Contact Us Today at (949) 830-4101
We are conveniently located between Mission Viejo High School and La Paz Junior High!

Why Choose an "Orthodontic Specialist"?

SHN Orthodontics offers you Orthodontists, not simply general dentists. An Orthodontist is a dentist who has not only completed a graduate program in dentistry to receive their DDS or DMD (Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine), but has also gone through a competitive residency at a CODA-accredited Orthodontic program for an additional 2-3 years to be trained specifically in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

self-ligating braces

Our Services

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Orthodontics

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Invisalign

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Damon

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Imaging & More

EXCELLENT Based on 159 reviews
JD & Olga Troxell
JD & Olga Troxell
2023-02-01
Great consultation from moment we arrived to the end everyone friendly. Explanations and recommendations were detailed and understandable. Highly recommend 🙂
Jennifer Marali
Jennifer Marali
2023-01-05
We recently had an Ortho consult elsewhere and we left feeling like we went through a dental history class with all the extraneous info about the history of the bite, facial muscles, the need to eat through bones as cavemen Omg it was too much. Our friends urged us to get a second opinion from their Ortho. I AM SO glad we did! Dr. Nissen and her staff were so nice and cheerful and best of all, Dr. Nissen gave us such a grounded realistic opinion regarding my third grader who is losing teeth quickly but doesn’t need a palette expander then actual full braces immediately after since it would be a waste of money, considering all could be achieved in 1 phase for her. The other Ortho seemed to exaggerate how peaked my daughters palette was and also said we needed a tongue trainer ontop of that. I’m so glad we came to this practice. She’s short sweet realistic and I appreciated all of it. Thank you!!
Amy Boserup
Amy Boserup
2022-12-22
So professional and welcoming! We feel so grateful that we found Dr. Nissen and her staff. We are willing to commute from another city to get our son orthodonture care from Dr. Nissen. She has a great way of informing her patients and making them feel comfortable. We feel extremely confident with her.
tina mauro
tina mauro
2022-12-21
Best staff and Orthodontist! Such care and companssion and most importantly.. knowledge! Top knotch care and results. Five stars is not enough
Shelley Bostrom
Shelley Bostrom
2022-12-13
Dr. Nissen and her team are outstanding. My children were treated like family throughout their orthodontic treatment and had outstanding results. Dr. Nissen and her team are talented, compassionate and have a state of the art office with multiple treatment types (braces and Invisalign). They always do fun games and contests for their patient families and you'll always have fun at your visits.
Angela Martinez
Angela Martinez
2022-12-05
Wonderful office! Every interaction is both positive and informative. We are always seen timely and the staff is very helpful. We were very lucky to find Dr. Nissen and staff.

Our Story

A Family of Mission Viejo Orthodontists

Over 40 years ago Dr. Nissen's father, Dr. James Hilgers, established his Orthodontic practice at our current location. Dr. Nissen is a proud third-generation Orthodontist who enjoys the pleasure of delivering orthodontic treatment in her own unique way! Her hallmarks are great orthodontic vision, attention to detail, and a kind and communicative approach to practice. Dr. Nissen is a local product of St. Margaret's in San Juan Capistrano and after her education in The Bay Area and Boston, she returned to receive her Master's Degree in Orthodontics from Loma Linda University. We look forward to our journey with you!  

What Makes Us Different?

We love our patients and giving them superb care.

To say that we are patient-centric is an understatement. We exist to help you and take great pride in providing you with kind, gentle, thoughtful, and professional orthodontic care. Creating a smile that you are proud of is an honor for us and we enjoy every step of this journey with you!

We pride ourselves on communicating effectively with our patients.

We go the extra mile to ensure a transparent, honest, and well communicated orthodontic treatment. In practicality, this means that we have a "open operatory" policy. We want want you to see our work, understand our method, and to ask as many questions as you can so that you feel comfortable with your patient care. Parents-- we really encourage you to be chair-side with us asking questions and learning all you can about your child's treatment.

Office facility: relaxing, positive, friendly.

Our modern office is meant to be an oasis of relaxation during your visit. Leave your stress and worries at the door, enjoy a fresh coffee, a water, a magazine, or even a Mrs. Field's cookie hot from the oven (don't worry-- it will be our little secret!).

Rich 40+ year history in orthodontics.

Our family has been practicing orthodontics in this very office since the early 1970's. Imagine Dr. Nissen as a little girl watching her father, Dr. James Hilgers, proudly practice his trade. And then see Dr. Nissen as a teenager mixing orthodontic cement for self-ligating. The Hilgers Family and Mission Viejo Orthodontics have been a tradition for over 40 years and we are honored to carry the baton!

Friendly and helpful staff.

Our staff makes this practice what it is. They are talented, kind, friendly, and fun. They will treat you and your children with great respect and care and they just love what they do. And it shows in their work!

Cutting-edge, modern orthodontic technology that we use to treat you.

Great Orthodontics resides at the intersection of training, vision, and technology. We employ the best technology on the market from Invisalign, to the Damon System, to low radiation dental imaging. We invest in technology and your result and experience will directly be impacted by our commitment to that investment.

Meet Our Wonderful Staff

Lenna smiling

Lenna

Lead Clinical Assistant

Maribel smiling

Maribel

Sterilization Coordinator

Paloma smiling

Paloma

Treatment Coordinator

Monica Smiling

Monica

Clinical Assistant

Jennifer smiling

Jennifer

Clinical Assistant

Briana Smiling

Briana

Financial/Scheduling Coordinator

Stephanie smiling

Stephanie

Clinical Assistant

Smile Gallery

Miles and Miles of Smiles!

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Stay Connected

We look forward to meeting you and your family and helping you achieve a beautiful, healthy smile. Contact our Mission Viejo Orthodontic office to schedule your complimentary Orthodontic consultation. We are centrally located between Mission Viejo High School and La Paz Junior High and offer convenient appointment times to fit into any busy schedule. And, we'd love to connect with you on social media!
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