Image Orthodontics

I loved my experience with Image Orthodontics! Dr. Kalika is very experienced and honest. All staff is very friendly. I had my braces during 10 months and it was always easy to make appointments for adjustment or to fix broken brackets. It’s a little pricy, but they offer payment plan with no interest, which makes easier to pay off. I had experience with two location: Geary and Embarcadero, and I prefer Geary location since Dr. Kalika works there.

My son Jacob got his braces taken off and got his retainer last week. He inherited a severe overbite from his dad (that would be me) and previously was very self-​conscious when he smiled. After being treated by Dr. Kalika and his staff, Jacob is smiling without any reservations, sharing his straight and bright smile with the world :), and we are constantly complimented by other parents about how handsome our boy is. Thank you, Dr. Kalika!

If I could re-​do my whole experience with adult braces, I would first start by avoiding Image Orthodontics altogether. This is a Childs orthodontics office that has too many untrained employees that don’t care about following treatment plans, or actually listening to the words coming out of your mouth. My experience was bad to start, then got worse:
1. The visit for impressions ended with my face and shirt being doused with water because the assistants use a rubber band to atler the faucet and forgot to remove it, causing a steady steam to shoot out and soak me.
2. Next visit, I had to travel to the opposite end of the city because the Mission office is only open a few days a week. At Geary location I had my invisalign installed and had to remind two assistants that I paid $ 1,2000 for Exceladent (a contraption that cuts treatment time by 40%). Once they checked my records, I was told the mouthguard that goes with this contraption was not available in my size and I would get a call when it was in stock.
3. 3 WEEKS LATER– no call, so I left numerous messages and finally spoke to a treatment coordinator. I was so done I decided to return the whole purchase and deal.
4. For my 1^st followup, I booked an appointment at the Mission office, only to get their on my lunchbreak to see that they booked me at the wrong office. This is not a miscommunication as I can;t make it to Geary office (1 hour dive to get there for me). The mission office is where I thought I was getting my treatment when I originally set out to find and orthodontist– Nope, no one listens to you and you get booked wherever they want.
5. Im now 2 ½ weeks in an invisalign tray and will have to wait 4 more days to get an appointment at the Mission office.
To any management reading this– What does everything seem to fall through the cracks? I feel like I am bothering your staff to get treatment, and that all they care about is moving onto the next person. Im working hard to afford this and feel like it was all in vain. Please train your staff and answer your phones, you know, the basics!

I highly recommend Dr. Kalika and Image Orthodontics. Braces can be a challenge, but Dr. Kalika and his wonderful staff made every part of the process a lot easier. Starting with the initial consultation, I always understood what to expect, what my options were, how the technology worked, and how long it would take. The office staff is super friendly, supportive, and well informed. And Dr. Kalika is kind, honest, and truly great at what he does. I had upper and lower brackets /​wires on my very crooked teeth, and I recently got the braces removed, and my teeth look absolutely amazing. My smile has been called «radiant,» and before the braces, I actually smiled with my hand in front of my mouth.
If you’re thinking about getting braces, I’d definitely recommend seeing Dr. Kalika for a consultation. It was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made.

They put customer service as first priority. The receptionist is super organized. The service is great.

I am very happy with the treatment I’ve received from Image Orthodontics. I came in hoping to straighten my crooked teeth and correct my moderate overbite. We agreed on a treatment plan with Invisalign and got to work! A month later, my boyfriend proposed and the professionals at Image Orthodontics and I talked about how my teeth would look at the time at my wedding. I could not be any happier. I am currently in the refinement stage, but I honestly would be happy with my smile just as it is now. My wedding photos were lovely, and I’m so grateful I could smile with confidence. It might seem a bit vain or silly to say that, but I think anyone who has had orthodontia can relate. I am very happy I selected Dr. Kalika and Image Orthodontics, and I’m eager to see my end result.

Back in the day, when corporations used to offer training to employees, my company had a great «Dress for Success» class. I still remember the instructor saying, «Never buy a dress unless you absolutely ADORE it!». Who knew that the same rule would apply to orthodontists?
After unfortunate (and expensive) experiences with sub-​par SF orthodontists whose idea of patient communication is a hurried grunt or two, what a delight it was to find the intelligent, competent, and caring Dr. Kalika. I hadn’t thought it possible to find an orthodontist in SF that one could ADORE. Most important, Dr. Kalika’s results have been perfect, something that other orthodontists said was not possible, even at a higher price.
I especially appreciated Dr. Kalika’s honesty; he doesn’t trap patients with hidden charges for X-​rays, etc.; everything was stated accurately and clearly up front. If, for some crazy reason, you opt for an another orthodontist, be very cautious about hidden fees charged by many for X-​rays just to give you an estimate. This can add hundreds of dollars on top of their quoted price. Prospective patients should not have to pay hidden fees to finance an orthodontist’s glitzy office.
Lesson learned: Always get a second and third opinion. Your results can be fabulous!

Dr. Kalika treated my wife. He and his staff are excellent! They discussed all the options, offered a simpler approach that no other orthodontist had ever mentioned and it worked great! Her teeth look great now, which is what really matters!
During all the followup visits, Dr. Kalika was always very friendly and spent time understanding any issues she had. It was always easy to get appointments to fit her schedule and the staff always remembered her and made her feel welcome.
Dr. Kalika is a great doctor, he’s always up to date on the latest practices and is a really smart guy when you talk to him. Honest, smart, and talented and friendly, what else could you ask for in a doctor?

So this is not a review about the medical end of Image Ortho, I think they’re fine as a provider of orthodontic services. This is about how they handle schedules and in particular emergency appointments.
My 12 year old has the small bracket type of appliance, totally more cosmetically appealing than the old full band style. The issue is the brackets continually pop off in the back. Following every appointment one or two pop off. I finally got several molars switched to the traditional band to stop this, but it continues to happen to teeth that haven’t been switched. Now, my kid is pretty good at not eating the sticky and crunchy stuff you’re warned about. Not perfect, but the failure rate of the bonding associated with this type of appliance is way too high to be normal.
Do a bit of searching, you’ll see lots of complaints about this issue. After 5 pop off, Image charges for replacing brackets, and your kid will get blamed even if they’re being compliant about the foods they’re eating.
Getting started with them, I did understand that emergency appointments to fix problems would be needed. My biggest issue is there are never any appointments available for emergencies. Never — we’re now 3 weeks and waiting for an ‘emergency’ appointment to fix a bracket.
It’s easy to schedule an appointment 3 months out, but if you have an emergency issue, be prepared to wait and wait and wait. If this had happened once, I’d understand. This has happened every time we’ve needed an emergency appointment to fix a bracket.
I’ve been told by Image staff that they have thousands of patients, so everyone waits. I wish I’d known that before we started, I would have picked a different ortho. It seems unacceptable that with $ 4500 of treatment costs when you need a quick fix you can’t get an appointment.
So my recommendation to working parents who don’t/can’t pull kids out of school for a bracket fix — go with the minimal bracket up front only. The full band style is cheaper anyway.

So far I’m very happy with this business. We interviewed two other orthodontists before choosing this establishment. Dr. Kalika took the time to explain the options and recommended a practical care plan that made sense. He didn’t recommend painful or unnecessary surgical procedures that were suggested by the others. My daughter is a little more than halfway through her treatment, and so far everything has gone according to plan. She went from having very crooked teeth to having a normal-​looking smile. The technicians who do the regular adjustments are kind and very competent. The office staff is great. They are also very time efficient… we never have to wait long to be seen during visits.

I had a great experience with Drs. Kalika, Lee, and Horii. I had braces in my early teens, but I was told, even then, that I’d probably need to get them done again as an adult. As braces in the 80s were a pretty arduous ordeal, with the headgear, the pain, and most of all, the long, long time until you saw actual changes, I really didn’t want to go through it again. Worse yet, I had been told that I would probably need to get jaw surgery done, as my jaw was apparently too small for my teeth! That was nearly a deal-​breaker for me.
I knew, though, that my bite wasn’t correct, and knew that this could cause real problems down the line. I definitely would *not* have considered doing braces for cosmetic purposes alone.
My dentist, Dr. Huynh from
, recommended Dr. Kalika. I checked out his already stellar Unilocal reviews and some other ortho review sites, and had an intro exam done. He said I definitely would *not* need jaw surgery, and estimated that I could get the whole process done within 18 months or so. I asked if I could do Invisalign braces, but he said that they wouldn’t be sufficient. He did say, though, that with the newer «self-​ligating» braces (I think that was the term), it would be a much faster and less painful process. Still, as it wasn’t essential, I procrastinated on this, until I got called around a year later about a little promo they were doing. I signed up and got started.
Everything went amazingly fast! I was very diligent with using the rubber bands (sometimes I even doubled the bands just to see how much I could take — probably not recommended, but it didn’t cause any problems for me). About 10 months into it, they actually said I’d be done within a couple months! Sure enough, after only 1 year, I was done. Everything looked great. It turned out it was just in time, as we moved out of the Bay Area that same month after I got the braces removed.
All of the doctors and staff I interacted with were great. Very professional and friendly. The fact that they have multiple offices around the city was also a great benefit. I actually was able to schedule 2 years of follow-​up appointments after leaving SF whenever I would return to visit friends, which worked out perfectly. I highly recommend this practice, esp. for adults like me who are on the fence about getting braces (perhaps for a second time). If your bite isn’t functionally correct, getting braces as an adult is totally worth it!

Dr. Kalika, Dr. Lee, and their staff are top notch! They genuinely care about their patients and display a high degree of professionalism. I always have all my questions and concerns honestly addressed and answered, and I trusted in them to make the best decision for me, as a unique individual, in my personal orthodontic journey. I’m extremely happy with the end result and would highly recommend Image Orthodontics!

I’m going to write this review even though I just started my treatment yesterday. I will try to remember to add an update when treatment is finished next year.
I’ve been super unhappy and self conscious about my teeth for most of my life. I’m 29 years old now and I figured that as a ridiculously handsome adult, Invisalign was the only option for me. I met with Dr Kalika a week ago and he was pretty realistic with me– for my case Invisalign would give me a ⁷⁄₁₀ result and Damon Clear braces would give me a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ result. He was careful to explain exactly why this was, as well as the pros and cons of each option. As I’m not one to opt for a lesser result or question professional opinion– I chose to go with Damon Clear braces. I’m pleased to say they are extremely hard to notice according to my coworkers, and not very uncomfortable.
The installation of the brackets was quick, comfortable and painless. Paperwork, photos and Xrays took about an hour, and the actual time in the chair was about 30 – 45 minutes (bring an ipod as you’re welcome to zone out during the installation)
I should also comment on my anxiety. I’m someone who deals with a relatively large amount of social anxiety, and the staff at Image were extremely understanding, warm and welcoming. Joking around with them during the steps of treatment was fun, and put my nerves at ease. I felt comfortable during the procedure and they were patient with my concerns and explained everything they were doing and offered me breaks (which I didn’t need.)
Today I will be honest and say my mouth feels weird. This is probably because of all the crazy new crap going on inside my face. I’m not in any pain, but I am definitely adjusting to my new mouth. I think my teeth feel itchy. My teeth have never felt itchy before. It’s pretty weird.
As for price, it wasn’t cheap– but seemed to be the average cost of treatment across the board. Plus, this is a one time cost to improve the rest of my life. Worth it.
If you are someone who deals with anxiety or has been considering orthodontics as an adult, I can definitely recommend Image Orthodontics. They will give you realistic answers to your questions and work to give you the best result possible.

I’d been unhappy with my teeth and bite for years, and although various dentists had tried pushing orthodontic treatment on me, it was always in the form of Invisalign to fix my crowded teeth. Having crowded teeth was an aesthetic issue for me for sure, but I couldn’t justify the expense for that alone. And besides, I felt that there were bigger issues going on with my bite. It was only when I got to Image Orthodontics (on the recommendation of my dentist Dr. Anita Youngblood) that it was explained to me, by Dr. Kalika, exactly what was going on with my bite, and what having my teeth straightened would do for my comfort and general well-​being. Finally I understood how it all came together and that it was about much more than aesthetics. It was about damage prevention, long-​term care, and quality of life.
Dr. Kalika explained to me that there were three routes we could go so that I could make a decision based on cost and commitment. I never felt as though I was being pushed towards the most expensive treatment plan. I just received a very no-​nonsense explanation of what what was involved and the applicable cost, along with his recommendation.
I actually have all my treatment with Dr. Horii at the Mission location because it’s more convenient for me. He is great: very down to earth, patient, doesn’t mind explaining things and answering questions, and pretty funny too. The women who assist him are friendly and kind. The office is very much geared towards children so it makes sense they would be so easy to work with. I actually appreciate that the office is designed this way — I get to catch up on kids movies while I’m in the chair!
The only reason I’m docking a star is a) because I’m only a third of the way through my treatment and I want to see the end results, and b) the Mission office sometimes runs behind on their appointments. It’s not so much of a bother to me at the moment because my schedule is very flexible, but if I was trying to fit appointments in on my lunch break, it might be more of a problem.
Oh, and a last shout out to Anabel, who helped me with all my paperwork and financing. I emailed her with *a lot* of questions and she always got back to me promptly, and took the time to answer my questions in full.

I think this office and doctors are the best in the Bay Area! We had three members of our family getting treated by Dr. Kalika, and I can tell you — they are the best!
Dr.Kalika provides excellent treatment to the patients. The whole crew is doing great job, relations with the patients are warm and very personalized.
We have friends who were Dr. Kalika’s patients, and for years we have heard only positive comments!

I have been struggling with Orthodontists all my life, struggling to find the best one, Image Orthodontics is simply the best — service, quality and the professionalism are the key factors highlighting this business above all.
Thank you!

The overall experience has been inconsistent as a result of seeing different doctors at all of my visits rather than one for the duration of treatment. One doctor said that I would need braces longer while another said they were ready to come off as scheduled even after I expressed concern with spaces and gaps in my bite. The treatment seemed rushed and now only 8 months later my teeth have shifted significantly even after wearing two types of retainers.
I also never received the bottle of champagne that other patients received at the end of treatment. During my last visit Dr. Lee noticed this and offered me a bottle of wine as an afterthought which they didn’t even have.
When you pay $ 5,000 for a service, you expect all of your doubts and concerns to be acknowledged rather than brushed aside. I’m not an orthodontist, but my dentist even had issues with my bite after treatment. Now my braces are off, the money has been paid and there isn’t anything I can do. I just have to wear my retainers and hope that my teeth don’t move even more to overcompensate for what I think is a misalignment of my bite. I suggest being persistent and demanding answers to your questions and not letting them take your braces off until you are 100% satisfied with the explanations they give you and the work that has been done. I also suggest insisting on seeing the same orthodontist at every visit rather than bouncing around.

Loved the office! Friendly, professional stuff. Great doctor.
Looking forward to our next appointment:) Thank you Dr Kalika !!!

I am very happy with the my decision to go to this office. my dentist recommended Dr. Kalika. The staff is very professional and caring.
I have been wanting to get my teeth «straightened» for ever since I can remember and it truly was the best decision of my life! Thank you Dr. Kalika and staff!

I’m a singer/​performer so I could not worry about braces during photoshoots but I needed straighter teeth to look great in those photoshoots so I was referred to Image Orthodontics and now I have perfect teeth and it was so fast! A year flew by and I loved my invisaline and I loved Image Orthodontics staff and service!
Now I’m photoshoot ready!
:) Ericka Davis