San Francisco Dental Spa

This place is a joke! Called 3 weeks ago to get in to see the dentist because I had a filling fall out and was extremely painful. Doctor was on vacation. Was told that he would refer me to a colleague and would be called back that day. This was around 10 am. I start calling back around 3 and no one answers. I leave multiple messages with no return call. The next day I get a call stating that they had missed a call from this number and proceeded to ask me what my problem was, like she had never talked to me before. I explained no one had called me back the day before and I was still in a lot of pain. She said she would get another referral and call me back as soon as possible. She followed through on this day and I was able to get into see another doctor. And while we were on the phone we made another follow-​up appt with Dr Kogan for sept 3^rd.
Fast forward to Friday, August 27^th at about 4 pm and I get a voice mail stating she can’t verify my insurance and needs me to call back in to clear it up. When I call Friday evening they are already closed. I try again on Saturday and no one answers. I call Sunday and Monday, they are closed. I call Tuesday and no one answers or returns my call. Finally, on Wednesday I get through. I need to reschedule due to work conflicts. We reschedule for sept 6^th at 3:30. I also state that they called because there was an issue with my insurance. She said no. It was all there and they would see me on Tuesday the 6^th.
Normally doctors call to confirm you appts and I did not get one of those so I start calling this morning at 9 am. No answer. I called 8 times with no answer or returned call to my voice mails. I walk in at 3 pm and the receptionist says I’ll be with you in a moment. I really can’t see that she has any other pressing issues. No other clients. Obviously she can’t answer a phone so that’s not the problem. A client walks out of the back and the receptionist engages her in a meaningless conversation for about 5 minutes. After they are done I’m thinking ok now I can speak to her. No! She says again that she will be with me in a moment. At this point irritation has set in.
When she finally deems I am worthy of her attention she calls me up and asks my name. She says she cancelled my appointment because I never called her back. Something about the insurance info I gave her was medical only. The doctor’s colleague didn’t have any issues with my insurance last week when I was in there. So instead of gathering my insurance cards and trying to call them, she fumbles through papers looking for when she called the last time she called. Seriously?! I took off work early to be here at this appointment. Now I have to find another dentist. Take more time off work. Moral to this story is don’t bother with these crack pots. They have no clue how to treat people.

As a patient of 10 years, I’m quite surprised to read the negative reviews here. I have had a consistently positive experience here over the last decade, I have referred several other people to Dr. Kogan and I’ve always received good feedback from those I’ve referred. Dr. Kogan and his staff have always been very pleasant and professional. Every once in a while, I might have to wait a few extra minutes past my appointment time, but it has never been enough to throw off my schedule. From the moment I arrive until the moment I leave, I’m always treated with respect and kindness. Dr. Kogan is professional, courteous and gentle, his staff is welcoming and helpful and the office is extremely clean. I have never felt as though anyone at the Dental Spa has been pushy or tried to get me to have an unnecessary treatment. It is a very pleasant place to receive dental care and the various spa treatments are a very nice bonus. My absolute favorite is the neck and shoulder massage, just make sure you have the time to receive this one because it adds about 10 minutes to the end of your appointment — so worth it if you have the time. It’s the perfect thing after dental work. I also love the hot towel that they bring to me at the end of the dental work so that I can freshen up. All in all, I would highly recommend the SF Dental Spa to anyone.

10:30 appointment, it’s nearly 11am and still sitting in waiting room. Spend less time and energy on offering water and tea and more on punctuality.

If I had found this place earlier, I would have been excited to go to the dentist. The dentist and staff are really nice and truly care about your comfort. The offices are beautiful and they even offer a short spa experience (like a massage) with your cleaning! I’m pregnant so they were very understanding of not doing X-​rays and holding off on any procedures until after the baby is here. They did want me to start on the herbal mouth wash for $ 45 but were very understanding when I said I wanted to do a bit of my own research before buying it. He also noticed some clenching or grinding signs but said to just keep an eye on it for now and be attentive to clenching during the day, then report back and discuss a mouth guard sometime in the future. No pressure what so ever to get one. I’ve been to many dentists in the city and this one by far is the best overall experience. Highly recommend!

The most lavish dentist experience I’ve ever had!
I was a patient of Dr. Kogan’s for over 5 years, and have nothing but good words. «Pampering» is not the typical word you come up with when thinking about a dental practice, but with a waterfall, tea, and neck wrap (or other treatment of your choosing), the team put the Spa in Dental Spa. Everyone has always been super friendly, Dr. Kogan is super professional, and I would highly recommend him to anyone I care about.

I cam here last week after a dental emergency and they fit me right in same day, even though I am not a regular patient. First, the office is immaculate. The front desk staff (Lori) extremely helpful, professional and well organized. Dr. Kogan was highly professional and explained everything that was going on. He was also very gentle. The dental suite was also immaculate. The dental assistant was very competent and quickly took the x-​rays. Dr. Kogan provided me with the prescription that I needed and even called it in for me so it would be ready asap. He provided me with the name of the specialist and the office even helped to set up the appointment! This whole experience made me feel very well cared for and as if I was in good hands. I will be switching to these fine local dentists.

It’s been great going to the Dental Spa, very friendly and relaxing place. I rarely had the time to enjoy the complimentary spa treatment after dental services but it was always nice to have the choice. Dr. Kogan is very knowledgeable and provided detailed explanations of issues I had and how to treat them. I definitely recommend the place.

I came to SF dental spa with the pain on the right side of my mouth. The dentist who I had seen previously recommended a root canal and a crown. I came to see Dr. Kogan for a second opinion. After carefully examining my mouth, my face and my jaw, Dr. Kogan explained that I did not need a root canal or a crown, and that the problem was caused by my TMJ and the exhausted jaw muscles. He gave me the excersises for the TMJ/​jaw, prescribed the meds and made a splint. The pain was cured and never came back. It’s been two years, and up to this day I am thankful to Dr. Kogan for saving me from unnessary treatment and pain. I’ll always be his patient and biggest fan.

I’ve been a patient of the Pacific Dental Spa aka San Francisco Dental Spa, Dr. Alexander Kogan, for five years. I’m not going back.
My last visit, and the last straw after years of feeling like something fishy was going on, was for a regular filling. Dr. Kogan put the topical numbing lollipop on the right side of my mouth and left the room. He seemed rushed. When he came back, I asked him where the cavity was. He said on the left lower molar. I asked why he was numbing the right side of my mouth. He said, «Good question.» Then he put another lollipop on the left side and complained that he was behind schedule and made me feel like this was my fault. But, hey, everyone makes mistakes. But then…
Dr. Kogan did the whole drilling and filling bit, and then he got to the part where he shapes the new filling to match your bite and he has you bite down on the carbon paper to see where he needs to grind the filling down. He did this a few times and then finally, instead of continuing to shape the filling, he just ground down the top molar that he was trying to fit his filling to and didn’t say a word about it. Did he think I wasn’t going to notice him grinding down my perfectly good tooth to fit his filling? But remember, he was behind schedule, so I guess that was my fault, too.
The best part is I keep getting past due notices in the mail for some mysterious small balance they say I owe them. I keep calling and leaving messages, but I can’t seem to get anyone to call me back to explain what the charge is for. Someone in the office who couldn’t explain the charges told me I would get a call back from the office manager who doesn’t work out of the office and is really hard to reach, but that she would definitely call me back. That was about six months and several more phone calls to their office ago. Do they think I’m just going to send them money for nothing?
If you are thinking about using this dentist read the Unilocal reviews for Pacific Dental Spa, San Francisco Dental Spa, and Irene Mullin, DDS. They are all for Dr. Alexander Kogan. I wish I had read them before I became a patient of the practice that keeps changing it’s name.

Tl;dr. This was the most bizarre dental experience I have ever had. Dr. Kogan and the staff pressured me to buy dental care products that are not scientifically proven to be effective and also are expensive. He also was not thorough in explaining his concerns — many of which I have never heard from my previous dentists! I will not be revisiting this dentist.
Dr Kogan made some good recommendations about my teeth (floss, I know…) and was overall pretty nice. The staff was professional but not too friendly. These are the only positive aspects of my experience.
I will not be returning to this facility. Dr. Kogan took one look at my x-​Rays and insisted that I grind my teeth or clench my jaw. I have never been told this nor do I experience any jaw muscle soreness or stiffness. I have no evidence for this, and Dr. Kogan did not even take the time to explain the evidence on the images.
He also «prescribed» for me what he called an «herbal antimicrobial rinse.» I asked «herbal??» and was utterly confused but figured it wouldn’t be too expensive. When I got up to go, the receptionist spent ten minutes trying to convince (read: pressure) me to buy the herbal rinse for $ 44!!! Needless to say I did not buy the bottle and looked up the rinse (tooth and tonic) on the Internet and could not find any scientific evidence that it fights plaque, etc. I will only be using ADA-​approved dental care. I have cancelled my 6 month appt. with this dentist and do not recommend that anyone sees him.

I’be been a patient of Dr. Kogan’s for 10years and have nothing but great things to say about him and his staff. I move around a lot due to the nature of my work but no matter where i lived over the course of the years i stay with my favorite dentist, Dr. K. I am a very picky patient, so my loyalty to one dentist means a lot. I brought my husband, my sister and my parents to Dr. K. — he is indeed our family dentist!

Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this dental office. I was referred to SF Dental Spa by my cousin, later I found out that several of my co-​workers go there too. Let me start by saying that they did a great jog designing their facility and creating a spa-​like dental practice that has a fill of a five star resort. A huge water fall, a huge palm tree, candles, relaxing spa music, massage therapist. Wow!
Now about the dental team — they are superb! Dr. Kogan is the most knowledgable and corkiest dentist I’ve met in my life. Anything you want to ask him, he’ll know the answer to. Definitely up-​to-​speed with all the latest advances in dentistry (and politics).
I love that Dr. Kogan is a «minimally invasive» dentist (see his bio on their website). I had two cavities on my teeth, Dr. Kogan said they were small and could be treated conservatively. So he prescribed an ozone therapy with an herbal rinse and intense flossing (yea, I know, I hate the flossing part). Six months later — cavities have stabilized, will be closely monitored. Mind-​blowing technology…
The entire team is top notch. Everybody from the assistants, front desk to the spa therapist make you feel at ease. They also work with your insurance and make sure you get your treatment covered by your insurance plan.
This has been the best dental experience in my life. Go check out SF Dental spa! You will understand what I am talking about.

Another visit, another great experience!

I use Unilocal multiple times per week but I’ve never felt compelled to post a review, until now. I’ve had cleanings at the Dental Spa for about 2 – 3 years and been there probably 3−4x for regular cleanings.
Each time I went to the Dental spa for a regular cleaning, Dr. Kogan was, in my experience, increasingly pushy to get me to buy different products or services. First it was urgent that I get a mouth guard from him (over $ 500, not covered by insurance) for my nighttime clenching, which I’ve never been told I do and never felt any symptoms. I said I would rather get one at CVS to try first for $ 10 and his reply was «why would you do that, do you always just get the cheapest thing?» I was shocked but didn’t think too much of it.
The next visit, I felt, again, that he was very pushy to get me to buy the mouth guard and also recommended that I get Invisalign (I’ve already had braces, my teeth are quite straight). I delayed again until my visit today where he said I would now need both the mouth guard and a «deep cleaning». He painted a gruesome, vivid picture of my gums rotting and my teeth falling out if I don’t start this immediately. I agreed to get everything he said just to humor him and see his reaction (mouth guard: $ 500, deep cleaning: $ 1,300) and made a note to check Unilocal as soon as I left to confirm what I was thinking, he was recommending expensive treatments for me that likely weren’t entirely necessary. While I do have some issues with my gums and likely will need treatment at some point, it was the way he prescribed the products and treatments which just made me suspicious and uncomfortable.
To be fair, I haven’t gone to another dentist yet to get a 2^nd opinion, I intend to do that ASAP, but I wanted to get this review up quickly and potentially save someone from purchasing something very expensive that they may very well not need. Again, this is my opinion and I’m obviously not a dentist, but, as a consumer, I didn’t appreciate the aggressive tactics.
I want to caveat that his assistants are always VERY nice and professional, 5 stars to them and the facility is very nice, but we’re not reviewing those aspects here. His staff does do a great job cleaning and taking x-​rays, etc. and, whatever happens with this practice, I wish them the best. My intention with this review is not to cause detriment to the practice, I’m merely providing my honest feedback from my personal experience at the Dental Spa, which will hopefully be constructive for all parties.
I won’t be going back to the Dental Spa and I would encourage anyone who has gotten a recommendation for a treatment or product to get a second opinion.

New job, new place… now a new dentist! Wow this place did not dissapoint!!! My co-​worker recommended the Dental Spa, and I decided to try it. First of all, you really walk in into a Spa. It does not feel like a dental office at all. The ambiance is fantastic, very calm and peaceful! The staff is very pleasant, accomodating and curtious. Another HUGE point is that this place is super CLEAN!!! To me that is the most important thing, especially when it comes to doctors. Everything was spotless!!! I had a cleaning and exam done, and this is truly the best cleaning I have ever had. To top that I got a spa treatment, that they offer complimentary. (I went with the Orange Eye Mask). Really, they wow you at every turn. Dr. Kogan was very knowledgable and most importantly he was happy to answer all my questions and did not make me feel rushed. I love this place!!! Thank you Dr. Kogan and team!!!

This guy is a very good dentist. I went in and had a cleaning a few weeks ago and it was kind of weird at first, because they offer you a spa treatment with your cleaning. I am a guy and that seemed like a strange thing to me. It seems a bit over the top, but honestly, its kind of fun and it makes going to the dentist better. If you don’t want it, just say no. They don’t mind. When they did my cleaning, I did the lavender neck wrap thingie.
TODAY… I had two fillings done. One was on my front tooth and one WAY in the back. I had a hard time keeping my mouth wide enough to get in there, but he was really patient and did a great job. When I had pain on that back tooth, he stopped and gave me more numbing stuff, which was nice, because I need one that doesn’t have epinephrine in it, so it wears off faster, which he told me about and I was ready for. The whole thing probably took way longer to do my fillings than he expected, but never once did I feel rushed or pressured or uncomfortable. I REALLY like this office and recommend it highly. Today I skipped the spa treatment, but next time I am thinking that might want a cucumber eye treatment (or something equally silly for a guy to get, but what the heck! I am at the dental spa…)
Sure, Dr. Kogan is not super talkative, but can you really talk to him anyway while he works? He explains everything and listens to what you have to say. I have been to dentists before who wear loud shirts and squirt you or his assistants with the water thingie to try to be hip or funny or cool. but to me, that is just kid stuff. Kogan isn’t like that at all. I think this place was relaxing and him being quiet and thoughtful seemed nice to me.

The nurses are super sweet and helpful. The doctor is thorough, friendly, and not too talkative. They are timely, responsive, and send me reminder emails. I get to wear headphones while they work on my teeth, and the offer a range of dental treatments… I don’t usually take advantage of these, but it’s nice of them to offer. Happy to have found a dentist that cares about me.

The Dental Spa is a beautiful and relaxing office, the staff is very nice and you get some quirky ‘mini-​spa’ treatments during your appointment but the primary dentist, Dr. Kogan, lacks sensitivity and compassion. I had two fillings that needed to be done, the first without complication the second was not so easy. When injecting the Novocain, he stabbed my nerve so hard I felt a searing heat up the side of my face and my eyeball went numb for at least 5 mins. Upon injecting me, I screamed ouch, ouch and then flung my arms out in pain as it happened. Dr. Kogan’s response was ‘that’s normal’ and walked away. This has never happened to me in nearly 30 years of dental experiences. A day later, my cheek still hurts so bad its hard and painful for me to open my mouth, nonetheless chew. With the way that is feeling, I don’t think tomorrow will be much better.
On the previous visit, I tried to reschedule my appointment due to a urgent business meeting. They said I would have to pay the $ 50 cancellation fee, no exceptions. I took my meeting and arrived late instead, upon which I was slightly chastised by Dr Kogan for being late. When he left the room, his assistant told me that if I need to reschedule, to lie and tell them I have a fever, this is the only way around the fee, also that Dr. Kogan does not understand that business matters happen, and you too have to earn a living. I found this information comforting from the assistant yet rather perturbing as well. Clients are clients no matter what business you are in, we all have to make sacrifices, no one’s business is more important than others. According to Dr. Kogan, his reign’s supreme.
Currently I am scheduled for further work with Dr. Kogan, but have decided to no longer use his facility. I understand that I had a unique experience, but some compassion, a moderate apology and/​or some forewarning of the possible pain/​side effect would have changed my view of his practice and ‘chair-​side’ manner.
Others may have a better experience, I will not say ‘don’t go here’ but do want to people to know of my experience.

Wow, so my first experience of a Dentist in the US was unfortunately not a good one.
The practice give the ‘appearance’ of a serene tranquil place. However the actual experience couldn’t be further from this. I found the guy on the front desk to be friendly but smiling through gritted teeth. The dentist was pleasant enough in his own manner however, I don’t think that patient empathy comes anywhere near his priority. Very stressful and painful experience.
The billing process has been all over the place. After 3 months it’s still not clear how they worked it out and how much I still owe them. It appears they just pluck numbers from the sky!
Although the actual work I had done was good, I would not recommend going there. You can find other dentists that will do just as good a job but with a little more care and attention to the patient, and don’t mess you around with the billing!

10÷5÷12
I went there yesterday for an INvisalign consultation. My teeth are not super crooked but some things can be improved. Dr. Kogan spent a lot of time with me answering my never ending questions. He is an expert! I need to come up with the money, but definitely want to get my snow whites straightened and SF Dental Spa is definitely the place i will do it at.
Original review:
SF Dental Spa is the best dental practice I’ve ever been to. l had a crown placed by Dr. Kogan a few months ago. It fit perfectly from the first try and it it looked absolutely natural.
The whole experience at this dental office is amazing: from the herbal tea in the beginning of your appointment to a massage by a real spa therapist at the end of the appointment. I love coming here, everyone is caring and friendly. Dr. Kogan is a very compassionate and skillful dentist.
The only minus is it gets crazy around there during the games, their office is only a block away from the Ball Park, parking can be a pain in the butt on those days. Tip: park at Safeway and get your parking validated.