Patient Reviews

"I took my young boys to Life dental & Orthodontics because they were airway focused and that was really important for a family! We were mostly helped with Katie the RDA and she was so great with the boys made everything fun and super patient with them. I also really appreciated how in-depth Dr. Hockel explained everything to myself and our kids. My boys can get easily overwhelmed and he had such gentle and calm energy throughout the whole process! I really appreciated that! Highly recommend this team! :) Jessie at the front desk is also super helpful and sweet!"

"Life Dental has an excellent Dental staff! Everyone is friendly & accommodating. Please consider Life Dental & Orthodontist for your next visit."

"Absolutely love this place! Friendly and accommodating staff and I really appreciate Dr Hockel’s knowledge of what’s going on with not only my teeth, but how it all works together with my airway and everything else too!"

"I came to Doctor Hockel due to problems with sleep apnea. He diagnosed a narrow palate and some other issues that ultimately are obstructing my airway and recommended a course of palate expansion (upper and lower) before going for more extensive surgery to correct problems with my jaw. It's been really great working with him and his staff! They're all extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. They've answered every question I had and taken the time to explain what's being done each time (in what's going to be a couple-year-long process.) They're definitely using the latest tools and techniques and I feel completely comfortable with whatever they recommend. All in all, a *really* great dentist! [Edit from 2+ years in the future - 10/18/2023] I had my jaw surgery (total TMJ replacement and MMA (Maxillomandibular advancement, to move the upper teeth forward) in St Louis in May (via the only surgeon Dr Hockel trusts to do the surgery, who really is great) and returned to Dr Hockel's care in late June. Sleep apnea is cured, my bite was lined up and everything went well. Today was a great day - I got my braces off! We're now in the process of stabilizing the teeth with a retainer, but they look great and feel even better, with everything in my bite closing in the right places and all the teeth nice and straight and even. Dr Hockel's staff were awesome as usual - I showed up 20 minutes early and they said "come right in!" and we got to work. If you ever need to deal with airway issues (or indeed with orthodontia and other dental procedures), definitely give Life Dental and Orthodontics a call. They're the best!"

"I was incredibly impressed by Dr. Hockel and his team. Not only is this a very well run outfit, but the approach he takes is very holistic and he takes into consideration things like air way and sleep quality! Unfortunately this kind of broad thinking isn’t widely available in conventional orthodontics/dentistry, which makes this business a rare find!"

"What a team! I drove 6 hours round trip, past many dentists/orthodontists to have Dr. Hockel evaluate my airway and discuss options. I am a dentist. I care and appreciate that he also cares."

"Excellent dentist, staff and facility. If you are looking for a supportive, knowledgeable and caring dentist and amazing team look no further. Been going here for 27 years now and highly recommend Dr. Hockel and his team. Have had 3 kids...braces, emergencies...this group of dental health care providers have been here for all of us. 5 stars!"

"Amazing friendly environment instead of feeling inside of an office, staff is really nice, had braces done took 2.5 years and I’m very pleased with the result."

"Amazing friendly environment instead of feeling inside of an office, staff is really nice, had braces done took 2.5 years and I'm very pleased with the result."

"Dr. Ching, Dr. Hockel, Rachel, and the others who have helped me for the past few years at Life Dental have always been prompt, attentive, professional, thorough, and pleasant. My sisters saw Dr. Jack Hockel for braces in the 90’s. I first saw Dr. Brian Hockel and Dr. Michaela Ching in 2019 when I needed a root canal. Dr Hockel replied promptly to my after hours online inquiry about pain that had flared up and Dr. Ching got me what I needed after that. I recommend them gladly and without hesitation."

"Dr. Ching, Dr. Hockel, Rachel, and the others who have helped me for the past few years at Life Dental have always been prompt, attentive, professional, thorough, and pleasant. My sisters saw Dr. Jack Hockel for braces in the 90's. I first saw Dr. Brian Hockel and Dr. Michaela Ching in 2019 when I needed a root canal. Dr Hockel replied promptly to my after hours online inquiry about pain that had flared up and Dr. Ching got me what I needed after that. I recommend them gladly and without hesitation."

"Absolutely recommend these amazing people that make this business flourish! I was in need of an emergency wire cutting for my braces because it was poking the inside of my mouth. I came across Life Dental & Orthodontics by a simple Google search and completely satisfied I did! Extremely helpful, proactive, friendly, and knowledgeable staff made this a pleasant experience! I'm looking for a new Dentist and Orthopedic specialist and now I have found what I was looking for! A special thank you for the team here,Danny B"

"Absolutely recommend these amazing people that make this business flourish! I was in need of an emergency wire cutting for my braces because it was poking the inside of my mouth. I came across Life Dental & Orthodontics by a simple Google search and completely satisfied I did! Extremely helpful, proactive, friendly, and knowledgeable staff made this a pleasant experience! I’m looking for a new Dentist and Orthopedic specialist and now I have found what I was looking for! A special thank you for the team here,Danny B"

"Dr. Brian Hockel and his father Dr. Jack Hockel have both been lifesavers for me.  I first became acquainted with this practice over 25 years ago.  At the time I was a teenager who had recently completed my second phase of braces with another orthodontist.  Even though my smile looked wonderful, the orthodontic treatment I received elsewhere left me with an unfortunate TMJ issue with constant popping and headaches.  I recall visiting about half a dozen TMJ specialists, a medical doctor and a chiropractor.  I had been given different devices, exercises and therapies to try to alleviate my TMJ, yet nothing worked and none of the specialists I had seen could seem to figure out how to resolve my TMJ issue.  I remember feeling hopeless and frustrated.  One of the specialists I saw referred me to Dr. Jack Hockel.  I still remember so clearly that within minutes of visiting with Dr. Hockel, he knew exactly what was causing my TMJ and how to fix it!  He gave me a device that adjusted my bite slightly over the course of about 9 months and this completely resolved my TMJ! Fast forward to the present.  Some of my teeth shifted over the past 10 years so I decided to undergo new orthodontic treatment to move them back into place.  Since I had moved out of the area, I found a local orthodontist to handle my treatment.  The new ortho treatment moved my teeth back into a position that again resulted in the same TMJ issue from 25 years ago!  I felt like I was reliving a bad nightmare.  I figured Dr. Jack Hockel had retired but thought maybe someone had taken over his practice.  To my nice surprise, I found that his son, Dr. Brian Hockel had taken over!  Like his father, Dr. Brian Hockel, immediately knew what was causing my TMJ and how to fix it.  I am so thankful for him.  I highly recommend him and his team of professionals.  I feel like his approach to orthodontics is much more wholistic in the sense that he takes into account not only the aesthetic aspect of orthodontics but also considers bite, airway and well-being of the individual.  He is genuine and I could tell he really cares about me as a patient. I highly recommend him."

"Dr. Brian Hockel and his father Dr. Jack Hockel have both been lifesavers for me. I first became acquainted with this practice over 25 years ago. At the time I was a teenager who had recently completed my second phase of braces with another orthodontist. Even though my smile looked wonderful, the orthodontic treatment I received elsewhere left me with an unfortunate TMJ issue with constant popping and headaches. I recall visiting about half a dozen TMJ specialists, a medical doctor and a chiropractor. I had been given different devices, exercises and therapies to try to alleviate my TMJ, yet nothing worked and none of the specialists I had seen could seem to figure out how to resolve my TMJ issue. I remember feeling hopeless and frustrated. One of the specialists I saw referred me to Dr. Jack Hockel. I still remember so clearly that within minutes of visiting with Dr. Hockel, he knew exactly what was causing my TMJ and how to fix it! He gave me a device that adjusted my bite slightly over the course of about 9 months and this completely resolved my TMJ! Fast forward to the present. Some of my teeth shifted over the past 10 years so I decided to undergo new orthodontic treatment to move them back into place. Since I had moved out of the area, I found a local orthodontist to handle my treatment. The new ortho treatment moved my teeth back into a position that again resulted in the same TMJ issue from 25 years ago! I felt like I was reliving a bad nightmare. I figured Dr. Jack Hockel had retired but thought maybe someone had taken over his practice. To my nice surprise, I found that his son, Dr. Brian Hockel had taken over! Like his father, Dr. Brian Hockel, immediately knew what was causing my TMJ and how to fix it. I am so thankful for him. I highly recommend him and his team of professionals. I feel like his approach to orthodontics is much more wholistic in the sense that he takes into account not only the aesthetic aspect of orthodontics but also considers bite, airway and well-being of the individual. He is genuine and I could tell he really cares about me as a patient. I highly recommend him."

"Dr. Hockel and his staff are exceptional. The office is welcoming, pleasant, and run like a well oiled machine. Their bedside manner is second to none and I am so impressed with Dr. Hockel’s depth of knowledge. He doesn’t just focus on teeth. He transforms his patient’s entire jaw structure to help them breathe better and sleep better, consequently giving them a healthier lifestyle. My daughter just got her braces off yesterday and not only is her smile gorgeous but her profile as well. I can’t recommend them highly enough!"

"I dare you to find a better experience. Dr. Hockel's clinic is world class in dentistry, orthodontics, and orthotropics."

"After my insured dentists turned me away and literally told me, good luck, I went all the way back my childhood dentist looking for help, she referred me to Doctor Hockel. I had a lot of jaw pain, needed braces, as my teeth had spaced enough that I couldnt bite into food, and after my consolation with Dr. Hockel, was referred to getting a sleep study done to learn that I also had mild sleep apnea. Dr. Hockel and his team are super kind and attentive and are set on making sure I get the help I need. If I didn't start going to them I never would have learned why I was exhausted my entire life. My jaw pain is almost gone and now that I get proper sleep, I can actually function in every day life, and am almost back to a beautiful smile again. With all dental work, it can be pricey, but I'm so thankful to have found them because they've literally helped my change my life for the better. I can finally breathe properly, eat, and sleep like a normal person."

"After my insured dentists turned me away and literally told me, good luck, I went all the way back my childhood dentist looking for help, she referred me to Doctor Hockel. I had a lot of jaw pain, needed braces, as my teeth had spaced enough that I couldnt bite into food, and after my consolation with Dr. Hockel, was referred to getting a sleep study done to learn that I also had mild sleep apnea. Dr. Hockel and his team are super kind and attentive and are set on making sure I get the help I need. If I didn’t start going to them I never would have learned why I was exhausted my entire life. My jaw pain is almost gone and now that I get proper sleep, I can actually function in every day life, and am almost back to a beautiful smile again. With all dental work, it can be pricey, but I’m so thankful to have found them because they’ve literally helped my change my life for the better. I can finally breathe properly, eat, and sleep like a normal person."