Also called: Dentist, DDS, DMD
Diagnoses and treats problems with teeth and gums, from cavities to crowns.
Checks X-rays, fills cavities, places crowns, pulls a cracked tooth, and talks a nervous patient through their first root canal. Many own their own practice, which makes them part doctor, part small-business owner.
BLS May 2024; 90th percentile top-coded and estimated. Practice owners often earn more.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's plus 4 years of dental school (DDS or DMD) and a licensing exam.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pre-Dental.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI reads X-rays and drafts treatment plans; drilling, filling and earning a nervous patient's trust stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Art or ceramics, Business class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.