I was a patient of Dr. Shirvani's for a little over two years…read more
On quality of the dental care alone, she is capable, competent, and professional; however I have a few issues with how she runs her business, and unfortunately I must consider these as part of my holistic review.
At the outset, readers should be advised that, as of May 2025, Dr. Shirvani is OUT OF NETWORK with *all* insurers. This means you will pay the FULL cost for all services up-front, and refunded any difference that out of network insurers provide at a later date.
The first issue arose when she decided to drop my previous insurer (Delta Dental) in 2024. Delta has a reputation in the industry for not treating dentists fairly (capping the max allowable rates they can charge, despite geography), and I was sympathetic to this. Her office provided ample notice, about 2 months, and I was informed that they would still submit claims on my behalf (and I would be responsible for any difference in fees).
What they did not share was that they would immediately start collecting the *full service cost* up front, despite the claim still going through insurance (out of network). For my first visit post-Delta, they estimated a dollar amount they thought Delta would pay and charged me the difference. They did not share how they calculated this amount, and when I inquired about it, I was met with a series of terse emails simply stating that I was charged an amount minus "what I think [Delta] will pay." Not so much transparency. Strike one.
As part of this new process, they would refund any overage at a later date. Fine. No details were provided as to when the difference would be received, and I had to call to confirm that they would, in fact, send a check and that I simply had to wait. Meaning I could be out $100's for an unspecified amount of time. So I waited. And waited. For this visit, it took nearly 1.5 months from the date of service to receive the refund, a delay compounded by the fact that she was "out of the country" and apparently all office operations cease when she herself is not present. I felt this to be excessive, and I informed her as such, along with some possible solutions to help the process move more smoothly in the future. This was met with another terse email pretty much suggesting that I leave the practice.
I gave it another few months, eventually got a new job, and along with it new insurance. When my next annual exam date approached, I was informed that she was now out of network with ALL providers (even the ones who pay fairly). No notice about this policy was received in the preceding 6 months. When I asked the office manager if my preventative visit would still be 100% covered, she said "you have good insurance" without providing further details. More terse emails. She seemed annoyed that I wouldn't even ask. Strike two.
Eventually, I received a pre-approval for the cleaning from my insurance and lo and behold, I would be responsible for the FULL $270 for a preventive exam. The time had come to find a new provider. After informing the office manager that I would be leaving, no attempt was made to retain my business. Upon asking for x-rays and documentation from the last two years, I was met with even more terse emails. I was sent the wrong x-rays at least two times, and when I inquired about the error, she seemed annoyed. Ultimately she sent the correct files, after pressing, with no apology or acknowledgment of the error. Finally, after confirming that I had in fact received all the appropriate documentation, I was sent a sharply worded letter essentially telling me never to bother them again, despite their screw up in sending the wrong files. Strike three.
In addition to the above, during my care, there was more than one occasion where I was pushed towards Invisalign (which I politely declined). My teeth are not perfect, but I take good care of them, and Invisalign is simply overkill for my situation. In general, dentists make considerable profit from Invisalign, so I would have been skeptical even with worse teeth.
All in all, it's a shame the business side of things isn't as well run as Dr. Shirvani's care & expertise. She clearly knows what she is doing and has good beside manner. But unfortunately with any dentist, you need to consider the full picture. For these reasons, I cannot recommend her practice as a go-to dentist in SF.
