience and almost enjoys going to the orthodontist. I don’t mind the fresh baked cookies either, as well as the video games to entertain her little brother. Thanks so much for taking care of my little girl. Much appreciated.

Dr. Marcel and his staff deserve way more than 5 stars! My son has been going to Dr. Marcel for the last 2 years and I have been overwhelmed with the professionalism of the staff and how the practice is run. This is the reason I felt inspired to write a review. The Marketing Coordinator, Christine, has done a phenomenal job with her team to ensure that your entire experience at the practice is 100% satisfactory. I have worked in corporate sales for many years and know how much work goes into running a business and making sure your customers are happy with your service.
Following are my observations, experience and key points:
1 — You walk in and sign in right away into their user friendly system that allows your child to feel independent and confident — an extra perk! Janet sitting behind the desk is there to greet you with a warm smile and is there to answer any questions you have. Everyone has a no problem attitude!
2 — After waiting for a short amount of time in the very lively waiting room filled with entertainment and reading materials, you get called to see Dr. Marcel or a staff member.
3 — Dr. Marcel is consistently friendly and lively, making his patients feel at ease. He is a master of his craft and has always recommended treatments for my son with a positive outcome. My son now has his first phase of braces off and is wearing a retainer. In addition, the other staff members that my son has had appointments with have been knowledgable, friendly, engaging and encouraging.
4 — I just went in for a braces consultation for my daughter who is in 2^nd grade. Dr. Marcel took plenty of time with her to go over his feedback on her teeth and made it fun and comfortable. He recommended that we not move forward with braces at this time as the mild crowding in her teeth is not of concern, and that braces when she is in 5^th or 6^th grade will be the time to move forward. This experience, in addition to many others, shows me that Dr. Marcel is committed to the health of his patients teeth and keeps that as his number one priority.
5 — As far as price, I believe that the amount they charge is reasonable and completely worth every penny.
6 — Lastly, another observation I have made is that the staff at the office have all been there for many years. Truly a reflection of Dr. Marcel’s leadership and ability to take excellent care of his team.
I give 5+++++ stars for a well deserved team.

P. S…my daughter’s «crooked» adult teeth came in beautifully and perfect. In the end, baby teeth extraction wasn’t necessary. Even Dr. Marcel saw them coming down in perfect position via xray — apology for the horrific comments he made to me??? Ahhh, nope! Was he even remotely happy or relieved that they were coming down perfectly into position? Ahhh, nope! I’m just sayin’…

I found him personable when we spoke during the consultation and I also liked the people who worked at the front desk. But I stopped liking him when I actually became a patient because I found him to be inflexible with the treatment plan, rather insensitive, and defensive when his patient (me) asked questions.
Background: I had braces already once when I was in middle school, but due to an accident wherein I smashed my upper jaw (yea, that was kinda painful), I felt that I needed to fix up my teeth/​bite again.
I repeatedly told Dr. Marcel and his staff that I didn’t mind having a long treatment period because my teeth were already traumatised and I did not want them moved fast for fear the roots will die (FYI, take a look at the contract you sign when you agree to ortho treatment and you’ll see that roots being absorbed by the bone and losing your teeth are some of the possible side effects).
Well, they pretty much ignored my request. I went to my dentist shortly after the braces were put in for a cleaning and also because I really felt like I needed to consult with someone who has a sympathetic ear and is in a vested (albeit business) relationship with me for the long haul.
Dr. Marcel had started me out with rather thick archwires, which may have been ok for someone who’s never gotten her front teeth smashed in, but not so ok for me. And my dentist was shocked also when she saw what they gave me as my first set of wires.
I felt like I was a «special case» due to my existing dental issues (and I’m not his target demographic, let’s just say) and he just didn’t care.
Anyway, I actually stopped treatment early because I would rather live with imperfect/​slightly crooked teeth than risk having my roots die by being moved so fast and furious.
And then came the retainers… Don’t get me started on the retainers. I had a Hawley retainer for my lower and a clear plastic one for the top (according to wikipedia they’re called Essix). The Hawley was never fitted properly, it would rock from side to side in my mouth between the teeth, but the lady who fitted me said that was ok, and Dr. Marcel seconded that.
Like I said, I had braces once when I was in middle school, ergo I’ve worn retainers, too, and the ones I got from Dr. Marcel’s office were just lame. But they sent me out the door anyway, and I didn’t argue because I really didn’t want to deal with them again.
This would be one star if not for the really friendly front desk staff who were always there with a smile.

I was not real impressed with this orthodontist. His office reminds me of an industrial assembly line. He spends minimal time with the patients whereas his staff does most of the work. I had to point out to him that my daughter’s braces were not ready to be removed as he suggested since the upper and lower teeth were not aligned. There has to be better out there.

I’ve been to his office about 3 times and each time I want to get started on the treatment but something comes up and I postpone for months or even years! =\! Each time I’ve come in for a consult he has been professional, nice, and offered to be there whenever I decided to start treatment. He figured out a treatment plan that I’m very excited for and I’ll actually be starting it this year. Yay! He is the talk of the town for braces in a good way. Plus, he did my sister’s teeth and they still look amazing.