The listings are concentrated on one street to an unusual degree. This guide covers what the registry records here, how to work through a list this long, the two specialties you will travel for, and what to settle on cost and urgent care.
Seventy listings in one ZIP code
General dentistry accounts for 53 of the 70 listings. The specialist side covers 6 orthodontics, 5 periodontics, 3 pediatric dentistry and 2 endodontics, along with one dental clinic and one dental public health listing. Some practices hold more than one registration, so these numbers describe available care rather than counting front doors.
Union St carries 52 of the 70 listings, which is more than three quarters of the neighborhood's dentistry on one street. Fillmore St has 7, Lombard St has 5 and Lyon St has 3. If you work or live near Union St, comparing several practices means walking a few blocks rather than driving anywhere.
Fifty two of the listings are registered to an individual practitioner and 18 to an organization. Forty two of the 70 were registered before 2010, and the oldest registration in the neighborhood dates to 2006.
- 70 practices, 53 of them general dentistry
- 52 of the 70 listings are on Union St
- One ZIP code, 94123
- 52 individual practitioners, 18 organizations
- 42 registered before 2010
Choosing among 53 general dentists
When there are this many general practices within a few blocks, the differences that matter are practical rather than clinical. Ask how far ahead a routine appointment books, whether you will see the same dentist every visit, and what the practice does when a patient calls in pain. Ask too what they treat themselves and what they send out.
Three quarters of these listings are individual practitioners, which often means small practices where the named dentist treats you throughout. That suits anyone who wants continuity. Organization listings can mean several dentists sharing a practice, which can mean easier appointments but less certainty about who you see. Neither is better in itself, but they suit different patients, so ask before you register.
What is not listed here
Two specialties have no Cow Hollow listing. Oral and maxillofacial surgery, which covers difficult extractions, wisdom teeth and jaw surgery, is nearest elsewhere in San Francisco about 1.7 miles away, where 64 practices are recorded. Prosthodontics, which covers dentures, bridges and implant restorations, is at the same distance with 57 practices. Both are short trips with plenty of choice.
For general care nearby, Polk Gulch is 0.7 miles away with 67 listed practices and Pacific Heights is 0.5 miles away with 57. Lower Pacific Heights has 23 at 0.9 miles, Japantown has 16 at 0.8 miles, Russian Hill has 13 at 0.4 miles and the Marina District has 9 at 0.4 miles. A second opinion is never more than a short walk or ride away.
Insurance, estimates and what is missing from these listings
The registry behind this page carries no fees, no opening hours and no insurance information. None of the 70 Cow Hollow practices has claimed its listing or published a website or hours through it, so nothing here tells you what anything costs or when a door is open. That is exactly the gap a claimed listing fills.
Ask on the phone whether the practice is in network for your exact plan rather than for the insurer generally, since one company usually operates several networks. In network means pre agreed fees and a larger share paid by the plan. Ask for a written estimate before treatment, listing procedure codes, the fee, the expected plan payment and your share, and check how much of your annual maximum is still available.
- Confirm the network for your plan, not just the insurer
- Ask for a written estimate before treatment
- Ask what is left of your annual maximum
- Ask whether a specialist referral is covered differently
If you need someone today
For sudden pain, call at opening time and ask directly for an emergency appointment. With 52 practices on Union St alone, and 67 more listed 0.7 miles away in Polk Gulch, working through several numbers is usually quicker than waiting. To search by distance from where you are rather than by neighborhood, use dentist directory.
Some symptoms need an emergency room instead. Swelling spreading toward the eye or down the neck, trouble breathing or swallowing, a fever with facial swelling, or bleeding that will not stop after an extraction all mean hospital care rather than a dental appointment. A knocked out adult tooth is urgent too: hold it by the crown, keep it in milk or saliva, and try to be seen within the hour.
Questions patients ask
How many dentists are on Union St in Cow Hollow?
Union St carries 52 of the 70 dental listings in Cow Hollow, more than three quarters of the neighborhood's total. The next busiest streets are Fillmore St with seven listings, Lombard St with five and Lyon St with three. All of the neighborhood's practices fall within ZIP code 94123.
Is there an oral surgeon in Cow Hollow?
No oral and maxillofacial surgery practice is listed in the neighborhood. The nearest listings are elsewhere in San Francisco, about 1.7 miles away, where 64 practices are recorded. That covers wisdom teeth, difficult extractions and jaw surgery. Your general dentist can refer you and send your X-rays across with the referral.
Are there pediatric dentists in Cow Hollow?
Three pediatric dentistry practices are listed in Cow Hollow, and many of the 53 general dentists here also see children. The registry does not record which practices take new pediatric patients or from what age, so call and ask. Six orthodontics listings are also in the neighborhood if braces come up later.