About
The journey.
Orthodontist, educator, and practice owner — and, before any of it, someone who never stopped asking what comes next.
Dr. Samuel Lee, DDS, MS
Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified orthodontist, practice owner, educator, and international speaker. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the UCLA School of Dentistry.
Following dental school and a year of general practice, Dr. Lee completed his orthodontic residency at the University of Southern California, where he also earned a Master of Science in Oral Biology. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.
He later returned to USC as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Graduate Orthodontics, with an emphasis on clear aligner education. His clinical career developed alongside the rapid evolution of digital orthodontics and clear aligner treatment — and his interest expanded beyond simply learning new clinical tools, toward understanding how technology changes the entire orthodontic experience. That question has become the central theme of his clinical practice, his teaching, and his career.
Clinical & educational interests
Where the questions lead.
Digital orthodontics, growing patients, and the systems that turn good treatment planning into a good patient experience — the same three ideas that organize everything on this site.
Digital & clinical
Digital treatment planning, clear aligner therapy, orthodontic biomechanics, visualization, AI and automation, remote monitoring, and digital retention.
The growing patient
Phase I orthodontics, growth and development, treatment timing, Class II correction, digital expansion, Invisalign First, and the Invisalign Palatal Expander.
Practice & experience
Interdisciplinary treatment, orthodontic–restorative collaboration, patient communication, practice efficiency, and the patient experience.
Credentials
Dr. Samuel Lee, DDS, MS
- Doctor of Dental SurgeryUCLA
- Orthodontic residencyUniversity of Southern California
- Master of Science, Oral BiologyUSC
- DiplomateAmerican Board of Orthodontics
- Former Clinical Assistant ProfessorUSC Graduate Orthodontics
- Align Global FacultyAlign Technology
- Co-FounderSons & Daughters Orthodontics
- Co-FounderSMARTA Ortho Solutions
Curriculum vitae available on request. Current Align Technology faculty titles, advisory positions, and other professional designations are periodically updated.
Built from the ground up
Sons & Daughters Orthodontics
Together with his business partner, Dr. Trang Nguyen, Dr. Lee co-founded Sons & Daughters Orthodontics, developing two orthodontic practices in Southern California from the ground up. That experience continues to shape how he evaluates new technology, teaches doctors, and thinks about the future of the profession — new tools have to work in the real world, not just look exciting in a demo.
Explore Sons & Daughters OrthodonticsLife beyond orthodontics
For all of the places orthodontics has taken me, home remains the most important one. I’m fortunate to share this journey with my wife and our three children. Being a husband and father continues to shape the way I think about leadership, priorities, relationships, and ultimately why the work we do matters. At the end of the day, orthodontics is also a profession built around people — and I try never to lose sight of that.