How the lists are built
Public facts, a published formula, and nothing for sale.
Who is eligible
Every practice that Google lists as an orthodontist, or whose name says orthodontics or braces, with an address inside the city proper. Pediatric and general dentistry practices that also offer braces are left out: these are lists of orthodontic practices. A practice with several offices appears once, under its best-scoring office, with the other offices named on its profile.
The score
Start with the Google rating and review count, combined as a weighted average that leans on a prior of 4.6 stars with the weight of 50 reviews. A 5.0 on eight reviews lands below a 4.9 on four hundred. Then add:
| Listed in the AAO locator | +0.10. Matched on website or street address against aaoinfo.org. |
|---|---|
| ABO board-certified orthodontist at the practice | +0.10. Matched on phone or street address against the ABO locator, active diplomates only. |
| Has its own website | +0.05. |
Ties break on review count. The top ten make the list. Google ratings and counts are shown as they stood on the day the list was pulled, which is printed on every page.
What is not in the score
No prices. No treatment outcomes. No patient data. No submissions from practices. No payment of any kind: a practice cannot buy, sponsor or request a place on a list, and no one at this site sells one.
What is not claimed
A list is a ranking of public signals, not a clinical judgement. Being listed does not mean a practice is right for a given patient, and not being listed does not mean anything is wrong with a practice. This site is not affiliated with the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Board of Orthodontics or Google.
Corrections
Wrong address, phone, website, or certification flag? Send a correction. Removal on request from the practice itself is honoured.