Fairwood and Mercer Island Orthodontics — Local services in Renton

Reading some reviews and looking at the website, it appears Dr. Chorak has left the practice, so I cannot speak to the current orthodontists and staff, but I certainly hope they are better than Dr. Chorak. I would give him zero stars if I could. He comes off as very friendly and knowledgeable in the beginning, but that’s because he wants your money. As treatment goes on, he is extremely unprofessional and rude.

I had braces when I was younger and lost my retainer, so as I became an adult, one of my bottom front teeth had turned out of place. During my consult, Dr. Chorak told me it would be 9 months of treatment and I could do either aligners or braces. I elected for aligners as I wasn’t thrilled with the thought of braces as an adult. As 9 months neared, my misaligned tooth was still not in place, and on top of that I had developed a bite issue due to the way my teeth had been moved. Dr. Chorak rescanned my teeth and issued me a new aligner plan to attempt to address the issue. We repeated this rescan process over and over for 9 months. After doing research on my own, I learned there were certain issues that were difficult to resolve with aligners, my specific tooth misalignment being one of them. When I brought this up to Dr. Chorak, he kept insisting he was making the adjustment notes to the aligner techs, so he wasn’t sure why it wasn’t working and would keep trying. He did not appear to comprehend that aligners had limitations, and weren’t suited well for all orthodontic issues. After a few more months of rescanning and getting nowhere, I had to tell him things weren’t working and we needed to try a new strategy. I then switched to braces which I had for another 7 months. Throughout that time, there were multiple appointments were Dr. Chorak appeared to think I was done with treatment and I had to tell him 1) my misaligned tooth was still out of place, and 2) the bite issue he created had still not resolved. He turned the responsibility on me, saying he was a doctor who listened to his patients and would take my wishes into account. I told him that I simply wanted my teeth straight which I thought was the whole point, and that a trained professional like him shouldn’t need my instructions to figure that out. I had been in treatment for two and a half years at this point. When I brought up my concerns about still not being done after he had initially thought it would only take 9 months, he told me he never thought it would take 9 months and the reason why it was taking so long was because he had to keep changing the treatment plan, suggesting it was my fault not his. After another few months of him gaslighting me, I realized ultimately I did not trust him and didn’t feel comfortable completing my treatment with him. I had a consultation with another orthodontist who I had originally wanted to go to, but had decided not to pursue since his office was an hour drive from me. Dr. Chorak then refused to transfer my payment to the new orthodontist, saying he had treated me “most of the way”, he had spent a lot of money on me with all my rescans, and therefore he should keep most of the money.

Moral of the story: 1) don’t let his charm fool you, he will physiologically manipulate if you have any type of backbone to stick up for your treatment, 2) he is a mediocre orthodontist and does not understand the limitations of his methods, and 3) it’s worth the time and money to go to an orthodontist that is better and...

I simply cannot say enough good things about Dr. Chorak or recommend him enough! I have been thoroughly impressed! I used to work as an orthodontic assistant years ago, so when it was time for me to choose an orthodontist for my kids, I knew I'd be picky. We met with several local orthodontists for consults, but after meeting with Dr. Chorak, I immediately knew he was the orthodontist I wanted for my kids! He's awesome! I loved his treatment plan the best, and it didn't hurt that he was also my kids' favorite out of all the orthodontists we visited. They instantly liked him. Honestly, you won't find a nicer guy! And, the kids were very excited about his treatment plan as well! Dr. Chorak recommended starting with rubber bands FIRST via the Carriere Motion Appliance-very minimal and easy-to correct the bite for a couple months and then transition to braces. Less time in brackets is always a good thing! Dr. Chorak is very knowledgeable, and keeps up with the latest technological advances in orthodontic treatment. I have noticed that he's very involved in every aspect. He's particular and detail oriented to get you the best results! And, have I also happened to mention that he is just a genuinely nice guy?! Every time we have been there he is always so friendly and pleasant! You can tell he really cares about his patients too! It's all the little things that add up to such a positive experience- like taking his time with patients, talking with them, showing genuine interest, running contests to have some fun, having fresh baked cookies in the office for a treat, and even providing great "care packages" that are filled with some soft foods and soup for those first few tender days after you get your braces on! It's definitely thoughtful things like these, that make me so happy that we found Dr Chorak's office! Go see for yourself! You won't be...

Update, 10/2021 - I'm still happy with my teeth, and I still recommend Dr. Chorak. Make sure you keep wearing those retainers at least once a week for life. If you go for a couple of weeks without wearing it, teeth will start shifting again. He provided several retainers to me, so I think I'll be set for life before these wear out. Thanks Doc. Previous review from 3 years ago. Was a good price, and mostly good service, but failed at the end when I used the last tray of my Invisalign treatment when my teeth went from almost perfect (tray 27) to crooked again (tray28). They are making it right by giving me more trays to fix it, but now it's extending the treatment by at least a few months to get it right. Don't let them "clean" your trays. They cleaned mine and left a bunch of soap in them. I went to their sink and cleaned them with fresh water and a toothbrush, but my mouth still tasted like soap (seriously soap, not toothpaste) for the rest of the day. Generally a good experience with this clinic overall, but they need to be a little more careful with the "cleaning" and skip that last tray. Despite some shortcomings, I would still recommend this orthodontist because the price was reasonable compared with a few other prices I got. IT PAYS TO SHOP AROUND. YOU WILL GET WIDELY VARIABLE PRICES FOR THE...