San Francisco has 1,886 listed practices in total, and Chinatown sits next to some of the densest clusters in the city. This guide covers what the registry holds for the neighborhood itself, then where to look when you need something that is not listed here.
What is listed in Chinatown
Forty one of the 48 practices list general dentistry. The specialist listings are sparse: one each in pediatric dentistry, periodontics, orthodontics and prosthodontics, plus three entries recorded as dental clinics.
The addresses spread across several streets rather than one corridor. Stockton St has 10 practices, Sacramento St seven, Jackson St five, and Pacific Ave and Montgomery St four each. Four ZIP codes appear in the listings: 94108, 94133, 94111 and 94104, so check which one a practice sits in when you plan your route.
Thirty eight listings are individual practitioners and 10 are organizations. Twenty six of the 48 were registered before 2010, and the oldest registration in Chinatown dates to 2005.
- 48 practices, 41 listing general dentistry
- 10 on Stockton St, seven on Sacramento St, five on Jackson St
- Four ZIP codes: 94108, 94133, 94111 and 94104
- 38 individual practitioners, 10 organizations
- 26 registered before 2010
How to choose between them
This is a general dentistry neighborhood, so most comparisons are between similar looking practices. Start with the questions that change your experience: whether they are in network with your plan, how long the wait is for a new patient appointment, and which treatments they complete themselves rather than refer out.
With 38 of the 48 registered to a named individual, you are often choosing a specific dentist rather than a group. That tends to mean continuity, though a solo practice may have fewer slots and less cover for absences.
There is only one listing each for periodontics, orthodontics, prosthodontics and pediatric dentistry. If you need any of those, treat the local option as a starting point rather than the whole choice, because the Financial District and Union Square are minutes away.
If you need something Chinatown does not have
Two specialties are absent: endodontics and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Both are well covered elsewhere in San Francisco about 2.2 miles away, where the directory records 71 endodontic practices and 64 oral surgery practices.
You may not need to go that far. Union Square has 303 listed practices just 0.4 miles away, the Financial District 78 and North Beach 28 at the same distance, and Nob Hill five. Telegraph Hill has five and Transbay eight, both 0.6 miles out.
That density is the practical advantage of this part of the city. If a Chinatown practice cannot fit you in, the next several hundred options are within a short walk rather than a drive.
Insurance and paying
In network or out of network is what most affects your bill. An in network practice has already agreed its fees with your insurer. An out of network practice sets its own, and your share is usually larger even for a covered procedure. Ask the practice, then confirm it with your insurer, since plans vary.
For anything beyond a checkup and clean, ask for a written estimate showing the procedure codes, the practice fee, the expected insurance payment and your balance. With this many practices nearby, comparing two estimates is realistic.
Our listings hold registration information: name, address, specialty and how long the practice has been registered. They do not hold fees, opening hours or insurance networks. None of the 48 Chinatown practices has claimed its listing or published a website or hours with us, so those details have to come from the practice itself.
If it is urgent
Call first thing and ask plainly for a same day appointment, describing the symptom rather than the treatment you think you need. Forty one general listings sit inside the neighborhood, and hundreds more are within half a mile if the local ones are full.
Some problems need an emergency room, not a dentist. Go to hospital if swelling is spreading toward your eye or down your neck, if breathing or swallowing is becoming difficult, if you have a fever alongside facial swelling, or if bleeding will not stop. These point to an infection or bleed that requires medical care before dental care.
To search outward from your own location instead of by neighborhood, use dentist directory, which lists practices in order of distance.
Questions patients ask
How many dentists are there in San Francisco's Chinatown?
The directory lists 48 dental practices in Chinatown. Forty one list general dentistry, and there is one listing each for pediatric dentistry, periodontics, orthodontics and prosthodontics, plus three dental clinics. The addresses fall across four ZIP codes, with the largest single group of 10 practices on Stockton St.
Is there an oral surgeon in Chinatown?
No Chinatown listing carries oral and maxillofacial surgery, and endodontics is missing too. Both are widely available elsewhere in San Francisco about 2.2 miles away, where 64 oral surgery practices and 71 endodontic practices are recorded. Nearer options exist in the Financial District and Union Square, each about 0.4 miles from Chinatown.
What is the quickest way to find an alternative if my Chinatown dentist is booked?
Look just outside the neighborhood. Union Square has 303 listed practices 0.4 miles away, the Financial District 78 and North Beach 28 at the same distance, with Telegraph Hill and Transbay a little further. Because our listings do not hold opening hours, you will need to call, but the number of options within walking distance is unusually high.