Eighty two is a large number for a single neighborhood, so the useful question is not whether there is a dentist near you but how to narrow the field. This page uses what the practice registry records to help you do that.
What is listed in Balboa Terrace
Sixty one of the listings are general dentistry. The specialist side is modest for a neighborhood this size: six endodontists, four periodontists, three pediatric dentists, three orthodontists and one oral and maxillofacial surgery practice, plus seven dental clinics.
Ocean Ave is the center of it, with 45 practices, and five more listed under Ocean Avenue written in full, which is the same street recorded a second way in the registry. Buckingham Way has 24 listings, 19th Ave has three and Woodacre Dr has two. Between Ocean Ave and Buckingham Way you have most of the neighborhood within a short walk.
Sixty seven listings are individual practitioners against 15 organizations, a strong tilt toward solo and small practices. Fifty five have been registered since before 2010 and the oldest registration here dates to 2005, so a large share of these practices have been in place a long time. None has published a website or hours through this directory, and none has been claimed by its owner.
How to choose between them
With 61 general dentists concentrated on two streets, the deciding factors will be availability, insurance and the kind of practice you want. The registry does say something useful about the last one: two thirds of the listings here are individual practitioners, so a practice where the named dentist treats you personally is easy to find.
Six endodontists is a decent showing and means root canal referrals should stay local. With only one oral and maxillofacial surgery listing, though, surgical extractions may involve a wait or a trip. Ask any general practice you call where they refer for extractions and how long that referral usually takes.
- Ask for the next available appointment, not the next available with a particular dentist. In a solo practice those are the same thing, which cuts both ways.
- Three pediatric dentists serve a neighborhood of 82 practices, so ask general dentists whether they see children.
- Fifty five practices here have been registered since before 2010. That is a sign of longevity, not of quality.
If you need something Balboa Terrace does not have
One specialty is absent: prosthodontics, which covers crowns, bridges, dentures and the restorative half of implant treatment. The nearest listings are elsewhere in San Francisco, about 3.6 miles away, where 57 prosthodontic practices are recorded, so there is no shortage once you travel.
For general care you would rarely need to leave, but nearby neighborhoods add options. West Portal has 38 practices 0.8 miles away and Parkside has 36 at one mile. Saint Francis Wood has 13 at half a mile, Golden Gate Heights has 34 at 1.7 miles, and Forest Hill and Midtown Terrace each have three, at 1.4 and 1.7 miles.
Insurance and paying
Our listings come from the national practice registry. It records the practice, the address and the specialty, and it holds no fees, no opening hours and no insurance information. That is a genuine limit on what any of these pages can tell you, and it is why claimed listings are more useful: claiming is how an owner publishes the practical detail. None of the 82 here has been claimed.
So make two calls before you book anything expensive. Ask the practice whether they are in network for your exact plan and confirm it with your insurer, because plans from the same company can differ. Ask for a written estimate with procedure codes for any treatment beyond an exam and cleaning, and ask what happens to the price if more work is found once treatment begins.
If it is urgent
For a broken tooth, a lost filling or pain that is keeping you up, call along Ocean Ave and Buckingham Way, where most of the neighborhood sits, and ask specifically whether they keep same day emergency appointments. With 82 listings within a small area, someone is likely to have room. You can also search by distance from your location at dentist directory.
Certain symptoms mean the emergency room rather than a dental chair. Swelling spreading toward your eye or down into your neck, trouble breathing or swallowing, a fever with facial swelling, or bleeding from the mouth that will not stop all need hospital care straight away.
Questions patients ask
How many dentists are in Balboa Terrace?
Eighty two dental practices are listed, out of 1,886 in San Francisco. Sixty one are general dentistry, with six endodontists, four periodontists, three pediatric dentists, three orthodontists, one oral surgeon and seven dental clinics, across ZIP codes 94132 and 94127.
Which street has the most dentists in Balboa Terrace?
Ocean Ave, with 45 listings, plus five more recorded under the full spelling Ocean Avenue. Buckingham Way is next with 24. Those two streets together account for the large majority of the 82 practices listed in the neighborhood. 19th Ave has three more and Woodacre Dr has two, across ZIP codes 94132 and 94127.
Is there a prosthodontist in Balboa Terrace?
No. Prosthodontics is the only specialty with no listing in the neighborhood. The nearest are elsewhere in San Francisco, roughly 3.6 miles away, where 57 prosthodontic practices are listed. General dentists often handle crowns and dentures themselves, so ask locally first.