-Akavan-DDS-134780-circle_medium__v1__.png)
Average time it takes to be seen by a provider
Verified providers with a 4.8 average rating
In the business of finding quality care for patients
Zocdoc makes it easy to find an orthodontist in Los Angeles, CA who accepts your insurance. Simply select your carrier and plan from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. If you’re unsure about the plan name, here's a handy guide to help navigate.
On Zocdoc, orthodontists in Los Angeles, CA have an average rating of 4.56 based on approximately 63 reviews. In Los Angeles, CA you can find 27 orthodontists with 4-stars or higher. Zocdoc collects reviews from real patients after each appointment, ensuring authentic feedback. Only patients who have booked and attended appointments may post reviews, providing trustworthy and reliable insights into patient experiences.
Yes, you can book a video visit with an orthodontist. There are currently 2 locations that offer video visits in this city. When a provider offers video visits, you will see a small video camera icon next to their profile image. Select a date and time from their available appointment slots and go through the booking process.
Orthodontics is a dental specialty that concerns itself with bite alignment (bad bite) and tooth straightening. An orthodontist is a certified dentist specializing in orthodontics. They can diagnose, prevent, and treat dental issues such as misaligned, twisted, gapped, overlapped, or crooked teeth. They may use orthodontic treatments such as braces, retainers, and clear aligners to help resolve such orthodontic issues.
Orthodontic treatment can help you achieve evenly spaced, straight teeth that properly align with the opposing teeth and jaw, ensuring a healthy bite. It enables you to chew, eat, and speak properly. It also prevents various dental issues, such as gum disease, tooth decay, and pain or difficulty in chewing. Orthodontics can even identify underlying oral disorders. This helps treat various conditions early and stops them from becoming major dental complications. Orthodontics can treat dental problems in people of all ages, from children to older adults.
Orthodontists complete a pre-medical undergraduate degree, following which they join dental school. There, they complete coursework in subjects like oral health, dental anatomy and occlusion, pediatric dentistry, and dental practice competency and work in dental clinics to gain hands-on experience.
After graduating from dental school, they enroll in a residency program in orthodontics, which takes 2-3 years to complete. During their residency, they receive in-depth training about common orthodontic techniques and practices.
Upon completing the residency, orthodontics can earn certification from the American Board of Orthodontics by clearing written and oral exams. They must maintain this certification by passing renewal exams every ten years.
Although all orthodontists are dentists, not all dentists are orthodontists.
Here are the main differences between the two:
You can see an orthodontist near you for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various conditions, such as:
Orthodontists offer a wide range of treatments. These include:
You may be aware of the numerous cosmetic advantages of orthodontic treatment, including the impact on one's self-image and how others treat them. You should be aware that these benefits extend far beyond aesthetics. Good orthodontic treatment can improve a person's general health. The most significant time to begin the remedial procedure is early, ideally during childhood.
The American Association of Orthodontics advises that every child should have their first orthodontist visit once they are seven years old. This examination provides a baseline evaluation of a child's teeth and jaws, which can aid in identifying issues, if any. The goals of orthodontics are the prevention, detection, and treatment of dental and skeletal abnormalities. Malocclusion is the technical word for a poor bite. By the time they turn seven, most children have permanent teeth in both their upper and lower jaws. When the child's permanent teeth erupt, an orthodontist can assess the child's bite's development and determine any potential problems.
An orthodontist can predict how your child's teeth will develop as they grow by evaluating their mouth when they are still young. Orthodontists can more efficiently direct the jaw and teeth growth through early therapy, which also helps avoid crowding.
If tooth overcrowding does not receive treatment, many more teeth may need removal. Thumb sucking, bruxism, and other unhealthy oral habits can also create issues that make adult remedial operations more challenging. Also, it is far more difficult to clean teeth that are crooked adequately. If you begin your child's orthodontic treatment at the age advised by the American Association of Orthodontics, you can avoid all these problems. Early orthodontic treatment dramatically reduces your child's future dental care requirements. In addition, it aids in the early development of positive oral hygiene practices.
Diagnosis
On your first visit, the orthodontist may conduct a detailed oral examination, including:
These tests help identify the type of teeth misalignment and aid the orthodontist in planning proper orthodontic treatment.
Treatment plan
Treatments can begin when the adult teeth have fully formed and erupted, typically around 12 or 13. If issues do not surface until later, treatment might start later. Orthodontic therapy may be necessary for cleft lip and palate in children before their adult teeth have fully grown.
Good oral hygiene is crucial before commencing orthodontic treatment. Food particles are more likely to lodge when appliances are placed on the teeth. For the duration of treatment, the patient will need to brush more meticulously and frequently.
There is a chance of tooth decay during therapy due to poor oral hygiene habits. Additionally, the orthodontist can advise refraining from sugary foods, fizzy drinks, and other items that can lead to tooth decay.
Selecting a device
Specific orthodontic requirements will determine the kind of braces to be used. Some of them, like Invisalign, do not require the placement of steel wires across the teeth. Others, like Insignia braces, may be specially created using computer technology. Modern orthodontic procedures are also more effective than conventional braces because you may customize them to fit your mouth precisely. Retainers are typically required after treatment to keep the smile intact.
Orthodontic treatment can last for long durations, especially in children. Therefore, it is crucial to find a trusted and reliable practitioner who is not only experienced in handling different types of cases but is also available to handle complex emergencies.
With Zocdoc, your search for the best orthodontist becomes much more accessible. You can access a list of top-rated orthodontists in Los Angeles by mentioning the conditions, location, preferred date, and insurance carrier. You can also refine your search with the filters.
All practitioners listed on Zocdoc have dedicated profiles, which contain information about the practitioner's education, experience, certification, and other essential credentials, gender, spoken language, familiarity with the most recent treatments, patient reviews, open appointments, and working hours. These details help you choose an orthodontist near you who checks all your boxes.
Using Zocdoc’s insurance detector, you can quickly identify in-network providers near you. While you can add medical, dental, and vision insurance plans to your Zocdoc account, you can only search for and schedule an appointment with one insurance plan at a time. In case you have multiple plans, you can mention your secondary insurance plan and carrier in your notes for the provider in the last step of the booking process. If your provider uses Zocdoc’s intake forms, you can add details about your secondary insurance while filling out your forms online. For more insurance-related queries, check Zocdoc's patient help center.
Zocdoc allows you to book appointments with your preferred orthodontist near you on weekends and after work hours, depending on their availability. All appointment bookings are fast, free, and secure!
According to a UCLA Health Policy Research Center survey, California has more dentists than any other State, roughly 35,000. California now has 3.9 dentists for every 5000 residents.
Dentists in California are more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity than dentists nationwide.
California had a higher percentage of female dentists than the rest of the US in 2015, with 33.9% female dentists (28.9%). The proportion of female dentists in the state is predicted to reach 46% by 2035.
As of March 2019, most dentists in California practice general dentistry (81.2%). The remainder were specialists in endodontics (2.2%), oral surgery (2.3%), orthodontics (3.8%), pedodontics (2.4%), periodontics (2.1%), and other fields (6.1%). It is congruent with national estimates; roughly one-fifth of dentists in the United States specialize in their areas.
In 2018, IBISWorld pegged the number of dental offices in California at 30,693. About 2.2 million Californians, or about 5.6% of the state's population, lived in one of the 65 dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs) that existed in California as of 2017.
The content herein is provided for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical information changes constantly, and therefore the content on this website should not be assumed to be current, complete or exhaustive. Always seek the advice of your doctor before starting or changing treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, please call your doctor or 9-1-1 immediately.