California’s dental laws and the DIY orthodontics industry

Article By Remarkable Smiles Orthodontics.  

With the signing of California’s Assembly Bill 1519 into law, now people looking for DIY braces will have more guidance. In the past, patients would find websites such as Byte, Candid, and SmileDirectClub online and think it was a great way to get their teeth straightened without the high cost.

As more and more problems occurred, it became clear that California needed some laws in place to help consumers. Though these sites do promise access to an orthodontist, too much of the patient’s treatment is left to chance. As time has moved forward, it became clear to everyone that having a board-certified orthodontist for regular checkups was important.

Orthodontist in Mission Viejo CA

Without a licensed professional to oversee treatment, many patients were winding up with disastrous results. As you might imagine, fixing some of the problems created by DIY orthodontics soon became a massive problem. It was expensive and painful, not to mention embarrassing for people who have gone through this.

Governor Gavin Newsom finally signed the bill, which requires a dentist to review a patient’s x-rays or bone imaging before allowing them to use orthodontics. This small but important step helps patients become aware right away if there are other problems that might affect the orthodonture treatment regimen. The law also stipulates that dental patients be informed of their rights before treatment and be allowed to complain about dental services regardless of what their contract says.

Though SmileDirectClub has made negative comments about the legislation, most people believe this will improve the quality of DIY orthodontics care.

Article written by Remarkable Smiles Orthodontics.  Dr. Mark Rashidi at Remarkable Smiles is an Orthodontist in Laguna Hills and surrounding cities including Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Irvine. With years of experience, Dr. Mark provides all types of braces including Invisalign, traditional metal braces and ceramic braces.