Dentists, General

Median salary

$170,950

Average salary

$191,350

Employment

124,390

Projected growth

4.1% growth

Annual openings

3,900

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

What Dentists, General Do

Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 11.8%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Medicine and Dentistryimportance 5.0/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
English Languageimportance 3.9/5
Biologyimportance 3.5/5
Psychologyimportance 3.4/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
Physical Proximity5.0/5
Frequency of Decision Making4.9/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.9/5
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.8/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.8/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Podiatrists96% skill match
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria95% skill match
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives95% skill match
Veterinarians94% skill match
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric94% skill match
Orthodontists94% skill match
Producers and Directors94% skill match
Animal Trainers93% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.9/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
Time Managementimportance 3.9/5
Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
Persuasionimportance 3.8/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.5/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

ABELSoft ABELDent
ACE Dental
AlphaDent
AltaPoint Data Systems AltaPoint Dental
DSN Software Dental-Exec
DSN Software Oral Surgery-Exec
DSN Software Perio-Exec
Data Team DDS

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Integrity
Self-Control
Empathy
Achievement Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

InvestigativeHigh
RealisticHigh
SocialMedium
ConventionalMedium
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where dentists, general make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT2.28× national avg
2Hot Springs, AR2.09× national avg
3Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR1.86× national avg
4Urban Honolulu, HI1.81× national avg
5Raleigh-Cary, NC1.69× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

OrthodontistsLateral Move
Ophthalmologists, Except PediatricLateral Move
AnesthesiologistsLateral Move
PodiatristsLateral Move

See the full career path from Dentists, General →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.