What Credentials Should a Top Orthodontist Have?
A top orthodontist should be a licensed dentist who then completed a dedicated orthodontic residency — the specialty training that general dentists offering braces or aligners have not done. Beyond that baseline, the strongest signals are ongoing continuing education, standing in the profession, and a body of finished cases you can actually look at.
Credentials are easy to list and harder to interpret. A wall of certificates can mean very different things, and some of the most useful information about a provider is not on the wall at all. This guide walks through what each credential actually tells you, which ones are required and which are optional, how to verify them, and what to weigh once the paperwork checks out.
What Is the Difference Between a Dentist and an Orthodontist?
Every orthodontist is a dentist first. What separates them is what happens after dental school.
Dental school is the baseline, not the specialty
A DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) and a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) are equivalent degrees. Either one qualifies someone to practice general dentistry. Neither, on its own, is specialty training in moving teeth or guiding jaw growth.
The orthodontic residency is what makes a specialist
After dental school, an orthodontist completes a full-time residency focused only on tooth movement, bite mechanics and facial growth. As our guide to the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist explains, that is three years of additional training that a general dentist has not completed. Residents treat a wide range of cases under supervision, which is where judgment on complex bites is built.
Why this matters when a general dentist offers aligners
In many places a general dentist may legally offer braces or clear aligners. That is not the same as specialty training. The gap shows most in the cases that look simple at first and are not — a crossbite with a skeletal component, or crowding that needs growth guidance rather than straightening. We cover this in more detail in whether it matters if your provider is a specialist.
Which Credentials Are Required, and Which Are Optional?
Patients often treat every credential as equal. They are not. Some are the legal minimum, some are voluntary, and some describe experience with a specific product rather than orthodontics as a whole.
| Credential | Required or optional | What it actually tells you |
|---|---|---|
| DDS or DMD degree | Required | The provider is a licensed dentist |
| State dental license | Required | They may legally practice where you live |
| Orthodontic residency (certificate or master’s) | Required to be an orthodontist | Specialty training in tooth movement and facial growth |
| Board certification | Optional | They chose to submit cases and sit additional exams |
| Professional memberships | Optional | Engagement with the specialty and its standards |
| Product provider tiers | Optional | Case volume with one specific system |
| Awards and press | Optional | Standing as others see it, not a clinical measure |
Residency certificate versus master’s degree
Some programs award a certificate in orthodontics; others pair the residency with a master’s degree, which usually adds a research component. Both produce a specialist. A master’s signals time spent in research methods, which some patients value and others do not need to weigh heavily.
Board certification is a voluntary step
Board certification through the American Board of Orthodontics is optional. It involves examinations and the review of treated cases beyond what licensure requires. It is a meaningful signal of commitment, but its absence does not mean someone is untrained — plenty of skilled orthodontists never pursue it. Treat it as one useful data point rather than a pass/fail line.
Product provider tiers measure experience with one system
Aligner manufacturers rank providers by case volume. Beverly Hills Orthodontics is a Blue Diamond Top 1% Invisalign Provider, which reflects a very large number of Invisalign cases treated. That is directly relevant if you are considering Invisalign. It says less about other appliances, which is why it belongs alongside specialty training, not instead of it.
How Can You Verify an Orthodontist’s Credentials?
Verification takes less time than most patients expect, and a reputable practice will make it easy.
Read the doctor biographies, then check the details
A good bio names the dental school, the orthodontic program and the degree earned, not just phrases like “extensively trained.” Vague bios are not proof of a problem, but specific ones are easier to trust.
Confirm the license with the state board
State dental boards publish license lookups. It takes a minute to confirm a provider is licensed and to see whether any disciplinary action is on record.
Ask where they trained and what they treat most
Ask directly at the consultation: where did you complete your orthodontic training, and how often do you treat cases like mine? A specialist answers both without hesitation.
Look for training that keeps going
Orthodontics changes. Digital scanning, custom-manufactured brackets and lingual systems have all moved quickly. Teaching roles, published research and continuing education are signs that a provider is still learning rather than practising from what they were taught decades ago.
What Do Credentials Look Like in Practice at BHO?
The clearest way to show what good credentials look like is to be specific about our own. Every detail below is listed on our Meet the Doctors page.
Dr. Monica Madan, DDS, MS — founder
Dr. Madan is a graduate of Brown University and the USC School of Dentistry. She completed her master’s degree and her orthodontic training at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has also spent time in research labs and co-authored an orthodontic study on tooth movement and periodontal ligaments published in the AJO-DO.
Dr. Peter Sinclair — orthodontist
Dr. Sinclair completed his orthodontic training at the University of Washington. He taught orthodontics in Texas and North Carolina and then chaired the Orthodontic Department at USC for 12 years. He continues to teach at USC.
Dr. Sareen Ayvazian-Meserkhani — orthodontist
Dr. Sareen earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery and her Orthodontics Certificate at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, where she received multiple awards and scholarships. Her experience spans traditional braces, clear aligners, lingual braces and surgical orthodontics.
Recognition from outside the practice
Our In the Press page lists Dr. Madan’s selection as one of Pasadena Magazine’s 2026 Top Doctors, and BHO being named Best Orthodontist in LADTNEWS’s 2025 Best of Downtown Los Angeles. Recognition like this is not a clinical credential, but it shows how a practice is regarded locally.
What Should You Weigh Once the Credentials Check Out?
Credentials tell you a provider is qualified. They do not tell you whether that provider is the right fit for your case. Once training is confirmed, these factors carry the most weight.
Finished results in cases like yours
Ask to see cases similar to your own. Our before-and-after gallery is organized by problem type — crowding, crossbite, underbite, open bite, overbite and more — so you can compare like with like.
What patients say about the whole process
Patient reviews describe what credentials cannot: communication, punctuality, how problems were handled and how the finish felt.
Who actually treats you
A highly credentialed founder matters less if most of your visits are with someone else. Ask who will see you at each appointment and who decides when your plan changes.
Experience with your age group
Treating a seven-year-old’s developing bite, a teenager’s full correction and an adult’s relapsed case call on different experience. Ask how often the orthodontist treats patients your age, or your child’s age, with the problem you have. A specialist who sees your type of case every week brings judgment that training alone cannot.
How the consultation feels
A qualified orthodontist explains your diagnosis in plain language, lays out the realistic options and is comfortable with you taking time to decide. Pressure to commit on the spot is a poor sign, whatever the credentials say.
Which Red Flags Should Make You Look Elsewhere?
Credentials are one half of the picture. The other half is how a provider talks about them, and a few patterns are worth taking seriously.
Training you cannot pin down
If you ask where a provider completed orthodontic training and the answer is a weekend course or a manufacturer seminar, you are talking to a dentist who offers orthodontics, not an orthodontist. That may suit a very simple case, but you should know which one you are choosing.
A plan before an examination
A price or a promised timeline before anyone has examined your bite or taken records is a sales script, not a diagnosis. Specialists diagnose first and recommend second.
One appliance for every case
A practice that recommends the same system to every patient is fitting cases to its tools. An orthodontist with broad training will tell you when braces, aligners or a lingual system suits your bite better, and why.
No one accountable for your treatment
Remote-only aligner programs and offices where a different person sees you every time can leave nobody clearly responsible for your result. Ask who decides when your plan changes, and whether you will see them.
Discouraging a second opinion
Confident specialists welcome a second opinion, particularly for complex cases. Resistance to one is among the clearer warning signs in orthodontics, whatever credentials are on display.
Frequently Asked Questions About Orthodontist Credentials
Is an orthodontist better than a dentist for braces?
For orthodontic treatment, an orthodontist has completed specialty training that a general dentist has not. That matters most for bite problems, growing children and cases that are more complex than they first appear.
Does every good orthodontist have board certification?
No. Board certification is voluntary. It is a positive signal, but many highly skilled orthodontists are not board certified. Specialty training, experience with your type of case and finished results matter more.
What does DDS, MS mean after an orthodontist’s name?
DDS is the dental degree. MS indicates a master’s degree, which in orthodontics is usually earned alongside the residency and includes research training.
Are Invisalign provider levels a real credential?
They measure how many Invisalign cases a provider has treated, which is genuinely useful if you are considering Invisalign. They are not a substitute for specialty training, so look for both.
Meet the Orthodontist Before You Decide — Free Consultation
The best test of any credential is a conversation about your own case. At a free consultation you can ask where your orthodontist trained, see results like yours and get a straight answer about your options. Request your free consultation at any of our four Los Angeles-area locations, or call or text us at (310) 785-0770.