Orthodontic websites have one job: turn a parent or adult who is researching cost and treatment options into a consult request. Most practice sites look alike because they start from the same template. The sites that book consults start from what patients search, answer the cost question honestly, and make the next step obvious on every page.
This guide covers the pages that matter, the rules for smile galleries, a page most practices forget (the one for referring dentists), and how to judge a rebuild.
What parents and adults look for before requesting a consult
Parents and adults arrive with different questions, and your site should answer both without making either dig.
| Visitor | First questions | Pages that answer them |
|---|---|---|
| Parent of a young child | Is it too early? What happens at a first visit? | Early treatment, first visit, insurance |
| Parent of a teen | Braces or aligners? How much? How long? | Braces, aligners for teens, cost and payment plans |
| Adult | Can I do this without metal braces? What does it cost? Am I too old? | Clear aligners, adult orthodontics, cost |
| Referring dentist | How do I refer, and will I hear back? | Referring-doctor page |
Across all of them, the same signals build trust: the orthodontist's credentials stated accurately, real patient results with consent, clear location and hours, and a form that takes under a minute. The broader principles are in our guide to medical website design; this page focuses on what is specific to orthodontics.
Treatment pages: braces, clear aligners, early treatment, adult orthodontics
Give each treatment its own page. A single "Services" page rarely ranks for both "braces" and "clear aligners," and it can't answer either audience well. Our checklist of pages every practice site needs covers the basics (about, contact, insurance, privacy); these four are the orthodontic core.
Braces
Explain the types you offer (metal, ceramic, lingual if you provide them), what visits look like and how long treatment usually takes. Keep clinical statements sourced. The AAO notes that most orthodontic problems can be treated with braces (opens in a new tab), which is a useful, accurate line for parents comparing options.
Clear aligners
Adults search for "clear aligners" 18,100 times a month (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). Your aligner page should explain candidacy honestly. The AAO says clear aligners are not right for everyone (opens in a new tab), that each aligner is typically worn for a week at a time and at least 22 hours a day, and that the right choice depends on the case. If you use a brand name such as Invisalign, follow Align's brand rules; our guide to aligner marketing covers them.
Early treatment
This is the page for parents of 6- to 9-year-olds. Lead with the AAO's recommendation that children see an orthodontist for a first check-up by age 7 (opens in a new tab), when they have a mix of baby and permanent teeth. Explain that a check-up often ends with "let's monitor," not a treatment plan. The AAO also tells parents they don't need a dentist's referral, so give them a direct way to book.
Adult orthodontics
The AAO says 1 in 3 orthodontic patients today are adults (opens in a new tab) and that adult treatment may take longer than a child's. Address discretion, work schedules and what changes when gum health or past dental work is involved. Show adult results, not only teen smiles.
Cost, insurance and payment-plan pages
Cost is the largest question in orthodontic search. Map your pages to it:
| Search (US, monthly) | Searches | Page that should rank |
|---|---|---|
| invisalign cost | 74,000 | Aligner cost page |
| how much are braces | 27,100 | Braces cost page |
| clear aligners | 18,100 | Aligner treatment page |
| braces cost | 14,800 | Braces cost page |
Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026.
You don't have to publish a single price. You do have to explain what drives it. The AAO says treatment costs are influenced by the type, complexity and duration of treatment (opens in a new tab), and that appliance choice matters (lingual braces are usually more expensive; traditional metal braces typically less). Build the page around those drivers:
- Complexity: crowding, bite problems and whether jaw growth is involved.
- Duration: longer treatment means more visits and more appliances.
- Appliance: metal, ceramic, lingual or aligners.
- Phases: early treatment followed by a second phase later.
Then cover insurance plainly. The AAO tells patients to check lifetime maximums, age limits and whether the orthodontist must be in network, and notes that many practices offer in-house payment plans, often with low or no interest. Say what your practice does: which plans you file with, whether you offer in-house plans, and what the first payment covers.
If you publish a range, use your own fees and keep them current. Never publish a "starting at" figure that almost no patient pays; the ADA code treats statements likely to create unjustified expectations as misleading.
A page for referring dentists
Most orthodontic sites ignore the general dentists who send them patients. A referring-doctor page tells them you value the relationship and makes referring easy:
- How to refer: a phone line that reaches the clinical team and a secure way to send records. If you offer an online referral form, it collects patient information, so it must be a HIPAA-compliant form.
- What they will receive: a consult letter, treatment plan summary and progress updates, with typical timing.
- The hand-back: a clear statement that patients return to them for general care. The ADA code says specialists should return referred patients to the referring dentist unless the patient prefers otherwise (Section 2.B).
- Credentials: the orthodontist's education and specialty status, stated as the ADA code (opens in a new tab) allows ("specialist in orthodontics").
Keep it factual. Don't offer referring offices gifts or rewards here; payments for referrals raise anti-kickback and ethics problems.
Consult requests: forms, virtual consults and follow-up
Every treatment and cost page should end with the same short form: name, contact details, who the patient is (child or adult) and a preferred time. Ask for the clinical story at the visit, not in the form. Use HIPAA-compliant consult forms that store submissions securely and keep ad pixels and analytics tags that could pass data to ad platforms off the form page.
Virtual consults. Some practices let patients upload smile photos for a remote first look. Those photos are patient information, so the tool needs a BAA with your practice and should be linked from your site, not embedded in an unsecured form.
Follow-up. The fastest office usually wins. Reply the same business day, by the channel the patient chose, with a specific time slot. Track every request to its source and outcome; our guide to more consults and starts covers measurement.
Medfy doesn't provide virtual-consult or scheduling software. On a Medfy-built site, consult requests arrive through HIPAA-compliant forms in the patient inbox, and analytics count clicks to your own booking tool.
Rebuild or redesign: cost, timeline and what Medfy includes
What good orthodontic websites look like
A strong orthodontic site loads fast on a phone, has a page per treatment and a cost page per appliance, shows authorized results, gives referring dentists their own page, and routes every visitor to one short form. It belongs to you: your domain, your content, your data.
Evaluation checklist
- Do you own the domain and can you export the content if you leave?
- Is there a separate page for braces, aligners, early treatment and adult treatment?
- Do cost pages explain what drives price instead of hiding it?
- Are consult forms HIPAA-compliant, and will the vendor sign a BAA?
- Are tracking pixels kept off form pages?
- Does every gallery image have a signed authorization on file?
- Is structured data (schema markup that tells search engines your services, location and hours) in place?
- Can you edit text and add pages without a ticket and a fee?
Cost drivers
What moves the price of an orthodontic website is the number of pages, custom design versus a template, who writes the content, photography, gallery management, integrations (booking, virtual consults, patient portals), hosting and maintenance, and whether ongoing SEO is included. Pricing models range from a one-time build plus monthly hosting to a monthly subscription that bundles the site with marketing. Compare total cost over two or three years, not the launch fee.
Red flags
- The vendor registers your domain in its own name.
- Stock smiles presented as patient results.
- Brand logos used without the brand owner's permission.
- Ad or social pixels on the consult form.
- No BAA offered for form submissions.
- Every text change billed as a separate job.
Where Medfy fits
Medfy rebuilds your practice's site and hosts it on your own domain. It is fast, with a page per service, structured data and HIPAA-compliant forms, plus 500 AI credits a month for edits you ask for in plain English. It is part of the $349/month base plan, which also includes automated SEO, AI visibility tracking, analytics, Google reporting and a patient CRM. Medfy signs a BAA with your practice. Before you subscribe, Medfy rebuilds your current site so you can see a free preview of it. Start with a free audit to score your orthodontic website, then compare plans on website and marketing pricing. For how the site fits a full strategy, see our orthodontic marketing guide.
Frequently asked questions
What should an orthodontic website include?
Separate pages for braces, clear aligners, early treatment and adult orthodontics; cost pages that explain what drives price; an insurance and payment-plan page; a smile gallery with signed authorizations; a page for referring dentists; doctor credentials; and a short HIPAA-compliant consult form on every page. It should load fast on a phone and make location, hours and the phone number easy to find.
Should orthodontists list treatment prices online?
You don't have to list a single price, but you should answer the cost question, because thousands of people search it every month. Explain what drives the fee: complexity, duration and appliance type. If you publish a range, base it on your own current fees, avoid "starting at" figures few patients pay, and explain insurance and payment plans next to it.
How much does an orthodontic website cost?
It depends on the model. Custom builds charge for design, pages and content, then add hosting and maintenance; subscriptions bundle the site with ongoing marketing for a monthly fee. Compare total cost over two or three years and check who owns the domain. Medfy's $349/month base plan includes a rebuilt, hosted site with SEO and analytics, and you see a free preview first.