Cable Car Dental
Yelena Ostrovsky, DDS:
Practice Profile Page

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.

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, 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.