Getting Aligned – Finding the Right Orthodontist in Boston  

Families in Boston have robust choices when it comes to choosing dental professionals. Thanks to our city’s illustrious dental schools like Tufts and Boston University, we are a magnet for some of the best and brightest minds in dentistry. The right provider for your family is one whose expertise and education is a bedrock. This foundation is then supported by a competent team, satisfied patients which can often be witnessed by reviews. Providers who have a lifelong commitment to homing their expertise to provide superb care and results for their patients. Whether you are just looking for orthodontic solutions for yourself, or you are trying to find an orthodontist that your kids and teens will actually vibe with, you need to know where to look and more importantly to separate the “just ok” from the “I wish I knew about them earlier”. 

Education and Other Must-Haves 

Let’s get something out of the way: an orthodontist is a healthcare provider, which means their expertise and experience is the first thing to consider and all else comes second. When you are on an orthodontist’s website, go to the team pages and read through their credentials. You should see people who have earned doctorates, graduate degrees, and who are actively engaged in the orthodontic community. You want to work with someone who got their degrees, opened the doors to their practice, and remains unceasingly  passionate about their patients and their field at large. Medical providers that aren’t mentors or educators or committed to continuing education or working on research publications, or are members of medical associations and updating their practices with the latest science and technological advancements are not likely to be equipped to provide the highest standard available in current care. 

The cheat code to finding the right orthodontist is that if an orthodontist is hanging their hat on their amazing education from two decades ago, and are energetically and enthusiastically continuing to interact with what is the latest in their field and also contribute to it. 

Online Reviews, Recommendations and a Grain of Salt 

When choosing the right orthodontist for either yourself or your family, you should rely on a few different value signals. Ideally, you have some friends or family in the area who swear by a provider. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful value indicators – someone is choosing to talk about a great experience. However, if you are new to Boston, there are other reliable places you can look for signs that an orthodontic team is a good fit for your family. 

Two avenues worth exploring are positive press and online reviews that a practice has received. Unbiased third-party publications that are peer-selected are a great litmus test. These publications are well researched and represent which practices are considered the pinnacle of the profession

Online reviews can often provide a deeper perspective from a patient perspective. However, grab that salt shaker, because you may need to take reviews with a grain of salt. First and foremost, while Google does its best to balance reviews using its algorithms,  there is limited regulation for third-party review sites. For example beware of too many blank five star reviews – they may not be authentic or be paid for reviews. The polar opposite is the one star review. Healthcare as a profession tends to be plagued by negative experiences being voiced more than positive ones. As a patient one must understand healthcare is not Disneyland. At some point, every doctor, dentist, orthodontist or their team can run late or tell the patient something they did not wish to hear or bring in line unrealistic expectations which may have been fed to them by social media or address the matter of an unpaid bill. Often that reality check leads some patients to take to the internet to find an outlet for their frustration. So a couple of errant one or two star reviews should be taken for what they are, that life does not always grant us what we want all of the time. 

If you are going to employ online reviews to guide your decision, consider some of these  recommendations. Begin by looking at the total review count and aggregate score. A good provider in Boston should have hundreds of reviews with an average score above 4.5. The number of positive reviews should greatly outweigh the errant 1-star rating they get from time to time. Take the time to explore beyond  the score and read through the reviews. Look for stories and patients who are in similar positions to yourself. 

Another useful tool can be an instagram handle of the practice or the facebook page and browse the videos and images they have posted. This is where you can see the general feel of the practice, see the faces of the team and current patients and get a sense of how they interact with each other. You can also see the quality of their work as practices often share their work and the scope of their work for the benefit of a prospective patient. This is the place where you can see the physical surroundings and the dynamic environment and ask yourself if you see yourself being there. 

Many practitioners offer complimentary consults, you can always go in and get an assessment for your teeth while getting a real time feel for the practice to see if it is right for you and your family. 

 

Billing, Insurance, & Transparency 

Now that you have checked some important preliminary boxes, take a step further and investigate how the practice would suit your needs for financial transactions.  You want to make sure that the team you will be working with is transparent about pricing and trustworthy. Calling the office, discussing insurance policies, the procedures they provide, and what you can expect is a great way to not only get important questions answered but also gauge how willing the team is to help you.  Excellent practices are more than just great providers; their teams are kind and ever willing to take care of you. 

 

Why You Should Book with Greater Boston Orthodontics 

Disclosure of bias. As an orthodontic practice we are making recommendations of how to choose the best orthodontist in the Boston area for you. We welcome you to go down our suggested checklist to see if we are a fit for you. Let us take it step by step.

Does our team have the right credentials? 

Let’s see, not only did Dr. Parul Taneja receive her doctorate from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (which has been rated as one of the top 10 U.S. Dental Schools), and served as a  clinical assistant professor at Tufts University School of Dental Sciences (also frequently ranked as a top 10 dental school in the U.S., we weren’t kidding when we mentioned Boston’s unique position as leader in dental education). She is a moderator on one the larger online professional groups in the field – Orthoprenuers. 

Likewise, Dr. Lokesh Suri is the director of pre-doctoral orthodontics at Tufts University, School of Dental Medicine, is a reviewer on the Editorial Board for the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, and… well, you get the point and you can dig into all the details our team members here.

Do we have the right awards? 

Boston Magazine has given us the title of Top Dentist 4 years in a row , and we are featured in their Best of Boston series, which is a peer-selected list of providers by category here in the city. 

Online reviews? 

As of July 2026, we have 696 reviews with an average rating of 5.0. And those reviews tell real stories like: 

• “Dr. Suri and Dr. Taneja are my “Picassos” who literally re-sculpted my teeth for a much better smile! I certainly got more than I expected!” Nasr S. 
• “The doctors and assistants are highly trained and knowledgeable who do their best to make you feel taken care of. I highly recommend them if you have dental needs. Ps. Ashley is the best!” – Elias, G 
• “Dr. Suri and Dr. Taneja are both highly skilled and take the time to explain everything clearly. Ashley, the dental assistant, is friendly, efficient, and always makes me feel comfortable.” – Brando E. 

Don’t get us wrong, we have 1-star reviews (right now only two of them out of our 696 reviews), as all real businesses do. We cannot make everyone happy all of the time, but we strive for it and more often than not get pretty close to it. We truly believe that it is a rare privilege to be in a position to serve others. 

So whether you are 7 or 107  our team is committed to you and to providing you with the best comprehensive orthodontic care.  Schedule a complimentary consult.