Kevin W Carrington, DDS

My friend James referred me to Dr. Carrington. I can remember seeing advertisements for this office back when he had 17 yrs experience and finally tried him out recently when my daughter and I went for a consultation for her braces. Although I did like the other Orthodontist we went to but she was out of my network after an employment change.

Might be one of the best orthodontics out here. If you want your teeth looking good, then go here. Dr Kevin Carrington prices are the best around for braces. A long time ago, I had the traditional braces before going away for military, just a pain to keep clean and always cutting my lips.
After checking around and getting exams and waiting for that big a$$ quote to come in mail or by phone. I decided to check out Dr Carrington’s office in Oakland. That was the best thing I did, he gave me a quote on traditional braces and Invisalign. I picked Invisalign due not wanting the appearance of traditional braces at my age. Their easier to clean and eat with, just take them out. You just have to be discipline to wear them 20 – 22 hrs a day and don’t lose them.
Anyway my teeth are back straight again thanks to Kevin and in reasonable amount of time. Top notch customer service and he really cares about his patients. His staff are also really nice.
His office is easy to locate downtown Oakland and there is a paid parking lot across the street. So don’t be scared to come to OAkland. It’s a short walking distance from the Bart station. So check him out.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Carrington since 2005. Yep, it’s that long! I recently finished my orthodontia treatment (YAY! :)) so now when I do go see him, it would only be an as-​needed basis.
I had a somewhat difficult case because I had a bad overbite, TMJ issues, and two teeth missing on the bottom row. Not that they were knocked out or anything, it was bad genes, never had any of my wisdom teeth, and I had some serious gaps in between my teeth. When I went to see Dr. Carrington, he informed me that I would need cosmetic work done as well (dental implants or bridge) since I was missing two teeth. So Dr. Carrington worked with my dentist, at the time, as well as my prosthodontists to move my teeth accordingly. I ended up doing a dental implant in the center front on the bottom row. Dr. Carrington was kind enough to cover that gap before I did my dental implant so I wouldn’t feel self-​conscious about my smile. He really took care of his patients. I never had any issues or any unpleasantness with Dr. Carrington or his office staff the 10 years I was a patient. I always look forward to my visit with him. He’s always so pleasant to chat with and he’s so jolly! I love that about him. Some of the highlights why I’m glad I chose Dr. Carrington as my orthodontist:
* When I went to see him in 2005, he was one of very few orthodontists who can do both Invisalign AND conventional braces. I wanted to keep my options open, even though I was leaning towards Invisalign.
* His fees were competitive and he told me upfront that I would require cosmetic work whether that would be during the orthodontia treatment or after.
* His office is close to BART, which is nice because a lot of my appointments during my treatment were in the morning time before work so my husband would drop me off at his office in the morning and I hop on BART to go into the city afterwards for work.
* I never feel like I’m asking a dumb question when I see Dr. Carrington. He always takes the time to answer questions regarding my treatment.
* Scheduling is always very easy here for me as I never had any difficulties.
* Sometimes when I’m early for my appointment, he’ll see me before my appointment time which is nice.
Thank you Dr. Carrington and staff for this past 10 years. And thank you for giving me a beautiful SMILE! :))

Dr. Carrington is warm and professional. His staff is excellent. He is good to my children and I appreciate his kindness. I have two kids who are just starting their procedure with braces and he is great with walking us through the process and his staff is excellent in working with our insurance company.

Dr. Carrington was (and is) awesome. Went in for Invisalign with a pretty messed up mouth. Am still in the process of a long treatment — since this stuff takes time, and for me, ~1.5 years — but every time I’ve gone in for a checkup both him and his staff have been very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. I knew that I was moving out of state in the middle of my treatment, and since then I’ve been able to continue to receive checkups remotely by sending photos for Dr. Carrington to examine, which is extremely helpful. I’ve had nothing but great service throughout, and would highly recommend him and his staff for your orthodontics needs.

I love Dr. Carrington’s office. He takes his time to explain treatment options and really works with you do reach your orthodontic goals. His staff is extremely friendly and helpful. I would recommend this office to anyone interested in perfecting their smile!

I had a great orthodontist back home and I have had a lot of bad luck with dentists out here in California. I heard so many good things about this office and dropped in 2003 to start getting my retainer. I, unfortunately, never made it back due to time constraints, but I would revisit.

While I ultimately chose a different provider for my child, the process at Dr. Carrington’s office was very good. He considered not only the orthodontics, but the shape of my child’s jaw, and his oral health. We may be back sometime… it was a good experience.

Dr. Carrington is fantastic!

4yrs since my last visit… and almost 20yrs since Ive been out of braces!!! I noticed a slight shift in my teeth and thought NOW is the time to have it checked out before I look like one of those people who says «I had braces» really?! When?
I went in with my retainer, the doctor reversed an adjustment from years age… said to wear at night and or when I feel necessary. He finished up with I’m a «success story».

I was an adult patient of Dr. Carrington’s a few years back and had an absolutely terrific experience. He was clear in explaining treatment options, and receptive and accommodating of my concerns. He designed a treatment plan that worked with my need to maintain a professional appearance throughout, and I am very happy with the results.
Though his office was always busy it was easy to find appointment times that worked with my schedule, even on short notice. The staff was professional and friendly, and I never had a negative experience over several years of treatment.
In response to the negative comments, the entire office was warm, welcoming, hospitable and utterly professional. I am an Asian-​American man, and never once felt differently treated based on my racial or ethnic background.

I came to Dr Carrington for braces on my lower teeth. This was my second time for braces; the first was when was 13 or so, with another orthodontist. (Note: Wear your retainers consistently so you don’t have to go through this again!)
I went to a few different consultations, and Dr Carrington’s was by far the most reasonable, cost-​wise. And when I say by far, I mean by far. I was a college student and couldn’t afford (nor did I care about) fancy stuff like mint-​scented disposable gloves that other orthos used.
Even though the treatment was far less expensive, the results were awesome. My teeth are straight again. Dr Carrington and his staff (including the lovely Virginia at the front desk) have always been attentive, friendly, and skilled in their work.
Dr Carrington put permanent/​bonded retainers (at my request) on both my top and bottom teeth so they wouldn’t shift. It’s been about 1.5 years now and everything still looks great.
Would highly recommend.

Dr. Carrington: Easy going and straight to the point.
Assistants: I have never had an issue with any of them. I am always greeted by name and enjoy seeing them in my visits.
Location: Conveniently located near a bart stop!!!
Price: Was fairly reasonable and Dr. Carrington set up a plan that was within my budget. :)
Consultation: Answered all my questions and he will not recommend anything that is unnecessary. My bottom teeth are perfectly straight and I had gone to a consultation where they said that they needed to put braces on the bottom. Dr. Carrington was honest with me and said that it wasn’t necessary for me to incur that additional cost.
Overall: I was referred by a roommate. Ever since then, anyone who asks I refer them to Dr. Carrington. I live in SF and I rather take the bart to Dr. Carrington than to go to a closer location.

If you work in the health profession as an assistance, your assistance should be in the form of making people feel welcome and comfortable. Debra, if you can’t even say hello when start working on a patient, please find a different job. Also, if you can’t answer patient questions without attitude and rudeness, again, may I request that you either get training or find a job. This is a medical office where you are treating people and answering questions that have huge impact on peoples health not to mention their pocketbooks.
Why should any patient feel uncomfortable asking questions at their visit. Dr. Carrington, please know that this affects the success and satisfaction of your practice and its patients. While I am satisfied with your service, I would rather go to a office where I feel welcome, cared for, and comfortable expressing concerns and questions to the entire office!

Señor Carrington & Staff are great. I’m 1.5 year in through treatment, so this review will need an update.
Consultation: Free. Free. Free. This wasn’t some fly-​by consultation. Look at your teeth, mouth ajar. The x-​ray and impressions will come from insurance or out of pocket but once you sit down with Señor Carrington you can feel and hear his enthusiasm and care.
Front Desk: Check in is always fast, helpful and most important, with a smile.
Dental Assistants: Awesome, personable and professional. Ask them what’s happening on your next appointment!
Office location: Great location if you work in Oakland. Great location if you take public transportation. 19^th St BART is one block up and the 51 AC Transit practically gives you VIP service across the street. Car parking. it’s downtown Oakland, you take what you can get.
Office Ambiance: R/​B and Soul from the radio. Office banter about musicians and sports. I dig it.
Service: Top notch from the front desk, assistants and Señor Carrington.
Cost: On par with other orthodontists. I received a discount because another family member has an ongoing treatment. Tons of different finance options. Ask and you may receive!
Señor Carrington: He’s the man, this is his business and as you can see from the level of care he puts into business and the staff, he knows how to treat people. He’ll try to treat you without pulling teeth and that goes a long way to prove he’s not cutting corners.
Follow-​up review will come when the braces are exchanged for retainers and when I’m done with it all!

Hands down this is the best Ortho office in the Bay Area. The staff is friendly, helpful and treat you like family and not just a «patient». Dr. Carrington is kind, and understanding to your needs. I would DEFINITELY refer others who need braces to his office. This is the best it gets folks!

The office staff is nice-​ty. Nice/​Nasty. They act all funky when you mention your insurance like they would die if you dare ask that they eat the service costs and let the insurance reimburse them. They treat you bad over the phone and smile in your face. Not to mention, they pass the buck a lot. «Oh, someone told you that? Well it wasn’t me becuase I wouldn’t have told you that.» I don’t give damn who told me, you all represnet the same office… get your sh** straight! Anyway, that’s about it.

Yes this place deserves 5 stars! I been coming here since forever! The receptionist is extremely nice she has that smile and, positive energy about her. The whole staff and, Dr. Carrington are all really nice and have positive attitudes. I recently took my braces off a year ago I believe and, now retainers I’ve had my braces on for awhile but that’s because I always missed appointments, ate foods that I shouldn’t have, etc so the process was longer but I am extremely satisfied with my smile… I can’t tell you how much confidence it has given me!
They recently moved to a new location just across the street from their old location. The place is so beautiful from the way its decorated you feel at ease and its just peaceful! It is a little bit hidden but the view and, just the whole place in general is quite a catch! They usually play some good music too! I love me my slow jams!
I’ve never had a problem with the staff or, nothing drastic. They are always doing their jobs correctly and always asking if there is anything that bothers you etc. My younger sister comes here as well and, before she never smiled when we took pictures she was so embarrassed but, now that she’s getting her treatment all she does is smile!
I can’t say anything negative about this place i’m satisfied with all their work. They are extremely generous and, just overall great staff, great work, great location nothing to complain about.
I would recommend this Orthodontic to anyone just make sure to always go to your appointments! (:

Fantastic! I love Dr. Carrington and his team of assistants. As an adult patient I was a little reluctant about starting orthodontic care, but Dr. Carrington made the process a very pleasant experience. I would definitely recommend Dr. Carrington.

I don’t normally write reviews on Unilocal,but I felt compelled to add my own thoughts since I feel like Dr. Carrington’s getting a strangely bad rap on here. I mean, what is this about smelling like an «African American church?» That was so malicious and untrue. Anyway, he’s currently my orthodontist and I have a completely different experience than Stephy or Trinh.
1. The appliances. I don’t understand what the other two one-​star Unilocalers had to say about the quality of the appliances. I’m going to assume that appliances means the braces systems he uses. Dr. Carrington uses the Damon system and the Invisalign system. I’m guessing that the reviews below refer to the Damon system.
The Damon system is a newer system, so I can understand why many orthos are not using similar systems (self-​litigating braces) yet. I know that a lot of orthos are still using the conventional braces, elastics and stiff archwire and all. I suggest that anyone considering orthodontic treatment look into this: there is a lot of information online about self-​litigating braces. Do the Google search for yourself. The main benefits are comfort, shorter treatment time and less visits to the ortho.
2. The cost: I am paying $ 5500 for the Damon system. From my experience, Dr. Carrington’s treatment costs are, on average, lower than other orthodontist’s. As you would expect from any good ortho, no charges for extra visits, like if a bracket pops off. When I got into a pretty unfortunate bike crash and lost a bracket, he didn’t charge for the replacement. Very sweet.
3. Appointments: They always have an an available appointment within two or three days.
4. Friendliness, service: The two front desk receptionists, Virginia and Samantha, are really fantastic. They remembered my name after my first visit! They’ve always taken really great care of me; when I wanted to get my braces on with two weeks left before the start of school, they talked to Dr. Carrington and worked something out for me. They really tried to accommodate my needs.
5. Location: They’re at 17^th and Broadway, right outside the 19^th St. BART station. As a college student, this is great news, since I don’t have a car and I don’t want to ride my bike there (ya…I’m kind of lazy). So, I just BART from Rockridge every time I go! Once, I was 20 min. late for my appointment because I missed my BART, and they understood and didn’t mind. I thought that was very sweet.
In general, I’m very satisfied with my experience with Dr. Carrington. The atmosphere in his office is very relaxed and he/​his staff/​his assistants are always joking around and having a great time — it’s very, very casual. Sometimes, I think the atmosphere is a little too relaxed, though, because he and his staff can become forgetful during the visit: when I got my bottom braces on, he mentioned that I would need elastics, but I never got them — I was zoning out and having fun, too, so I didn’t think much of it. I had to go in about two weeks later to get a poking wire clipped and he noticed I didn’t have the elastics, and gave them to me. It worried me a little that he had forgotten the first time around, but all of us (me included) being a little more attentive during my appointments should fix that. That’s the only real con I have to report.
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If you’re planning on getting orthodontic treatment from Dr. Carrington, here are my tips:
Ask questions and be assertive! You’ve got to be vocal about what is bothering you and any questions you may have. His office is so much fun, you’ve really got to try (yes, it will take effort) to put your «serious face» on and ask all of your unresolved questions.
He doesn’t usually ask if anything’s bothering me each time I visit. I’m totally OK with that. He’s not a mind-​reader, and we’re patients… it’s our duty to communicate our concerns so he can work with us effectively. Obviously, his style won’t be for everyone, but that’s why you’re supposed to check out a few different orthos before you pick one, right? He is probably going to be the funniest and nicest orthodontist you’ll meet though. I feel relaxed in his chair, and I look forward to the appointments!
Finally, his office voicemail doesn’t say this yet (I’ve told him about it, though), but the emergency number is actually for a beeper. When you call, you’ll hear three beeps. Enter your phone number, and he’ll call you back. I didn’t know this… I thought I was just getting disconnected each time! Oops.