Why Choose Delta Smiles
What to Look For in an Orthodontist
Choosing an orthodontist is a two-year decision made in about an hour. Here’s what we’d suggest looking for, and where we stand on each point.
- Specialty training. An orthodontist completes dental school and then a full-time accredited residency, two to three years spent entirely on tooth movement and jaw growth. General dentists can offer aligners without any of that. Ask directly; it’s a fair question and any orthodontist will answer it happily. Both of our doctors completed accredited residencies, and this practice does nothing but orthodontics.
- A clear plan and a clear price. You should leave a consultation knowing what treatment is proposed, roughly how long it runs, what’s included and what it costs. If any of those four is vague, ask again.
- Willingness to say no. The most useful thing an orthodontist can tell you is that your child doesn’t need treatment yet, or that the plan you were given elsewhere is a good one. We say both regularly.
- Continuity. Ask who you’ll actually see at appointments. In a lot of practices the answer changes. Here it’s Dr. Sexton or Dr. Louie, and the assistant you’ll come to know by name.
- Reviews that mention people. Star ratings are easy to accumulate. Reviews that name the assistant who calmed a nervous kid down tell you something a number can’t.
What Makes This Practice Different
East County is home
Delta Smiles has cared for families in East Contra Costa for decades, and Dr. Sexton bought the practice from the orthodontist who founded it. The name comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the river country this region is built around. Our team lives here, and our staff’s kids went to school here. That isn’t a marketing angle; it’s just where we’re from.
Two offices, one practice
Our Antioch office sits in the Country Hills neighborhood with an elementary school on the same street. Our Brentwood office is in the walkable downtown Towncenter. Same doctors, same records, same treatment at either. Families with kids at different schools split appointments between them constantly.
A team that stays
Two of our team have been with this practice for more than twenty years, and one of them has worked in orthodontics since before most of our patients were born. Turnover in dental offices is high, so this is unusual, and it’s the reason so many of our reviews thank an assistant by name. Meet the team.
Reviews from real patients
Our Brentwood office holds a 5.0-star average across 618 Google reviews and Antioch a 4.9 across 173. That's 791 reviews between the two, and in Brentwood it's the deepest review record of any orthodontic office in the city. Read them, see finished results, or take a look around both offices.
Affordability we mean literally
No-interest in-house payment plans, $0 down for many families, flexible monthly payments and CareCredit for longer terms. We accept all insurance but are not in network. You get your number at the free exam, before you decide anything. Insurance and financing.
The right technology, used where it matters
Digital 3D scanning instead of impression putty, and cone beam 3D imaging when a diagnosis calls for it. How we use it.