Is It Worth Paying More for a Board-Certified Orthodontist?
Usually not on its own. Board certification is voluntary: the orthodontist submitted finished cases to independent examiners and passed. That is real evidence of accountability. It is one signal, not a guarantee of a better result for your case.
What board certification actually is
Every practicing orthodontist has already completed dental school and an accredited orthodontic residency. That residency is what makes someone an orthodontist rather than a general dentist, and it is required. Board certification is what comes after, and it is not required.
To become a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, an orthodontist passes a written examination and then presents completed patient cases to a panel of examiners who assess the finished results against published standards. Certification is time-limited and has to be renewed.
The American Board of Orthodontics is the certifying board for orthodontics recognized by the American Dental Association’s National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, which recognizes no more than one certifying board per dental specialty (National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, recognized-boards listing, read 2026-08-26). So “board certified” in orthodontics has exactly one meaning — there is no second board issuing a competing credential.
The distinction that matters to a patient: a license says someone is allowed to practice. Certification says someone volunteered to have their finished work judged by people who had no stake in it, and passed.
What it does not tell you
This is the part most pages skip, and skipping it is why they are not useful.
Board certification does not tell you whether an orthodontist is right for your case. It says nothing about whether the practice runs on time, whether you will see the same clinician at each visit, what the treatment will cost, or whether the office is somewhere you want to spend eighteen months of appointments. A non-certified orthodontist can be excellent. A certified one can still be a poor fit for you.
It is also not a proxy for experience. The examination assesses finished cases against a standard; it does not measure how many cases someone has finished, or in what.
So the honest answer to “is it worth paying more” is: it is worth knowing about, and it is not worth paying a large premium for on its own. Weigh it alongside the consultation itself — whether the treatment plan was explained in terms you understood, whether you were given the fee in writing, and whether you were told what the alternatives were.
How to check any orthodontist’s certification yourself
You do not have to take a practice’s word for this, including ours.
- The American Board of Orthodontics publishes a public directory of Diplomates at americanboardortho.com. Search the orthodontist’s name.
- Check the name on the certificate matches the clinician who will actually treat you — in a multi-doctor practice these are not always the same person.
- If a practice describes itself as “board certified”, ask which named clinician holds it. A practice cannot be board certified. Only a person can.
That third point is worth pressing on. It is the most common way the phrase is used loosely.
Board certification at Fiesta Orthodontics
Dr. Fateh Arslan, DDS, MS is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He completed his orthodontic residency and Master’s at Jacksonville University. You can verify his Diplomate status yourself in the ABO directory above, and we would rather you did than take our word for it.
Fiesta Orthodontics treats children, teens and adults at two San Antonio locations — West (Shaenfield Road, 78254) and East (Summer Fest Drive, 78244). Consultations are free.