Every orthodontist has finished dental school and then two to three further years of specialist training. Board certification is the step after that, and it is voluntary: the orthodontist asks an independent board to examine what they know and how they treat, and to keep examining it through their career. Both orthodontists at this practice have taken that step.
What the American Board of Orthodontics is
The American Board of Orthodontics was founded in 1929 and is the oldest specialty board in dentistry. It is the only certifying board for orthodontics recognised by the American Dental Association, and its purpose is narrow: to set a standard of knowledge and clinical skill above the minimum needed to practise, and to certify the orthodontists who meet it.
What certification involves
Certification is earned, not granted with a diploma. The orthodontist sits a written examination covering the science behind orthodontics, then a clinical examination in which examiners assess how they diagnose, plan and carry treatment through to a finished result. Certificates are time-limited, so a board-certified orthodontist has to renew — not sit the exam once and keep the title for life.
What it means when you are choosing an orthodontist
Any licensed dentist may legally offer braces or aligners. An orthodontist has the specialist training; a board-certified orthodontist has had that training, and their actual clinical judgement, checked by people outside their own practice and outside their own school. It does not guarantee a result — nothing does — but it is the one credential in orthodontics that tests the work rather than the coursework.
You can check any orthodontist's status yourself through the Board's own directory at americanboardortho.com.
At Straight Finish
Dr. Shauna Fung is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and Dr. Grace Chung is board certified. What that means in practice is that the person who plans your treatment at the first visit is the person who finishes it — and that person's finishing has been examined. Read more about how the practice works, or book an appointment.