ORA Dental Studio

Like most people I have never enjoyed going to the dentist until I began going to Ora Dental in the West Loop. Everyone there is extremely personable and friendly and they make make going to the dentist not a chore but something I look forward to. It’s like catching up with old friends rather than an uncomfortable experience where you gums are being mutilated. I am moving away from Chicago and as odd as it sounds this is one place I am going to miss.

I have been to a lot of bad dentists, so much so that when I found Dr. John Irving in Naperville, I never wanted to leave. I did move to Chicago, and a trip to Naperville for a dentist appointment seemed a bit overkill, so I had to cut my losses. I decided to call around and try out a few dentists in the Chicago area when I stumbled upon ORA. Setting up an appointment was very easy and I got a check-​up and a consultation set up for invisalign within a week or two. Walking into their lobby, their practice feels cozy and the staff are very welcoming.
Dentists are my biggest fear and I cringe at the thought have hearing a drill in my mouth, but Vaj was very gentle and held a great conversation to make me feel at ease. Dr. De La Cruz was also very friendly and informative. Once I was done, the receptionist explained the costs to me and was happy to answer my questions. I went back later to get fillings replaced that I received when I was around 13. My experience with these fillings at 13 was not pleasant and I only went in to get them replaced because I knew the fillings were cracked. Needless to say, as tight as I held my hands, the whole procedure was relatively painless and I was able to full use my mouth the night of. I can’t say I have been happier at a dentist.

I have been a patient of Ora Dental Studio in the West Loop for over three years now. Clinically, Dr. De La Cruz and Vaj are awesome face-​to-​face and are very charismatic people. You can’t help but to like them. This is why I fought to try to make this facility work for my family. Unfortunately this does not carry over to create a total experience. There is no follow-​through. The administrative staff and the billing are horrible. The receptionist, Kathy, is rude, has horrible customer service skills and takes no responsibility for any mistakes she makes.
Since day one of being a patient I have had trouble with the billing of my services. I have federal dental benefits which are some the best benefits out there and are accepted by this facility. Since I am covered by two plans, Kathy always just sent my bills to both plans instead of taking the time to figure out which plan was the correct one to submit for payment. You can imagine the chaos this created throughout my time here. In February of this year my husband went to his appointment and was refused treatment and was told that Ora Dental is out of network with no warning. I followed up with Kathy who said that in February of 2014 (a whole year prior), Ora was no longer in network with our plan because of «paperwork issues». My husband and I are both seen every six months, so we had been to the dentist at least twice after Ora was apparently out-​of-​network and we were never told by Kathy. After a call to Kathy she just said Ora was out-​of-​network and said she would call the insurance company to see why– after my husband was refused treatment, took off of work, and paid a babysitter to attend this appointment. Kathy just kept telling me every time I called «she was still waiting for the insurance to call back». I called the insurance company myself who said that there was an issue with credentialing, meaning the dentist hadn’t completed the appropriate licensure paperwork or someone has submitted complaints. Kathy assured me this was going to be taken care of and that Ora was «in-​network» with our insurance. Fast forward to May of this year. I had any appointment scheduled and was under the impression that everything was worked out with the insurance issue. At my last 6 month check-​up, Dr. De la Cruz had a family emergency (understandable) and I never saw the dentist but just received a cleaning. I was assured this was fine. This meant that I had not seen a dentist in over a year. A few days before my appointment I received a call from Kathy saying that, «Ora is out of network and you must find an in-​network dentist». I had not seen a dentist in a year and I was told at the last minute to find a new dentist?! I was furious and requested to speak to Dr. De la Cruz. He never called, instead I received a call from the office manager for several locations, Dan. Dan indicated that there have been complaints about Kathy’s «attitude» by other patients. Dan apologized and scheduled my appointment and said I wouldn’t be charged my co-​pay for the inconvenience. This was in May. All this time the insurance issues are «being worked out». So, I went to my appointment and found out I have a hole in a filling which has caused me pain. They wouldn’t schedule an appointment until they get confirmation that the dental insurance is in-​network. This is not their policy. I get a call from Vaj, the hygienist, who states she spoke to the insurance company and they are in-​network and the services I need are approved. She says that because of the issues, she will submit a plan to the insurance in writing and wait to receive it back before scheduling my appointment. That was June 11… two months ago. I called one month ago for an update and left a message for Dan and did not receive a return call. I called Kathy today to check the status. She said, «we are still waiting to hear back from the insurance» and «it’s not my fault what because I don’t know what Vaj discussed with you». After two months… you would think they would follow-​up with the insurance or at least call me with an update. I requested my dental records and will not be returning to Ora Dental as they clearly don’t value my business nor do they respect their patients enough to return calls/​follow-​up with them. If you are looking for long-​term, patient-​centered, and clinically ethical dental treatment, I would not choose this facility. I work in healthcare and I would report this type of treatment to the State of Illinois if any of the providers I work with treated patients like this.

Ora provides the best dental care I’ve ever received.
Dr. dela Cruz is exceptionally good at explaining and providing treatment, and everyone from the hygienists to front desk staff is polite, intelligent, and customer-​focused.
Also, it may be a little silly… but I care a lot about the environment of a dentist’s office, having had some pretty scary experiences as a child (all but one baby teeth pulled!). Ora West Loop’s office environment is the perfect mix of professional and casual, and the lofty ceilings really help put me at ease when I’m in the chair.
Bottom line: I’ve never previously recommended a dentist, but I recommend Ora West Loop to all my friends and coworkers who are new to town or looking for a better dentist.

I am DEATHLY afraid of dentists — I went into the ORA West Loop location for a general cleaning followed by cavities and whitening. Their team is great, Dr. Dela Cruz is so sweet and professional. The entire staff from the front desk personnel, to the hygienist and the assistants were understanding and made me feel very comfortable.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a new dentist. Definitely found my new dental office in Chicago!

I decided to go to Ora West Loop since I had been to the South Loop location before, and the west loop location was convenient to my office. The cleaning was great but then I had my exam from the dentist. He uses a little machine called Diagnodent, which supposedly detects cavities using lasers. With the help of his device, he found a bunch of cavities and identified old fillings that should be replaced. I’ve only ever had 4 fillings in my life and they are not old. The number of cavities he identified kept changing as he spoke, and when they presented me with the plan to fix them, a few new ones were tacked on, bringing the total to 7, (3 more than I’ve ever had in my entire life.) When i asked the dentist a bit more about why there were so many, or why I should replace old fillings, he got a bit defensive and said the machine said so. They offered to get me in for half the fillings the next day. Since I read a Unilocal review before I went where someone had a very similar experience finding a surprising amount of cavities, I decided to put it off a bit and get a second opinion. Low and behold, the other dentist found one small cavity and nothing else. He said the daignodent can be misused, and it is not to be used on teeth with existing fillings (which De La Cruz did use as «evidence» that my old fillings were bad). Google diagnodent false positives! If you want to have 7 teeth drilled for fun, pain, and high costs, go here. If not, stay away. Great for cleaning but do not take this dentist at his word!

I was terrified to go to the dentist because I had been delaying going for… about 2 years…
They were very kind and understanding and just wanted to help. Everyone is very friendly and accomodating, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
If you have been avoiding, I suggest getting to see them. I feel much better!

Used to be a great place but it is different now. They will try to charge you for things that you don’t need. Also, when I asked the receptionist to explain some of the things that they wanted to charge me for, she told me I could go somewhere else and hung up on me.

I have had a ton of dental work in the past due to soft enamel and such. It was my fault that I didn’t get my regular check up when I first moved to Chicago. I waited until one of my teeth/​filling broke off while flossing before doing something about it. I was nervous since it had been a year and a half since I had seen anyone. Dr. Delacruz really calmed my nerves and did my first root canal this past week. The staff are very friendly and accommodating, and I LOVE that it doesn’t feel like a dentist office when I’m there. All in all, I am completely impressed. 2 days out from the procedure, and I haven’t had to take anything but tylenol for pain.
I am also the type of person who likes to stay ahead of any potential future problems, so any small cavities that are caught early and filled is a much better option to me than waiting until it becomes a bigger problem. I feel like this office has the same mentality, and I’m very grateful for it.
Also, for the record, best oral anesthetic injections I’ve ever had, and I’ve had too many to keep track of at this point between fillings and surgeries. Thank you guys for being very good at what you do.

Had my teeth cleaned here… def recommend it. Really friendly & professional staff and they know what they are doing. Appointment went very smooth, I will def go back there.

The best dentist and staff you can go to! Prompt, minimal waiting. The hygenist is super gentle. Dr. dela Cruz is great, my treatment was fast and I didn’t feel a thing. The staff is all very professional and nice. Would highly recommend if you need a new dentist.

BY FAR the nicest dentist office I’ve ever been to! Kathy knew exactly who I was when I walked in (first time client) by our email exchanges and Dr. Cruz was super nice. The hygenist was amazing and it was just a great overall experience. Rad music playing while you get your teeth cleaned and they go through each and every step with you, show you your xrays and make sure you know what’s getting done! Couldn’t be happier to have found my new dentist! :)

Love to go here, services is always a breeze with state of art equipment, professional staff, and Dr. Kralj always works his magic into a beautiful smile.

I once skipped going to the dentist for 7 years I was so scared. Heard some good reviews of another one of their offices so I came here. I had 2 deep cleanings (which kinda sucked) and 2 filings (one that they had to replace that was done less then a year ago). Overall it wasnt bad at all, everything from the shot to numb to the drilling. This is the type of place I would continue to go to even if I moved away

I had a coupon for the Zoom whitening, reduced from $ 599 to $ 199. The result was moderate. Zoom is onl slightly more effective than using the Crest Whitestrips.
The procedure was relatively pain free. Basically they put a clamp on your teeth and shine a bright light on them for 45 minutes. Its not pleasant, but certainly doesn’t deserve the reactionary comments already posted. What did you expect– you had your teeth whitened with ultraviolet rays!
My teeth were slightly sensitive for a few days, but they warned me of this potential side effect. It was not unbearable nor was it unexpected.
If you already take care of your oral hygiene the process is somewhat superfluous. Whitestrips and regular cleaning should be sufficient. Do not expect a model or weather anchor smile. The improvement exists, but it is slight and not entirely worth $ 599.

After five years with Dr. Kralj, I am very disappointed in his service. I have had impressions taken for an Invisalign refinement in May of 2010. The impressions were lost which I found out when trying to pick them up in August (it’s been five years now and I no longer live in Chicago). I thought this was a fluke until I had new impressions taken in January. It is now April and I have been calling for a couple weeks trying to find out where my aligners are. I have paid in full and have been forced to wait a full year for the service I paid for.
Ashley, the receptionist tells me she can’t provide information and the doctor will call me. I have called about seven times now and have yet to hear from Dr. Kralj although he knows me and my case well.
Unless this post inspires a proactive response from the office, I will be contacting the Illinois Division of Professional Regulation. Dr. Kralj is already familiar with DPR, as he was on probation from 1999 – 2003 for practicing on a license he had not renewed.

The way my experience ended at ORA Dental Studio is partially my fault — thus the three star rating. I should have done my homework, instead of allowing myself to be blinded by a fabulous Groupon deal and the thought of sparkling white teeth at the hand of a professional.
Alas, I did get a great deal and semi-​whiter teeth. But the process, and pain, to get there was, in my opinion, not worth it.
When I heard whitening, I thought I’d sit in the chair, some goop would be applied to my teeth and I’d be done shortly after. Alas, this is where my lack of preparation took me off guard.
Zoom whitening requires a large plastic contraption hold your mouth open for nearly an hour, where you have to sit through three 15 minute sessions of not moving a muscle, while a hot, uncomforable light shines directly onto your teeth.
The hygenist, who mind you was very friendly and efficient, kept warning me that afterwards I would feel some sensitivity, but after taking a few Motrin, I would be fine. Well, not only did sensitivity = some significant pain, but it was bad enough to awaken me in the middle of the night with a throbbing ache in my lower front gums.
I’m sure everyone has different levels of pain afterwards, so maybe mine was simply on the stronger end of the spectrum. Thank God I woke up this morning feeling better, and sure, my teeth are a bit whiter, but in the end, it just wasn’t worth it for me.

I am a huge baby when it comes to any sort of dental work, but Dr Kralj put me at ease almost immediately upon entering his office. His staff is friendly and made me feel more like I was walking into a beautiful spa rather a dreaded dentist appt.
Dr Kralj fixed my teeth with no discomfort at all, none! His manner was so reassuring that dare I say, he made feel really comfortable. I never thought I would use comfort in describing a dental visit, but there you have it! If I had a dentist like this growing up I never would have had the dental visit anxiety that I’ve endured through all these years.

After talking about the need to switch dentists with my cousin who is a dentist that lives in the area but works in Indiana I mentioned Ora and she gave positive remarks. The staff is very friendly and easy to talk to. They have alot of hi tech gadgetry that I havent seen before, and I am a very curious person and he had no problem answering my questions and explaining what he was doing as we were going along. The office I must say is very nice and looks like a spa. You even get heated lemon scented towelettes when you’re done.
My only dislikes were the parking situation, didnt help that there was construction going on right in front at the moment, so perhaps thats only temporary. There was plenty of parking one block south on Washington though, it is maxed at 2 hour metering which made me nervous, but I made it back both times with time to spare. The other thing is I currently had to pay upfront, and was going to get reimbursed by my insurance company, BUT, I guess that problem will be resolved by January or so because they are still filing with the insurance company because it is a new office.