When you’re looking for a professional to take care of your smile, you may wonder if being a Board Certified Orthodontist makes a difference.

The short answer is YES. Here’s why:

Board Certified Orthodontists are rare and highly specialized.

Did you know that only 5% of dentists are orthodontists? That’s because orthodontics is a specialty. To become an orthodontist, a dentist must attend two to three more years of school and complete a residency.

Take this one step further, and you have a Board Certified Orthodontist like Dr. David Taylor.

While 5% of dentists are orthodontists, only 1% of orthodontists are Board Certified. Why? Because it takes a lot of extra time and effort to achieve this status.

Board Certification is the highest level of achievement that an orthodontist can get and requires a mastery level of competence.

What does it take to become a Board Certified Orthodontist?

Per the American Board of Orthodontics, “Board Certification is a voluntary credential that represents an orthodontist’s personal and public commitment to the standards of specialty practice and lifelong learning. The ABO Certification process requires the completion of peer-developed, externally validated written and clinical examinations. A Board Certified Orthodontist has reached this level of achievement by pursuing additional voluntary education and ongoing self-assessment.” 

As you can see, certification requires hundreds of hours of additional education. Plus, orthodontists must submit patient cases and receive feedback from their peers.

To remain Board Certified, an orthodontist must continue to seek additional training and recertify every ten years.

While this certification is rigorous, it’s entirely voluntary. Dr. Taylor chooses to do this so that he can provide the highest level of care to his patients.

Rest assured that no matter how severe your case might be, you are getting the best possible care in the Rio Grande Valley.

What does this mean for your treatment?

Dr. Taylor treats more common types of orthodontic issues and is an expert in craniofacial anatomy. When you come to A Perfect Smile for treatment (yours or your child’s), you can be confident that we will identify any potential future health problems and take the correct action to prevent them.