California Association of Orthodontists

What California Association of Orthodontists does

The California Association of Orthodontists (CAO) is a non-profit professional membership association representing California-licensed orthodontists. Founded in the mid-1960s/1970s and headquartered operationally out of Lenexa, Kansas (mailing address: 15621 W 87th St #267), the organization maintains 800+ member orthodontists who each complete 2-3 years of specialized residency training beyond dental school. Membership automatically confers affiliation with the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (regional) and the American Association of Orthodontists (national), creating a three-tiered professional association structure.

CAO monetizes through four primary streams: recurring annual membership dues (subscription model that includes AAO and PCSO affiliation, CE access, advocacy, and endorsed-partner benefits), patient education brochure sales priced by volume with member/non-member tiers, a Dental Board of California-approved Orthodontic Assistant Permit (OAP) training course sold to member practices for staff certification, and referral commissions from at least seven endorsed vendor partners (iCoreConnect, Rectangle Health, Merchant Cost Consulting, Practice Connector, College Ave Student Loans, Quantum ePay, Mark Thackery). The organization serves a dual audience: orthodontists seeking CE, advocacy, and practice resources, and California patients seeking qualified specialist care through the Find an Orthodontist directory and treatment education materials.

The organization operates with 1-10 staff under Executive Director Jen Bennett and an elected board led by President Dr. Jeffrey Kwong. Strategic activity is concentrated in legislative advocacy (annual Lobby Day in Sacramento against direct-to-consumer aligner services), endorsed-partner expansion of the practice-tech stack, and community-building across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. CAO holds no proprietary technology platform beyond its member portal and consumer directory, and its technical footprint is a standard association website and intranet rather than a technology product business.

Name

California Association of Orthodontists

Legal name

California Association of Orthodontists

Website

https://caortho.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CAO is a non-profit professional membership association serving 800+ California orthodontists with advocacy, continuing education, and endorsed practice-services revenue, plus a public directory connecting patients to member specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Dental Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLABAKAC

Orthodontic Group Practices

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Dental Care Services/Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) & Group Practices

SECONDARYEDAOAJAJ

Dental Assisting

Education/Vocational, Technical & Trade Education/Healthcare Allied & Clinical Support Training

Keywords

• Professional dental association
• Orthodontic continuing education
• Membership association services
• Orthodontic advocacy
• Professional dental training

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for orthodontists that includes membership in AAO and Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists. Provides access to member portal, CE programs, advocacy, and endorsed partner benefits.
2. Brochure Sales: Sale of patient education brochures including Sleep Disordered Breathing, Treatment Education, and Informed Consent materials. Priced at member and non-member rates with volume discounts.
3. OAP Training Course: Orthodontic Assistant Permit training course for California dental assistants seeking certification. CAO members can purchase course materials to train staff within their offices.
4. Endorsed Services Commissions: Partnership program with vendors offering exclusive discounts to members. Partners include iCoreConnect, Merchant Cost Consulting, Rectangle Health, Practice Connector, College Ave Student Loans, Quantum ePay, and Mark Thackery. CAO receives referral/commission benefits through these relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CAO is a professional membership association that provides California orthodontists with annual membership, continuing education programs, legislative advocacy, peer networking, and access to endorsed business services. It also operates a public Find an Orthodontist directory, sells patient education brochures, and offers a Dental Board of California-approved Orthodontic Assistant Permit (OAP) Staff Training Course, with membership automatically extending to PCSO and AAO.

Product overview

The California Association of Orthodontists operates a professional membership association offering a portfolio of training programs, educational materials, and endorsed business services. The core products include the CAO Orthodontic Assistant Permit (OAP) Staff Training Course (approved by the Dental Board of California for training dental assistants), patient education brochures (sleep disorders, treatment education, and informed consent materials available in English and Spanish), the Find an Orthodontist public directory, and continuing education via webinars and seminars. The OAP training course and brochure ordering serve as tangible products, while membership provides access to educational programs, Trapezio online training partnerships, and endorsed services including iCoreRx ePrescribing, Rectangle Health practice management, and various payment/insurance solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAO Professional Membership Annual professional membership for licensed California orthodontists that includes automatic membership in the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO) and the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). Provides access to the member portal, continuing education programs, advocacy resources, networking events, and endorsed partner discounts.
• CAO Orthodontic Assistant Permit (OAP) Staff Training Course A comprehensive training program approved by the Dental Board of California that enables CAO member orthodontists to train their dental assistants to achieve the Orthodontic Assistant Permit. The course consists of seven modules with seven required components, allowing member practices to certify their own staff in-house.
• Patient Education Brochures Professionally designed bilingual patient education brochures covering Sleep Disordered Breathing (Adult and Child), Smile Now Let's See Your Bite treatment education (English and Spanish), and You and Your Orthodontist informed consent (English and Spanish). Sold in quantities of 50-500 units with member and non-member pricing tiers and volume discounts, intended for distribution by orthodontic practices to patients.
• Find an Orthodontist Directory A public-facing online directory that connects California patients with qualified CAO member orthodontists across the state. Integrated with the AAO Consumer Awareness Program to direct consumers to evidence-based orthodontic care.
• Continuing Education Webinars and Seminars Continuing education programming for member orthodontists including live webinars, in-person seminars, and recorded CE sessions featuring leading orthodontic experts and practice management speakers. Accessible through the CAO member resources portal.
• Trapezio Online Staff Training Online staff training and certification partnership with Trapezio providing CAO member practices access to the Academy of Orthodontic Assisting Level 1 and Academy of OrthoCommon Knowledge programs for orthodontic assistant certification and professional development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ member orthodontists serving patients across California
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• iCoreConnectcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021CAO endorsed iCoreConnect's iCoreRx cloud ePrescribing in 2021, providing members with 68% discount. Subsequently expanded endorsement to six additional iCoreConnect solutions including iCoreVerify, iCoreClaims, iCorePay, iCoreAcademy, iCoreExchange, and iCoreCloud with discounts ranging from 17-68%.
• Merchant Cost Consulting (MCC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCost reduction firm helping orthodontic practices save money on credit card processing and merchant fees. Offers 100% risk-free service with no upfront fees and special CAO member discounts.
• Rectangle HealthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Rectangle Health providing Practice Management Bridge technology platform including patient engagement solutions, payment and financing solutions, and HIPAA/OSHA compliance tools for member practices.
• Practice ConnectorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferral management system helping practices track, nurture, and grow professional and patient referral relationships. Available to CAO members with desktop and iPhone access.
• College Ave Student LoansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudent loan refinancing and college loan products for CAO members and their families. Offers 0.25% interest rate discount on in-school loans and 0.50% cash back on refinance loans.
• Quantum ePayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPayment processing solutions for orthodontic professionals with guaranteed minimum 25% savings on processing fees, free POS terminal, and personalized financial consultations for CAO members.
• Mark ThackeryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing consultancy helping CAO members develop predictable growth strategies. Focus on building repeatable marketing systems rather than chasing trends.
• TrapeziocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing CAO members access to Trapezio's Academy of Orthodontic Assisting Level 1 and Academy of OrthoCommon Knowledge online training programs. Supports staff development and certification.
• American Association of Orthodontists (AAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization. CAO membership is automatic with AAO membership. AAO Consumer Awareness Program integrated with CAO's Find an Orthodontist tool directing patients to qualified care.
• Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional society. CAO membership includes automatic membership in PCSO (regional) and AAO (national), providing multi-level professional association benefits.
• Dental Board of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAO's Orthodontic Assistant Permit Training Course is approved by the Dental Board of California, enabling member orthodontists to become course providers and train assistants to achieve OAP certification.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Illinois Society of Orthodontists: State-level orthodontic association for Illinois. Comparable professional membership organization providing advocacy, continuing education, and constituent society representation within the AAO structure.
• California Dental Association: State-level professional association for California dentists. Closest in-state peer professional association, overlapping jurisdiction on dental workforce, scope-of-practice, and legislative advocacy that intersect with orthodontic practice in California.
• Florida Association of Orthodontists: State-level orthodontic association for Florida. Direct functional peer operating the same advocacy, education, and member-benefit model as CAO with similar state-level constituent society positioning within the AAO.
• Texas Association of Orthodontists: State-level orthodontic professional association serving Texas orthodontists. Operates the same membership-association model as CAO: advocacy, continuing education, member benefits, and constituent society within the AAO structure.
• New York State Society of Orthodontists: State-level orthodontic association for New York. Provides the same core services (advocacy, CE, networking, patient referral directory) as CAO and serves as a peer state constituent society within AAO.

Regional players

• Mid-Atlantic Society of Orthodontists: Multi-state regional orthodontic association covering the Mid-Atlantic region. Comparable to PCSO in scope and sits in the same regional tier as CAO's regional affiliate.
• Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO): Regional orthodontic association covering western U.S. states. PCSO membership is automatically bundled with CAO membership under a tiered affiliation structure, making it a direct structural peer at the regional layer.

Broad incumbents

• American Dental Association (ADA): The national professional association for dentists. Operates one layer above CAO in the professional hierarchy and represents the broader dental profession including general dentists who are increasingly competing with orthodontic specialists on clear-aligner offerings.
• American Association of Orthodontists (AAO): The national professional association for orthodontists in the United States. AAO is CAO's parent-tier affiliate: CAO membership is bundled automatically with AAO membership, and the AAO Consumer Awareness Program feeds patient traffic into CAO's 'Find an Orthodontist' directory.

Others

• Dental Board of California: California state regulatory body that licenses dentists and approves the OAP certification pathway. Embedded in CAO's value proposition as the regulatory counterparty that legitimizes OAP training and licenses orthodontic practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/californiaassociationoforthodontists
• Instagraminstagram.com/calassocortho
• TikToktiktok.com/@calassocortho
• Xx.com/calassocortho
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-association-of-orthodontists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Association of Orthodontists