Orthodontists

Median salary

$289,140

Average salary

$259,400

Employment

6,210

Projected growth

4.4% growth

Annual openings

200

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

What Orthodontists Do

Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Internship/residency
Self-employed: 12%

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 4.3/5
English Languageimportance 3.7/5
Biologyimportance 3.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.3/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.2/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.1/5

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
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team5.0/5
Contact With Others5.0/5
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers4.9/5
Physical Proximity4.8/5

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.

Veterinarians97% skill match
Podiatrists96% skill match
Nurse Practitioners96% skill match
Medical Dosimetrists96% skill match
Occupational Therapists95% skill match
Prosthodontists95% skill match
Detectives and Criminal Investigators95% skill match
Fire Inspectors and Investigators95% skill match

Transferable Skills

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

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 4.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.9/5
Coordinationimportance 3.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.8/5
Time Managementimportance 3.8/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.4/5
Persuasionimportance 3.3/5
Instructingimportance 3.3/5

Software & Technologies

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

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Ada
Adstra Systems ADSTRA Management
Advance Ortho Systems Program Director
Algorithm Compu-Ceph
American Orthodontics Compu-Ceph
American Orthodontics Photo-Eze
Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions Dolphin Management
EZappt

Work Style

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

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Achievement Orientation
Integrity
Intellectual Curiosity
Social 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
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

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.