Rochester is both hometown and professional setting
The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry identifies Rochester as Collins’s hometown and reports that he opened his orthodontic practice there.
This is stronger than a loose regional association: it supports an origin relationship and a current professional base. It does not, by itself, publish or imply a private home address.
Minnesota training connects dentistry and public education
The School of Dentistry identifies Collins as a 2010 DDS graduate. Mayo Clinic reporting documents his orthodontic residency and the development of his Rochester practice.
Those institutional sources establish the professional chronology without treating a social-media profile as proof of the dental credentials.
The Braces Guy began as a specific creator project
University reporting dates the TikTok account to spring 2019 and describes its blend of orthodontic education and entertainment. Mayo’s profile likewise connects the account to questions and misconceptions Collins encountered in practice.
An account launch is the earliest documented creator milestone here. The profile does not label it a breakthrough date or claim that audience recognition happened immediately.
Institutional coverage documents wider attention
By 2023, the University of Minnesota described the account as viral and profiled how Collins used short videos to explain orthodontic care.
The current practice website remains useful for confirming the professional base, but the career interpretation is anchored to the university and Mayo profiles rather than to marketing copy alone.
Source-linked chronology
- Grows up in Rochester, identified by the University of Minnesota as his hometown.
- Receives a DDS from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.
- Completes orthodontic training in Rochester.
- Opens an orthodontic practice in his hometown.
- Begins The Braces Guy TikTok project.
- University reporting documents the account’s wider reach and educational format.
How to cite and verify this profile
This profile compiles the cited source record for Grant Collins and links to the specialist Minnesota datasets that define each relationship. The original publishers remain the authority for their reporting.
Suggested citation for this compiled profile
Grant Collins. Grant Collins' Rochester Roots and The Braces Guy Career, Josh Liljenquist, reviewed September 22, 2026. https://joshliljenquist.com/minnesota/profiles/grant-collins-the-braces-guy/
This citation identifies the site’s compiled profile; it does not replace or relicense the original sources.
Sources and evidence boundaries
Source classes are shown so institutional, independent and first-party records are not presented as interchangeable. Minnesota origin, education, current work and career milestones remain separate claims.
- Collins brings personality to orthodontia with viral “The Braces Guy” TikTok accountHometown, DDS year, Rochester practice, spring 2019 account start and institutional coverage.
- Orthodontist goes from no phone calls to 1.7 million followersMayo training, practice development and creator-work context.
- Rochester OrthodonticsCurrent Rochester practice and public professional identity.