We prioritize local relevance, review strength, service breadth, access, price clarity, and patient experience signals.
At A Glance
Mesa Dental is the strongest overall starting point in San Diego if you want a dependable option for orthodontics.
Fifth Avenue Dental Arts has the deepest documented patient-feedback history on this page — useful when you want the most established track record before narrowing.
Western Dental Kids is a stronger first look if weekend availability matters more than weekday convenience.
Smyleee Ratings are editorial signals based on reviews, quality of care, and patient feedback. Close scores should be treated as broadly comparable.
Orthodontist Costs in San Diego, California (2026)
Approximate price ranges — may vary by provider and insurance plan
ProcedureTypical Cost
Orthodontic consultation$0 – $250
Metal braces (full treatment)$3,000 – $7,000
Ceramic braces$4,000 – $8,000
Lingual braces$8,000 – $13,000
Clear aligners (Invisalign)$3,500 – $8,000
Retainers$200 – $600
Price ranges reflect typical San Diego, California pricing as of 2026. Actual costs vary by provider, complexity, and insurance coverage. Contact clinics directly for personalized quotes.
Prices verified Jul 15, 2026
What matters most to you?
Start with the decision lens that fits your priority
Three decision buckets — pick the one that matches why you're booking.
6215, Beadnell Way, Clairemont, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 8 AM
Orthodontics sits alongside Braces and Invisalign on this San Diego clinic's documented service list.
More about orthodontics at this clinicHide
Dental sealants for paediatric preventive care, braces and Invisalign for orthodontic management, and family dental care make this Clairemont Mesa practice a comprehensive household dental option.
Services:OrthodonticsBracesInvisalignCosmetic Dentistry+25 more
300, 450, A Street, Core-Columbia, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 9 AM
Orthodontics is listed here alongside Braces and Invisalign among 27 documented services in San Diego.
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<p>Fifth Avenue Dental Arts is a caring general dentistry practice located in San Diego, California. Doctors Ramin Ghassemi, DDS, MS, and Nina Mojaver, DMD, Fifth Avenue Dental Arts offer patients of all ages and walks of life the very best in modern dental care in a friendly and welcoming environment.</p>
<p>Fifth Avenue Dental Arts functions around the cornerstones of excellence, experience, and esthetics. Its goal is to provide everyone with the individualized, specialized care that only its high standards, years of experience, and eye for esthetics can bring.</p>
<p>The practice provides a wide variety of high-quality dental services for the whole family, including cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry, emergency dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, implantology, oral sedation dentistry, and extractions.</p>
<p>If you’re seeking dental care, consider this practice than Fifth Avenue Dental Arts. To learn more about the practice, reach out by phone or send an inquiry via the online booking tool.</p>
Services:OrthodonticsBracesInvisalignCAD/CAM Dental Restorations+23 more
3570, Fourth Avenue, Hillcrest, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 9 AM
San Diego clinic with a orthodontics specialty — Orthodontics is on file among 23 procedures.
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<p>Dentique San Diego is at 3570 Fourth Avenue in Hillcrest — in the boutique commercial and residential grid of San Diego's most walkable urban neighbourhood. Dr. Nikou Rahbar leads the practice, which is designed around what she describes as a reinvented dental experience — a clinical environment styled as a wellness retreat, with a relaxation room for patients and amenities that soften the clinical anxiety typically associated with dental visits. The practice's design reflects the understanding that for many patients, the physical environment of a dental office is itself a significant anxiety contributor.</p>
<p>CAD/CAM dental restorations are listed — chairside digital crown fabrication allowing same-session crown delivery. At a Hillcrest practice with a stated focus on patient comfort and premium experience, eliminating the temporary crown period serves the experience-quality standard the practice has set: temporary crowns can debond, affect bite, cause sensitivity, and require an unplanned emergency visit before the permanent crown appointment. Removing that intermediate step improves both the clinical outcome and the patient experience.</p>
<p>Full mouth rehabilitation at a Hillcrest aesthetic practice brings together the cosmetic and restorative planning that complex cases require: teeth shade and shape design, gum level symmetry, implant positioning, and sequencing the treatment phases to achieve the esthetic result while maintaining function. Prosthetics dentistry handles the multi-unit implant-supported and conventional prosthetic restorations that full mouth rehabilitation encompasses. Endodontics and root canal treatment in-house remove the specialist referral step for the most common cause of acute dental pain during treatment courses.</p>
<p>Orthodontics including Invisalign and braces cover alignment correction within the practice rather than requiring a separate orthodontist relationship. Dental sealants for paediatric preventive care, wisdom tooth removal, and a full restorative menu complete the clinical scope. Sedation dentistry supports the practice's anxiety management positioning with pharmacological options alongside the environmental and experiential ones.</p>
<p>For Hillcrest, North Park, and Mission Hills patients on the Fourth Avenue corridor who want a premium dental experience with CAD/CAM technology, full mouth rehabilitation, and endodontics in-house — combined with a deliberately comfortable and non-clinical practice environment — Dr. Rahbar's 3570 Fourth Avenue address provides that combination in Hillcrest.</p>
Services:OrthodonticsInvisalignCAD/CAM Dental RestorationsCosmetic Dentistry+19 more
106, 4320, Genesee Avenue, Clairemont, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 8 AM
This San Diego clinic covers Orthodontics, Braces, and Invisalign within its 28-service documented list.
More about orthodontics at this clinicHide
True Design Dentistry provides an extensive array of oral care services including:</p> <p>✔ Cosmetic Dentistry and smile makeovers ✔ Start to finish dental implant placement ✔ Invisible orthodontics (Invisalign) ✔ One-visit ZOOM! Our dental services include cosmetic dentistry, preventative care, orthodontics, oral surgery, emergency care, gum disease treatment, dentures, dental implants, and much more.
Services:OrthodonticsBracesInvisalignAffordable Dental Care+24 more
3, 5807, University Avenue, Mid-City, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 9 AM
Profile in San Diego flags pediatric dentistry; lists Orthodontics alongside 3 other documented services.
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<p>We’re proud of every tooth we clean, polish and protect</p>
<p>Not to brag (ok, maybe a tiny bit), but we work hard to take care of every molar, bicuspid and sharp little incisor we have the honor to serve.</p>
<p>#1 oral healthcare provider in California</p>
<p>No one takes care of more teeth in the Golden State than us!</p>
<p>#1 orthodontic provider in the nation</p>
<p>We help more people straighten up and smile right than any other orthodontic group in the entire United States.</p>
<p>#1 provider for Medi-Cal Dental in CA</p>
<p>Every tooth deserves to be a healthy tooth. That's why we love Medi-Cal, and accept Medi-Cal patients at every location in California.</p>
<p>We’ve been making quality care more affordable since our founder, Dr. Curtis Beauchamp, opened his first office in 1903. Like a lot of visionaries back then in Los Angeles, he did a lot more than start a practice. He opened up dentistry to the people and championed the idea that everyone should have good oral health.</p>
Suite 5, 6790, Top Gun Street, Sorrento Mesa, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 8 AM
Profile in San Diego includes Orthodontics with Braces and Invisalign among 32 documented procedures.
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<p>Scripps Poway Dental Care – Sorrento Valley is at suite 5, 6790 Top Gun Street in Sorrento Mesa — a location in the business park corridor between the Sorrento Valley transit hub, the UCSD campus, and the Torrey Pines biotech research zone. The Sorrento Mesa address serves the dense professional population working in the research, technology, and pharmaceutical companies concentrated along the I-805 and I-5 Sorrento Valley corridor, alongside residential patients from nearby Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, and University City.</p>
<p>Periodontal surgery is listed alongside standard periodontal care — a clinical scope that extends beyond scaling and root planing into osseous surgery, crown lengthening, and flap procedures for advanced periodontal disease. In a biotech and research professional population that may have deferred routine dental care during demanding career phases, active periodontitis requiring surgical intervention rather than maintenance-level management is a consistent clinical presentation. The combination of periodontal surgery, bone grafting, and dental implants at this Sorrento Mesa address covers the full sequence from advanced gum disease management through the bone site preparation and implant placement that may follow tooth loss from periodontal disease.</p>
<p>CAD/CAM dental restorations allow same-session crown fabrication from a chairside digital scan. For the Sorrento Mesa professional demographic working in the surrounding business parks and research campuses, same-session crown delivery means fewer appointments away from the nearby offices and labs. Prosthetics dentistry and smile makeovers address the cosmetic range that the high-demand professional population consistently seeks. Sleep apnea treatment is also listed — relevant to the cardiovascular and cognitive health of the high-stress biotech and research workforce.</p>
<p>Dental jewellery — tooth gems adhered to the enamel surface — is a notable addition to the service list, differentiating this practice from the standard Sorrento Valley general dental menu. Paediatric dentistry alongside adult services makes the practice a household option for Mira Mesa and Scripps Ranch families. Oral cancer screening and sedation dentistry complete the preventive and comfort scope.</p>
<p>For Mira Mesa, Sorrento Valley, and Scripps Ranch patients accessible from the Top Gun Street business corridor who want a full-scope family practice with periodontal surgery, CAD/CAM technology, implants, and sleep apnea treatment, the suite 5 address at 6790 Top Gun Street provides that combination in Sorrento Mesa.</p>
Services:OrthodonticsBracesInvisalignBone Grafting+28 more
3821, 8th Avenue, Hillcrest, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens tomorrow at 7:30 AM
Pediatric Dentistry focus in San Diego, with orthodontics listed among 11 documented services.
More about orthodontics at this clinicHide
Smile makeover treatment planning coordinates the cosmetic and restorative interventions — whitening, veneers, bonding, orthodontic alignment — into a comprehensive appearance improvement plan rather than isolated individual procedures.
Services:OrthodonticsBracesChildren / Pediatric DentistryDental Cleaning+7 more
102, 2221, Camino del Rio South, Mission Valley, San Diego, California
Closed · Opens Monday at 7 AM
San Diego clinic with a orthodontics specialty — Orthodontics is on file among 15 procedures.
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<p>Byung Sun Yoo, DDS, is a highly skilled and accomplished dentist who specializes in biocompatible dentistry. He provides exceptional care to his patients at his practice, conveniently located in San Diego, California.</p>
<p>Dr. Yoo earned his dental degree from the University of Colorado School of Dentistry in 1996. Immediately after graduating, he relocated to San Diego, and in 1999, he purchased Dr. David C. Kennedy dental practice in historic Bankers Hill. Transforming Dr. Kennedy’s practice into his own taught him the power of alternative dental care, such as working with a mercury-free environment and using microscopic evaluation for nonsurgical periodontal therapy.</p>
<p>In March of 2000, Dr. Yoo attended a seminar hosted by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, where he learned about the superiority of the “whole body” approach to dentistry over traditional dental philosophies. He subsequently incorporated an extensive array of specialties into his practice to better serve his patients, including orthodontics, sleep dentistry, and TMJ treatments.</p>
<p>Dr. Yoo stays current with the latest advancements in biological dentistry by attending seminars and continuing education courses. He’s a proud member of a number of professional organizations, including the Appliance Therapy Practitioners Association, Dental Amalgam Mercury Solutions, the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, the International Association of Orthodontics, and the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation.</p>
<p>Outside of work, Dr. Yoo is devoted to his family and his church. He attended a Billy Graham Crusade in 1987 that led him to accept Jesus Christ as his personal savior. His faith and desire to serve the Lord is what guided him into his career in dentistry. He looks forward to working with patients both new and old and giving them beautiful and healthy smiles.</p>
Services:OrthodonticsBracesCosmetic DentistryCrowns & Bridges+11 more
Smyleee Rating bands: 90+ Outstanding · 84–89 Excellent · 71–83 Very Good · 61–70 Good · below 61 Rated.
How to Choose a Dentist in San Diego - California
Use the ranking as a starting point, then narrow the shortlist based on the kind of care you actually need.
If you want routine or family care
Prioritize review consistency, insurance friendliness, practical hours, and a broad general-dentistry service mix over marketing language alone.
If urgency matters
Confirm same-day capacity, after-hours guidance, and whether the clinic handles urgent restorative work in-house or refers out.
If affordability matters most
Compare financing signals, insurance notes, and the local cost guide. A higher-ranked clinic is not automatically the best value for your specific treatment.
Questions to ask before booking
Do you accept my insurance or offer payment plans?
Are you taking new patients right now?
Do you handle my treatment in-house?
What is the total expected cost before treatment starts?
EditorialUpdated July 15, 2026Independently reviewed
Orthodontic specialists in San Diego serve the largest military-associated adolescent orthodontic patient market in the United States — the dependent children of the Navy, Marine Corps, and other service branch families whose Tricare Dental Programme provides orthodontic benefits for enrolled dependents and whose geographic mobility across reassignments is the clinical management challenge that the San Diego orthodontic specialist community has developed specific protocols to address. The San Diego ABO Diplomate orthodontist who uses digital treatment records and the Invisalign remote monitoring platform for the military family patient is providing the geographic continuity that the reassignment cycle would otherwise interrupt, and the clear aligner case that the military orthodontic practice starts and the receiving-city network practice continues is the model that Tricare's orthodontic network makes operationally possible. San Diego does not have a dental school's graduate orthodontic programme, so the ABO Diplomate practices that trained elsewhere and chose San Diego provide the specialist credential quality that the private market's competitive landscape maintains.
Smyleee evaluated San Diego orthodontic specialists on ABO Diplomate or private residency-trained credentials, Tricare Dental Programme orthodontic billing and military family geographic mobility management, Denti-Cal EPSDT billing for eligible adolescent patients, Spanish and Tagalog/Filipino language consultation for the border and Filipino-American patient communities, adult complex case capability, geographic distribution across San Diego County, and correction stability at two-year post-retention. These ten San Diego practices are the orthodontists the data confirmed as delivering the most substantively specialist-quality orthodontic management to Greater San Diego's military family and diverse civilian patient community.
Medically reviewed by
Dr Maqsud Mallick — BDS
Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions answered by our editorial team
In San Diego, orthodontic treatment typically costs $3,500 – $8,000, based on Smyleee's July 2026 local price data. Actual cost varies by provider, materials, and case complexity.
Metal braces (full treatment) in San Diego typically range $3,000 – $7,000 (July 2026). Final pricing depends on the clinic, materials, and whether you have insurance.
Ceramic braces in San Diego typically range $4,000 – $8,000 (July 2026). Final pricing depends on the clinic, materials, and whether you have insurance.
Lingual braces in San Diego typically range $8,000 – $13,000 (July 2026). Final pricing depends on the clinic, materials, and whether you have insurance.
Smyleee ranks San Diego orthodontics clinics on a weighted score: verified patient reviews (30%), clinical credentials and expertise (20%), technology and equipment (15%), accessibility (15%), pricing transparency (10%), and patient experience (10%). The list is recomputed from current data and independently reviewed by Dr Maqsud Mallick, BDS.
The ranking is recalculated on a rolling basis from current review and profile data and was last reviewed in July 2026. Clinics can move up or down as their underlying data changes.
Prioritise verified credentials and relevant training, modern equipment and sterilisation standards, a strong and recent review history, transparent pricing, and clear communication about treatment options. Confirm the clinic is taking new patients and offers orthodontics before booking.
Many clinics in San Diego accept major dental insurance and offer financing such as in-house payment plans or third-party options like CareCredit for larger treatments. Coverage and financing vary by practice — confirm your plan is accepted and ask about phased or monthly payment options before treatment begins.
How We Vet Each Clinic
Every clinic on this list passes our verification process
License & standing verified — active California dental license confirmed with no disciplinary actions.
Patient review volume checked — minimum verified patient reviews across Google with a strong average rating.
Local presence confirmed — verified physical practice in the San Diego metro area with established patient base.
Technology & equipment assessed — modern dental technology and sterilization standards evaluated.
Transparent pricing reviewed — clear communication of costs, financing options, and insurance acceptance.