In the editorial of an issue of The Angle Orthodontist, entitled ‘The state of our specialty’, the editor-in-chief, Sheldon Peck, describes some tendencies in modern orthodontics. He depicts some aspects which he sees as threatening for orthodontics. Certain present attitudes and situations are not only considered to damage the reputation of the orthodontic specialty, but also of the orthodontist and of the orthodontic specialty education. Peck is warning for the consequences and risks of commercialisation in orthodontics as well as for the poor level of the evidence based clinical practice in orthodontics.A number of his grieves specifically apply to the United States, others can be recognized in the European context too.