Orthodontic Residency Programs in Texas
Texas has 5 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics, across four cities: Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Each is listed below with its institution, city, current accreditation status, and the years of CODA's last and next accreditation visits, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Completing a CODA-accredited orthodontics residency is the recognized path into the specialty — read on for what each program's status means and what happens after residency.
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At a glance
In Texas
Programs
5
With a program
Cities
4
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
4 of 5
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Texas
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List: What Texas's Accreditation Statuses Mean
The statuses shown above are CODA's own terms, not this site's. "Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" is the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation." "Approval (with Reporting Requirements)" means CODA has identified specific deficiencies the program must correct within a set timeframe — it is not a warning to avoid the program, only a status mid-correction. "Initial Accreditation" is what CODA grants a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents.
The last- and next-visit years shown are CODA's own accreditation-visit schedule, not anything set by the program itself.
For admissions requirements, program structure, or cost, contact the program directly, and confirm any program's current status with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for the Path Into Orthodontics
Orthodontics is one of 12 recognized dental specialties, and completing a CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in the specialty is how a dentist becomes an orthodontist.
Texas has 5 accredited programs, compared with 1 in Oklahoma, none in New Mexico and 1 in Louisiana nearby; wherever you train, our step-by-step guide to becoming an orthodontist covers the full sequence from dental school through residency, our orthodontist career guide what the role involves day to day, and which dental specialty pays the most how orthodontics compares with the other eleven.
Graduates of programs at Paris Regional Health, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry and 3 other institutions who go on to practice in Texas need a dentist license from the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners — see Texas's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in Texas
A CODA-accredited residency is the entry point into orthodontics, not the final step — practicing afterward still requires holding an active dentist license in the state where you intend to work; in Texas, orthodontics is practiced under a dentist license rather than a separate specialty license.
Residents who train in Austin, Dallas, Houston or San Antonio and go on to practice in Texas can check the orthodontist salary guide for pay context and search current orthodontist jobs in Texas to see who's hiring now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited orthodontics residency programs are in Texas?
Texas has 5 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in orthodontics, located in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Each is listed above with its institution, city and current CODA accreditation status.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
What does "Initial Accreditation" mean for a program?
"Initial Accreditation" is the classification CODA grants to a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents.
It doesn't mean the program is provisional or lesser — it simply hasn't operated long enough to have graduates yet.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
Do I have to complete an orthodontics residency in Texas to practice as an orthodontist there?
No. Texas licenses dentists — including orthodontists — who completed a CODA-accredited residency regardless of which state it's located in; what matters is the residency's CODA accreditation, not its location.
See our Texas dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires before you can practice.
What comes after finishing a CODA-accredited orthodontics residency?
Graduates hold an active dentist license in the state where they intend to practice; in Texas, orthodontists practice under that dentist license rather than a separate specialty license.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming an orthodontist walks through the full sequence from dental school through residency and licensure.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Texas & Orthodontist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.