<p><b>Aims</b> The rise of social media has facilitated new forms of orthodontic marketing with legitimate concerns among laypeople and professionals concerning the veracity of publicly available information. We aimed to understand orthodontists' perceptions of social media marketing of orthodontics</p><p><b>Methods</b> Qualitative study using one-to-one interviews on online video-conferencing software. A sampling matrix was used to obtain representative views from specialist orthodontists in the UK. Qualitative data were collected using a topic guide, until saturation was reached, and analysed using an interpretive approach with thematic analysis.</p><p><b>Results</b> Twelve participants were interviewed with three emergent themes and 12 sub-themes. Key findings included the observation that an uneven playing field existed within orthodontics on social media. Unsafe expectations and misinformation were cited, and a need to standardise social media marketing in orthodontics was highlighted. Pivotal factors influencing orthodontists' perceptions and experiences of social media marketing in orthodontics were identified with highly pervasive misinformation and potentially harmful content, and a need for greater orthodontic representation, guidance and self-regulation being cited.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b> Orthodontists and patients require awareness of pitfalls of social media marketing to prevent risks of harm and inappropriate treatment.</p>