Orthodontist in Laguna Niguel CA
Experience You Can Trust, Smiles You’ll Love
We are a family practice that builds long-term relationships by providing excellent service with empathy and compassion.
Welcome to Ocean Valley Dental!
Many Laguna Niguel residents searching for an orthodontist find that a highly experienced general dentist offering orthodontic treatment gets them exactly where they need to be. Ocean Valley Dental has provided orthodontic care alongside a full range of dental services since 1990, with the diagnostic technology, clinical depth, and long-tenured staff to back it up.
Dr. Robert F. Murray, DDS has been a certified Invisalign provider since 1999, and the practice draws patients from Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, and Lake Forest who want clear aligners, metal braces, and everything in between handled under one roof.
Our Mission
Orthodontic treatment affects more than tooth position. It influences gum health, bite function, and long-term dental health. Dr. Murray approaches every treatment plan with that full picture in mind. The practice’s standard is straightforward: explain what the clinical findings actually show, present honest treatment options, and never recommend a procedure the patient doesn’t genuinely need. Every patient leaves with a clear understanding of their oral health and a personalized plan that reflects their specific situation, not a generic protocol.
Providing World Class Dentistry in South Orange County
At Ocean Valley Dental, your trusted dentist in Aliso Viejo, we offer a comprehensive range of dental services to meet the needs of your entire family.
Implants
Patients who’ve been told they aren’t candidates for conventional bridges often find that implants open a door that seemed permanently closed. Ocean Valley Dental places titanium posts directly into the jawbone, giving fixed porcelain bridges, dentures, and individual crowns a locked-in base that moves with you rather than against you. Visiting an orthodontist won’t solve tooth loss the way a properly anchored implant can, because the real issue is rebuilding the root itself.
From your first appointment, we focus on fit and function rather than rushing through steps. We place the titanium post chairside in roughly an hour, then let your bone integrate with it naturally before adding your final restoration. That measured approach means your replacement tooth arrives already feeling like it belongs, with zero changes made to the healthy teeth surrounding it.
Veneers
Porcelain veneers quietly handle concerns that brushing, whitening, and even an orthodontist cannot fully fix. Rather than targeting one issue at a time, each custom shell corrects color, shape, and proportion simultaneously across the front surface of your teeth. The result reads as a natural smile, not a dental procedure, because every veneer is matched to the surrounding teeth and your overall facial balance.
Our team at Ocean Valley Dental opens every veneer case with a focused conversation about what you want your smile to look and feel like before any preparation begins. From there, we remove only the minimum enamel needed then place temporary shells so your smile stays complete between visits. Your permanent restorations arrive custom-crafted to those exact specifications, and bonding them into place on your final visit takes just one appointment to finish.
Invisalign & Orthodontics
Teeth that overlap or sit out of position create tight spaces where plaque builds up regardless of how carefully you brush, making alignment a health concern as much as a cosmetic one. Working with an orthodontist isn’t the only path to a straighter smile. Our Invisalign & orthodontic options let you choose between virtually invisible clear aligners for mild to moderate cases or traditional solutions for more complex tooth movement. Each approach is matched to what your bite actually requires, not just what’s most convenient.
Ocean Valley Dental builds every treatment plan around a complete picture of your teeth, spacing, and jaw before any trays or appliances are introduced. Clear aligners are worn 20 to 22 hours a day and swapped out on a consistent schedule, with each new set continuing the gradual repositioning started by the last. We check in regularly throughout your treatment so adjustments can be made early, keeping your progress moving in the right direction from start to finish.
Crowns
Saving a natural tooth is almost always the better path, and a crown makes that possible in situations where the tooth itself can no longer stand on its own. At Ocean Valley Dental, porcelain crowns serve several distinct purposes beyond simple repair, including attaching a bridge, covering a dental implant, or correcting a tooth that has been discolored or misshapen for years. Consulting an orthodontist won’t address these structural concerns the way a precisely fitted crown can.
Our dentist evaluates exactly why coverage is needed before any preparation begins, since the reason behind recommending crowns shapes how we approach the case. We reshape the affected tooth, capture a digital impression, and match your restoration to the strength and color profile of your surrounding teeth using porcelain. The finished crown seats securely and functions like a tooth that was never compromised in the first place.
Oral Surgery & Extractions
A tooth that looks intact can still harbor serious problems beneath the surface. Deep infection, a root fracture, or an impacted wisdom tooth pressing silently against a neighboring root are all situations where extraction becomes the most protective decision available. Unlike spacing or bite concerns that an orthodontist might evaluate, oral surgery & extractions address immediate structural threats that, left unresolved, can compromise the bone and teeth around them. At Ocean Valley Dental, removal is only recommended when the evidence genuinely supports it as the best path for your long-term health.
Our dentist reviews your imaging thoroughly before any surgical appointment so the procedure is mapped out around your specific anatomy rather than approached generically. We walk you through what to expect, administer anesthesia to keep you comfortable throughout, and provide recovery instructions tailored to your case. Healing is monitored through scheduled follow-up visits so any concerns are caught and addressed before they become setbacks.
Root Canal Therapy
Tooth infections don’t follow a predictable pattern. When bacteria compromise the pulp, no amount of antibiotics or time resolves it permanently; root canal therapy is the only way to remove the source, disinfect the canals, and seal the tooth against recurrence. Just as you’d see an orthodontist for bite-specific concerns, our dentist at Ocean Valley Dental handles infected teeth with the kind of focused care that gives the natural tooth its best chance of staying put.
We numb the area completely before any step of the procedure begins, so what most patients experience is far closer to a routine appointment than the ordeal they imagined. Our dentist accesses the inner canals through a small opening, removes the damaged tissue, and seals everything with biocompatible material once the canals are thoroughly cleaned. Most cases finish in one or two visits, after which a crown is typically placed to give the treated tooth the structural reinforcement it needs for long-term, reliable function.
Meet the Team
Dr. Robert F. Murray, DDS and Dr. Elizabeth Le, DMD bring complementary strengths to patient care. Dr. Murray is known for a calm, unhurried chairside manner that staff and patients alike describe as genuinely reassuring. He explains each step before taking it and adapts his pace to the person in the chair. Dr. Le completed a hospital-based residency that gave her surgical depth most general dentists don’t have, and she focuses her clinical work on cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, and smile makeovers. Together, they cover a clinical range that allows most patients to complete their full dental treatment without leaving the practice.
Story of the “Coral”
Coral is not a plant but a living animal. Its function is to house, feed and provide security to 90% of the fish in the ocean. These tiny creatures are among the world’s greatest architects, and although they grow less than an inch per year, they ultimately become one of the largest structures on the planet. We take our mission statement seriously and understand that earning your trust takes time, empathy and compassion. Over time, we hope to create the safe environment that you turn to for all of your dental needs.
Request Appointment
Why Choose Us
Looking for an Orthodontist in Laguna Niguel CA? Let Ocean Valley Dental Show You What Great Care Looks Like
Orthodontic treatment works best when it’s planned within the full context of your oral health. Ocean Valley Dental brings the technology, clinical experience, and stable team to do that well. The office is open Monday through Thursday 8am to 5pm and Friday 8am to 12pm. Call 949-831-4655 to book your consultation, and follow the practice on Facebook for a look at the team and office before your first visit.
Our Testimonials
FAQs
How does jaw pain factor into an orthodontic evaluation?
Jaw pain can signal bite misalignment, joint dysfunction, or both. The CBCT imaging used here captures jaw joint anatomy in three dimensions, giving Dr. Murray a clear picture of what’s contributing to discomfort before any orthodontic treatment plan is finalized. Patients who have been told their jaw pain is unrelated to their bite are sometimes surprised by what that imaging reveals. Addressing it early prevents orthodontic appliances from compounding an existing problem.
What should patients with gum disease know before starting orthodontic care?
Active gum disease needs to be stabilized before orthodontic treatment begins. Moving teeth through inflamed tissue accelerates bone loss and weakens the long-term result. Ocean Valley Dental performs periodontal maintenance and LANAP laser therapy in-house, so stabilization happens as part of a coordinated sequence rather than requiring a referral. Your hygienist’s long-term familiarity with your gum health makes that baseline assessment significantly more accurate.
What can patients expect from sedation dentistry at this practice?
Sedation options range from medication-assisted relaxation to general anesthesia, depending on the scope of treatment and your comfort level. Dr. Murray is formally trained in sedation dentistry and uses it for larger treatment plans as well as for patients with significant dental anxiety. His naturally unhurried pace and step-by-step communication manage most apprehension before any medication is discussed. Sedation is available when it’s genuinely useful, not as a default.
What is Dr. Le's role in orthodontic treatment planning?
Dr. Le handles the restorative and cosmetic elements that often accompany or follow orthodontic care, including veneers, implants, root canal therapy, and full smile makeovers. Her hospital residency gave her broad surgical training that complements Dr. Murray’s orthodontic and implant experience. In complex cases, they develop the treatment sequence together from the start, so patients pursuing facial harmony alongside functional correction benefit from both perspectives before treatment begins.
What makes this a practical choice for families with different dental needs?
Pediatric dental care, adult restorative treatment, and orthodontic care for multiple age groups are all available here, so families don’t need separate practices for different members. Five hygienists on staff provide real scheduling flexibility, including coordinated appointment blocks for parents and children. New patients are always welcome, and the same long-tenured team that sees the parents often ends up caring for their kids in a genuinely family-friendly environment.