Who Owns Smile Doctors? Ownership, History and What Patients Should Know
★ The short version
- Smile Doctors is owned by two private equity firms, Linden Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners, with affiliated orthodontists holding a minority stake.
- It’s the largest orthodontics-only group in the U.S.: 591 locations in 36 states as of July 2026.
- It was founded in 2015 by orthodontists in central Texas and is headquartered in Dallas.
- Many offices keep their original practice name, so the sign often won’t say Smile Doctors.
- We found no state board, attorney general or federal actions against it.
A lot of patients are sitting in a Smile Doctors office and don’t know it. That isn’t a trick. It’s how the company is built, and it’s the main reason this post exists.
I practice orthodontics in Dallas-Fort Worth, which is Smile Doctors’ home market, so I compete with some of their offices. Everything below comes from the public record, and the sources are at the bottom.
Who owns Smile Doctors?
Smile Doctors is owned by Linden Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL), two private equity firms that have been equal partners since January 2022. The company says its affiliated orthodontists also keep a significant ownership stake. It doesn’t say how large.
The day-to-day leadership isn’t clinical. The CEO since December 2019 is J. Hedrick, who previously ran the restaurant chain Pei Wei. One of the founding orthodontists, Dr. Scott Law, is Chief Clinical Officer. That split, a business operator running the company and an orthodontist leading clinical standards, is common at this size.
A short history
Smile Doctors started in 2015 in central Texas. The founders were orthodontists Drs. Scott Law, Dana Fender and Greg Goggans, along with Scotte Hudsmith, who served as CEO before moving to board chairman. The headquarters was in Georgetown, Texas through at least 2022 before moving to Dallas.
| Date | What happened | Size at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Early years | Sheridan Capital Partners invests | About 12 offices in Texas and Georgia |
| Oct 2017 | Linden Capital Partners takes majority control | 90+ practices, 11 states |
| Jan 2022 | Thomas H. Lee Partners becomes an equal partner, at a reported $2.4 billion valuation | 295 practices |
| Jul 2023 | Raises more than $550 million from doctors and healthcare investors | 430+ locations by year-end |
| Mar 2025 | Buys myOrthos, a 70-plus location group, entering four new states | 580+ locations by year-end |
| Jul 2026 | Raises $125 million in growth capital; Linden and THL still the owners | 591 locations, 36 states |
How big is Smile Doctors?
As of July 14, 2026, Smile Doctors reported 591 locations in 36 states and said it expects to pass 600 by the end of the year. It added more than 100 locations in 2025 alone.
The biggest single jump was in March 2025, when it bought myOrthos, another orthodontic group with more than 70 locations in 13 states. That one deal added four new states: Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
For scale, the next largest orthodontics-focused group is a fraction of that size. Our breakdown of the largest orthodontic support organizations puts the top five side by side.
Where it’s concentrated
Texas, by a wide margin. The company’s own locator lists 55 Texas offices, more than any other state. Central Texas, where it started, and Dallas-Fort Worth are the densest areas. One caveat: the state counts on that locator only add up to 464, short of the 580-plus the company reports overall, so treat state numbers as a floor.
Recent news
- 2025: Bought myOrthos, opened new offices through its joint-venture program (Wired Orthodontics in Texas, Northern Virginia Orthodontics, Today’s Orthodontics in Michigan), and added more than 100 locations.
- 2026: Hired Jeff Knudson, formerly of CVS Health, as CFO. Announced plans for “Smile Studios,” smaller offices focused on adult clear aligners. Raised $125 million.
How Smile Doctors describes itself
The company’s public messaging leans on three ideas. It calls itself the largest network of Diamond Plus Invisalign providers. It says its affiliated practices are independently owned and operated by licensed orthodontists. And its origin story centers on Dr. Scott Law’s patient-first philosophy, with games and massage chairs in the waiting room.
Here’s how I’d read those. Diamond Plus is Align Technology’s top tier, and it’s based on how many cases an office starts. It’s a volume measure, not a quality rating. “Independently owned and operated” is standard language in this industry. It reflects the legal structure, where a licensed orthodontist owns the clinical practice and a management company owns and runs the business side. It doesn’t mean the office is independent in the way most patients use that word.
Why you might not see the name
When Smile Doctors affiliates with a practice, the practice often keeps its name. TDR Specialists in Michigan did. So did Nowlin Orthodontics in Oklahoma, and more recent additions like Embrace Orthodontics and Hoch Orthodontics. Some offices are co-branded, like “Smile Doctors by Goldenberg Orthodontics” in Georgetown. Some, like the Brownwood, Texas office, are fully Smile Doctors.
A practice that’s been in town for 25 years has a name people trust, so keeping it makes sense. It just means the sign won’t tell you who owns the office. The website footer usually will.
What they do clinically
Smile Doctors is orthodontics only, so the person treating you should be an orthodontist. Whether that orthodontist is board certified by the American Board of Orthodontics is a separate credential, and every listing on our directory shows it.
The company leans heavily on Invisalign. It offers an adult aligner program called Smile Express and remote monitoring through its Smile Doctors Anywhere app, where some check-ins happen through photos instead of an office visit. If you’re weighing aligners against braces, our piece on aligners vs. braces covers when the choice actually matters.
Has Smile Doctors faced any lawsuits?
We searched for state dental board actions, attorney general actions, federal settlements and lawsuits naming Smile Doctors and didn’t find any. A few similarly named companies have had legal problems, including SmileDirectClub and All Smiles. They’re unrelated companies.
Questions to ask before you start
None of this tells you whether a specific office is good. Plenty of excellent orthodontists work in groups. These are the questions I’d ask anywhere:
- Who makes the treatment decisions? You want to hear that your orthodontist does.
- Will I see the same orthodontist the whole time? Treatment runs 18 to 30 months.
- Is the doctor a partner or an employee? Neither is wrong. It tells you who’s accountable.
- Why this appliance? If every answer is aligners, ask whether braces were considered.
Our guide on how to tell if your orthodontist is corporate-owned walks through how to check any office.
FAQ
Who owns Smile Doctors? Private equity firms Linden Capital Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners, as equal partners since 2022. Affiliated orthodontists hold a minority stake.
Is Smile Doctors a corporate chain? It’s an orthodontic support organization. Each office’s clinical practice is legally owned by a licensed orthodontist, while Smile Doctors runs the business side and is owned by private equity.
How many Smile Doctors locations are there? 591 in 36 states as of July 2026, with Texas the largest state.
Who is the CEO of Smile Doctors? J. Hedrick, since December 2019.
Sources
Orthodontic Products, July 2026 · BusinessWire, Feb 2026 · Becker’s, 2017 recapitalization · Smile Doctors on THL investment · Axios, Dec 2021 · DrBicuspid, May 2022 · Dentistry Today, Feb 2023 · Dallas Innovates, 2023 · Becker’s, Feb 2024 · Dentistry Today, end of 2024 · Becker’s on myOrthos · Orthodontic Products, CEO · Becker’s, July 2026 · Smile Doctors locations
