Cable Car Dental
Yelena Ostrovsky, DDS:
Practice Profile Page

★★★★★

DENTAL TREATMENTS OFFERED

Dental cleaning

White fillings

Crowns

Inlays & onlays

Bridges

Clear aligners

Porcelain veneers

Teeth whitening

Dentures & partials

Root canal treatment

Tooth extraction

TMJ treatment

Sleep apnea therapy

CLEAR ALIGNER SERVICES

OFFICE HOURS

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Wednesday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

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BEFORE & AFTER PHOTO GALLERY

PATIENT REVIEWS

In San Fran on business, I lost a temporary filling. The filling was a prelude to a cap. Panicked, at the advice of an associate I called and was able to see the dentist,  Dr. Yelena Ostrovsky at Cable Car Dental. Not only did she see me, not only did she replace the filling but because she had the Dental CAD in her office, they carved the cap while I waited and it fit perfectly. She was painless, friendly, professional and ran a clean delightfully quaint office that was exceptional and they made every effort to get both my insurances approved. In my 59 years, I have never had such a pleasant dental visit, that includes 20-years in the service. Hats off to you Dr. Ostrovsky, to you and your staff. I think because I’m here on business so much, I’ll get all my dental work done here, rather than at home in Texas.  Exceptional and just can’t say enough. You are a real professional with exceptional bedside manners. Thanks again!!!

An intermittent pain in an upper left molar triggered my first visit to Cable Car Dental. I interacted with Tiffany on the phone and via email to arrange an appointment. Great to deal with a person with strong phone and email skills for a change. My appointment was in two parts – the diagnosis and the treatment. The diagnosis was on time. How special is that?! I met Dr Ostrovsky and she explained the process for the treatment since how it went would be based on what she found since the xrays that Robin took didn’t give us all the information needed. The treatment the following day started on time as well! It’s the first time i was able to log in to MY Pandora account and tune out in a compfortable dental chair with noise-canelling headphones. Double wow! I’m used to getting a local and then having a LARGE needle poked in my mouth and half my mouth be numb. This time it was a local that numbed just a fraction of my mouth. If there were needles involved after that I didn’t feel or see ’em. too busy zoning out to the music. A couple of hours later we’re done. Robin has told me the name of a new artist on Pandora, Dr Ostrovsky has said “double Advil every 4-6 hours. You’ll get a lot of throbbing for the next couple of days. It’s the first lie my new dentist told me. I felt GREAT. My pain was gone and there has been no side effect pain. WOW. And I had asked the gal at the front desk to not let me out without paying (and a bill) for the two appointments and she came thourgh for me. Net net on Cable Car Dental: Great dentistry, and great customer caring from really really nice folks. How often do you hear people say that they enjoyed their root canal? I did!

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Yelena’s for a few years now and I have always received great personalized care. Dr. Y is incredibly kind and is great at delivering patient education. I really appreciate how communicative Dr. Y has been throughout my treatment process. Dr. Yelena makes routine teeth cleanings feel like a piece of cake. Straight and to the point, I always walk out with squeaky clean teeth. I’ve also had Jennifer administer cleaning treatments for me as well and I’ve always had positive experiences here at Cable Car Dental. I would recommend Dr. Yelena without any reservation.

Unfortunately, thanks to the English genetic line in me (I have to blame something don’t I??) I wasn’t blessed with great teeth.Sure, my smile looks nice, and aesthetically they look great, but once I hop in that dentist chair and have a good,close look, it’s like looking into the Grand Canyon. Crevices,dark marks,deep grooves big enough anyone can fall in! The saddest part is, I take very good care of my teeth.I’m obsessed with floss, I brush sometimes 3 times a day and use mouthwash, but sadly, nothing can prevent the words “You have another cavity” echoing from the mouth of Dr Ostrovsky every time I see her. “Noooooooooo!!!!!!Not another one!!!!!” Honestly, anyone would think I’m sitting at home chewing on “Bit O’ Honey’s” all day, but the fact of the matter is I’m a shocking grinder at night,which doesn’t help on top of having major enamel problems thanks to those damn English genes.(Really…when have you seen an English person with good teeth?Have a good,hard think about it..then next time you watch the “BBC”,or the English version of “Wife Swap”,have a look..just terrible!)  And just for the record, I’m half Dutch,half Australian, however, my mother’s side are all English..and my mother’s teeth are the same.. Now, when I moved here going on 5 years ago, it was imperative I find a good dentist.I was living in Marin so I went to someone else where I was extremely happy,but then we  moved into the city.Someone recommended  Cable Car Dental, so I thought I’d see Dr Ostrovsky before I moved from my other dentist. I was extremely impressed and have stayed with her now for over 2 years. Every time I have needed her,she’s been there, she’s found the best way for my treatment as well as the most cost effective way. She’s been patient when I’ve kicked up a fuss over having so many needles & my phobia of the “Novocaine”.. that stuff gives me heart palpitations and panic attacks, so Dr Yelena often has to wait an extra 30 mins until I’m numb as she has to combine epinephrine and needles without…usually after about 7-8 I’m fine.I then stagger out after treatment and attempt to drink a coffee which usually ends up all over my clothing because I’m so numb (don’t even go there with how I talk or how I look! ;-p ) But it’s all in the name of dental work and saving teeth! Ugh….as much as we hate it at the time! I also truly appreciate  how Dr Ostrovsky is generally concerned about my overall health and has,when needed, kept in touch with my primary care provider at Kaiser.I don’t know of many other dentists who have or would do the same. She has great dental assistants who are well trained, caring and helpful. Great location,great service,great care!! NOT at all pushy or over-priced! If you want a great dentist who really,truly cares… Go to Cable Car Dental!! You’ll be smiling that you did!!

I’ve been seeing Dr. Ostrovsky for several years, and everything everyone says is so true. She is kind, patient, listens to your fears, and when she felt I needed to see a periodontist for my gums – I did go –nice dentist — but soon felt she could take care of me just as well. And I think she is better ! Why go anywhere else ? And I think it says a lot that the people in her office have all been with her for several years too.

Very lucky to have found Cable Car Dental. Dr. Ostrovsky knows her stuff! She and her staff are all incredibly personable, sharp, and always on top of their game. The office is consistently clean and smooth, and I’ve never felt better about my dental health. I’ve been coming here for quite a while, and even when my insurance plan changed, Dr. Ostrovsky assisted me in choosing the best plan so I could stay a part of the family.

Given the high praise so far my review is probably superfluous.  I lived in SF for almost a decade and changed just about everything except I stayed with Dr. Yelena, Robin and Jennifer the entire time. Today was my first visit to a new dentist on the east coast, and it made me realize how much I appreciated the excellent care, good humor, and light touch of CCD for all those years.

I was looking for an invisalign treatment when a friend recommended Dr. Yelena Ostrovsky. I went in for a checkup and a consultation and immediately fell in love with the clinic and its staff. Dr. Ostrovsky patiently answered all my questions and went through all of the details. Before invisalign I got a deep cleaning, which was done really well by doctor herself. Now I am in the middle of the invisalign treatment, and can not be more happy with the services Dr. Ostrovsky provides me. Highly recommend for professionalism and bedside manners.

These guys are amazing! Look no further for a wonderful Dental experience. They rescued me in a dental emergency and I will always be thankful. Caring and professional and very kind…I cannot thank them enough! The Staff is wonderful and welcoming, and Dr. Yelena Ostrovsky truly reduced me so that my weekend in SF was not a disaster. Thank you! Jan D.

Cable Car Dental is wonderful. I have been a patient for about a decade. I actually look forward to going there. Dr. Ostrovsky, Jennifer, and Robin are all so talented, thorough, kind, and professional. And they are all so fun to catch up with. It really does feel like a family – even when they are picking at your teeth! I trust them completely with my dental care. They keep great records and recommend appropriate treatments, only when the time is right. I strongly, enthusiastically recommend Cable Car Dental.

I would recommend this practice to anyone.  I have had nothing but positive experiences with Dr. Y and ALL of her staff.  I have had a lot of major dental work done with her and after seeing many different dentists throughout my life…I have found her work to be excellent.  On top of that, everyone there is incredibly friendly and they all make you feel right at home.

My family has been seeing Dr. Ostrovsky since she took over Cable Car Dental.  She and her staff are wonderful and knowledgeable.  I have PTSD which is triggered by dental work, and Dr Ostrovsky’s humor and light touch has helped me immensely.  She is reasonable and well informed, and when you are her patient you can trust that you are going to be well taken care of, not fleeced, not pushed.  That said, that reminds me….I have to make a call for my 6 month cleaning.  😀

Like many others, I hate the dentist. But coming here is different! It’s kind of like Cheers – where everybody knows your name! I don’t know if they keep some secret file somewhere about you, your job, your life, and review it before you come in – but they always know my face, ask how my job is going, how my vacation was, etc. Very personalized service! I was a bit worried when my original doctor – Dr. Leiberman left and Dr. Ostrovsky came on board, but I have yet to be disappointed!  Everyone from Evelyn at the front desk, to Ben and Jessica that clean your teeth, to Dr. Y are nothing but warm and pleasant. I’m admittedly a horrible flosser and no one rips my gums, or yells at me… they just tell me they’re there to encourage, not to reprimand. Wow. They also know everyone’s insurance plan inside and out and do everything possible to keep your out of pocket cost to a minimum. And to top it off, there is a delicious little cupcake store right across the street where you can get a little treat afterwards – as long as you go home and brush your teeth straight away! I would highly recommend this office to anyone who needs a friendly, personalized and competent dentist. I have sent numerous friends and co-workers there with great sucess.

The staff is very friendly and attentive.  Dr Y is very thorough and explains in detail what she is doing and why.  They are quick, comfy and efficient. Additional perks: Chestnut street is just a quick half a block away, so you can run over and feed your sweet tooth at the cupcake shop across the street after getting your cavities touched up!

Thursday night, I’m out with friends celebrating a birthday and bite into slice of pizza. Next thing I know, my crown falls out and I’m looking like a hillbilly! Perfect timing of course, since I was leaving Monday for a wedding in Philly! I’m freaking out because I was certain I wouldn’t get an appointment before I had to leave. The next morning I call Cable Car Dental, panicked and flustered, and they said it was no problem and that I could come in that day! They put in a temp for the trip and I didn’t have to worry about pictures. Dr. Ostrovsky was great. She’s very thorough and laid out all my options for me with their pros/cons/prices. It felt great to finally meet a dentist who likes to keep their patients so informed.  Thanks to this little episode, I found an awesome dentist.

I have been going to Cable Car Dental for a few years now and I cannot say enough good things about the Cable Car Dental Team. Everyone is clearly committed to their craft and is extremely professional and knowledgeable. I I have always felt well taken care of and we’ll informed. Thank you to everyone on the team who makes going to the dentist a great experience. I appreciate all of you.

Like everyone, I have always been terrified of the dentists, but not anymore because I am lucky to have found Dr. Ostrovsky. Dr. Ostrovsky is great, she is professional, kind and friendly.  She always take time to explain each procedure thoroughly.  She genuinely cares about her patients. The office is very clean and the staff are very nice, especially Robin. Her price is reasonable for the high quality of work she delivers. I highly recommend Dr. Ostrovsky to anyone who is looking for a new dentist.

I’ve been coming to Cable Car Dental for several years now, and I can recommend them without reservation. Dr. Ostrovsky always takes time to explain procedures and answer questions, no matter how busy the office is. She also offers options and doesn’t push for getting procedures done immediately, so that I have time to decide what I’m comfortable with or to opt for a “wait and see” approach. Tommy does a great job cleaning my teeth and educating me about proper flossing and taking care of my gums. Robin in the clinic, and Rita at the front desk are also extremely helpful and friendly. Overall, a great dental office!

I am from Louisville, Ky. and was traveling with my wife and another couple  thru San Francisco on the way to a Zija convention. While eating at a local restaurant I broke off the front 4 teeth on a temporary  upper plate. We were in the first days of our 2 week trip and I was desperate. The hotel gave us the name of Dr Ostrovsky.  I called my dentist, Ken Parrish back in Kentucky who then called Dr. Ostrovsky’s office to make sure she knew about my situation. Dr. Ostrovsky ask if I could come to her office as soon as possible. It was a 15 min. taxi ride, and I was immediately taken to her office and in about 30 min. later I was walking out with my teeth repaired. She and her office staff could not have been more helpful. When I came home I had an appointment to have my permanent implants installed, Dr. Parish was very complimentary of Dr. Ostrovsky’s work. Thanks Dr. Ostrovsky for saving my vacation.  Nelson Lockhart,  Louisville, Ky.

Dr. Ostrovsky has been very good to me and my daughter. She explains the procedures well so there are no surprises. My daughter looks forward to getting her teeth cleaned (and the toy afterward). Dr. Ostrovsky has even remodeled her office with all of the modern dental tech. The new chairs have a massage function…cool. The new office looks beautiful. I have to disagree with a couple of previous posters who state that Dr. Y is expensive. Her prices are on par or slightly less then some of the other dentists in the area. Considering all the care that goes into her service, she is worth every penny.

I’ve been going to Dr. Ostrovsky since 2011, and this is such an awesome dental office. Jen and Robin are awesome! Jen has been cleaning my teeth for almost a decade; I’m sure she has a lot of patients but she always remembers my specific quirks and how I like things set up. I’ve had 2 root canals, dentin whitening (for a grey tooth), and a few fillings from Dr. Ostrovsky. She’s very skilled, and my teeth look great! I even had a root canal on my front tooth, which was a super scary concept for me (aesthetically) and she did an excellent job.

Dr. Yelena Ostrovsky is the best. Dr Yelena explains all to me, treats me with dignity, like I am an intelligent person . She offers and explains again options of treatment. Dr Yeleny filled two deep cavities , molars for me, hard to reach, one was my top , upper right. To her it was upside down, not a problem for her. Im so grateful to Dr YO, for this and the rest of her care. She saved both of my molars with these deep cavities, and I had no pain!! Dr YO also performed a periodontal disease treatment on me. Something that has the potential to cause a lot of pain, but to her it was just a walk in the park. Shes the kind of dentist that as soon as she walks in the room, one feels much better. One senses her confidence in her field, and kindness immediately. All of her staff is on the same wavelength as her. Very capable, affable people even when under pressure. I highly recommend Dr. Yelena Ostrovsky. Shes the best!!

I hate hospitals, dental offices and morgues (i’m assuming to loathe the latter), but Yelena and her office reps really put me at ease! She genuinely enjoys helping people. So it’s art, not work, for her. Thoroughly explained the entire process with an honest comments of what to expect as far as pain. i really respect the way she runs her operation. Of course, I still have the same reservations for clinical offices, but as far as I’m concerned she’s the only dentist in San Francisco.  I’ll bite no one else’s fingers by accident (tell Katrina I sez, ‘sorry, and thanks for being understanding).

I love Dr. Ostrovsky! I was with Cable Car dental back in the day when the Libermans were running the show, and I was so disappointed when they left, however, I have been very happy with Dr. Ostrovsky. I had a chipped tooth while on vacation in Hawaii and when I got back (on a Sunday, no less) she met me at the office and fixed it right up. Cost to me: $40. I currently live in Noe Valley  – but make the drive up to the Marina every six months to see Dr. Ostrovsky. She is very personable and easy to talk to and makes me feel comfortable even when using that god-awful scraper on my teeth.

Cable Car Dental has definitely been good to me ever since I began my treatment with them last year. Tara at the front desk is always very professional, organized, personable and accommodating. Dr. Ovstrovsky is very informative, kind, experienced and genuinely wants to make sure you’re happy and comfortable with any and every process. Robin, her dental assistant, is also always very nice, professional and does an excellent job making sure you don’t choke on your own saliva, haha. 🙂 I am so glad I came to Cable Car Dental for my work, and will be a devout customer for years to come!

An intermittent pain in an upper left molar triggered my first visit to Cable Car Dental.  I interacted with Tiffany on the phone and via email to arrange an appointment.  Great to deal with a person with strong phone and email skills for a change.  My appointment was in two parts – the diagnosis and the treatment.  The diagnosis was on time. How special is that?!  I met Dr Ostrovsky and she explained the process for the treatment since how it went would be based on what she found since the x-rays that Robin took didn’t give us all the information needed.  The treatment the following day started on time as well!  It’s the first time i was able to log in to MY Pandora account and tune out in a comfortable dental chair with noise-cancelling headphones. Double wow!  I’m used to getting a local and then having a LARGE needle poked in my mouth and half my mouth be numb.  This time it was a local that numbed just a fraction of my mouth.  If there were needles involved after that I didn’t feel or see ’em.  too busy zoning out to the music.  A couple of hours later we’re done. Robin has told me the name of a new artist on Pandora, Dr Ostrovsky has said “double Advil every 4-6 hours.  You’ll get a lot of throbbing for the next couple of days.  It’s the first lie my new dentist told me.  I felt GREAT.  My pain was gone and there has been no side effect pain. WOW. And I had asked Maja at the front desk to not let me out without paying (and a bill) for the two appointments and she came through for me. Net net on Cable Car Dental:  Great dentistry, and great customer caring from really really nice folks. How often do you hear people say that they enjoyed their root canal? I did!.

Dr. Yelena is great!  She has a great demeanor, such that my 6 year old loves to go to the dentist and actually looks forward to it, which is a great way to get started on your road to dental health.  A traumatic dentist experience as a child can make a significant difference in your willingness to go later in life, so we’re really grateful for Dr. Yelena’s excellent care.

Dr. Yelena, Robin, and Jennifer are simply amazing. I’ve been catching up on my dental work with them for the last 6 months and am actually happy to go to the dentists and see my new friends. After ten years of dental denial I needed to have a broken tooth fixed and it set off my new found appreciation for honest, pain free oral health. These ladies not only care about your oral situation but they care about you. I love that they work with your budget and make the time to understand your insurance setup and then explain how things will work out and work with you to build a plan. This is how business should be.

Dr. Yelena is quite frankly the best dentist I have every had. Good dentistry is both an art and science, and Dr. Yelena personally cares about how your teeth look and feel.  Not only the basics but the aesthetics as she is a perfectionist and wants the best for her clients.I had two implants in the front combined in a new bridge.  I went around with other Dentists including a UCSF dental chair who told me it would cost $30K.  After meeting with Dr. Yelena we put together a plan and a budget that was just over a third of that price.  After the implants (by another Dr. that I am happy with), temporary bridges, fittings, re-fittings, she came up with as perfect a smile that I could hope for, all within my budget.  In the process she found that I needed a root canal prior to putting in the bridge that would have ruined the work over time.  I am delighted to have the best smile that I have ever had since…ever. Dr. Yelena is also very personable, never speaks down to you, and does not share too much about her personal life and yet keep a nice rapport. (Ever have a dentist go on and on about his ex-wife, no thank you.)  She is calming and treats her patients with respect.  I am very happy to have been introduced and to have gone through this major dental process with her.  Now my interactions are more about the cleaning, etc. that is a quick friendly process, but I have confidence that if something happens, she is ready to address in her professionally friendly manner.

Best dentist ever! I have finally found a dentist who is skilled, kind, gentle and nice, Dr. Yelena Ostrovsky she’s the BEST i have been a client of hers for many years. I trust her knowledge. Her team Robin and Jennifer are amazing and the staff are very friendly. I highly recommend Cable Car Dental to anyone that is in need of getting their teeth taken care of.

Update: The Office has moved to a new location. They did a great job updating the new space with all of the modern equipment. The Dr. now has a CEREC machine so she can do many crown related procedures same day. Really cool. Caring dentist. Explains all options available, doesn’t shove procedures down your throat. Gentle and nice. And she recently remodeled her office so has all modern equipment and massage chairs. Very nice, while getting work done, to be in one of these chairs.

Like the others here, I hate going to the dentist. However, for the first time in my adult life, I hate going to the dentist less that I did before. (Woo hoo!) I’ve had a lot of dentists and honestly thought it didn’t make a difference (I mean, how pleasant can going to the dentist really be?), and boy, am I happy to have finally found Dr. Y and her staff at Cable Car Dental! While going to the dentist is still less fun than oh, say, going to get a massage, Dr. Y and her staff are super nice and friendly and my teeth and gums have greatly improved since starting to see her earlier this year. She had a spot-on recommendation for a new toothbrush (Sonicare rules!) and always explains to me what is going on and deals very nicely with my low tolerance for pain. The only cons are that parking can be a pain (but not if you have a scooter!) and she is out of network for most insurance carriers (except Delta Premier, I believe). However, her awesome staff helps deal with the whole insurance part, so it is relatively painless for me. (Yay for painless!).

She genuinely is the epitome of a compassionate professional who takes pride in doing thorough & quality dental work. As well compassionate towards her patients individual financial means, their fears and reservations of being in a dental chair and even beinng accomodating to scheduling conflicts. In short, I’ve not had a personal dentist in decades. Thats all changed thanks to Yelena. As far as Im concerned, there’s no other dentist in SF.

I cannot say enough about Dr. Yelina…she is amazing. I have been her patient for over ten years and I trust her completely. I have had to have extensive dental work done and she is so detailed and available. I have had to make emergency calls and have always gotten a quick response. I love that she has cultivated an incredible practice where everyone working there is warm, compassionate, and works so hard to be of service. So grateful!

It is hard to find a good dentist, let alone a great one. Dr. Ostrovsky and her staff are outstanding, not only for the high level of dentistry and cleaning (Tommy) but for keeping one in the loop of what is going on, the costs, appointments and follow ups, and referrals to specialists. I have a fair amount of dental work and could not be more pleased, OK, unless I did not have any. Keep smiling!

A WORD FROM YOUR DOCTOR