Everything about teeth, gums, mouths, and faces, from cleaning and braces to jaw surgery and handcrafted crowns.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
General Dentist: Diagnoses and treats problems with teeth and gums, from cavities to crowns. Typical pay $172k.
Orthodontist: Straightens teeth and fixes bite problems with braces, aligners, and other appliances. Typical pay $300k.
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon: A surgeon of the mouth, jaw, and face: wisdom teeth, dental implants, broken jaws, and facial reconstruction. Typical pay $350k.
Pediatric Dentist: Cares for the teeth of babies, kids, and teens, including those with special needs. Typical pay $230k.
Endodontist: Specializes in saving teeth through root canals and treating tooth pain from the inside. Typical pay $280k.
Periodontist: A dentist who specializes in treating gum disease and placing dental implants, doing gum grafts and implant surgery in periodontal practices. Typical pay $270k.
Prosthodontist: Rebuilds smiles with crowns, bridges, dentures, and implants, including after cancer or trauma. Typical pay $240k.
Dental Anesthesiologist: A dentist who provides sedation and general anesthesia so fearful patients and those with special needs can get care. Typical pay $300k.
Forensic Odontologist: Uses teeth and bite marks to identify human remains and help solve crimes. Typical pay $172k.
Dental Public Health Specialist: Dentist who improves oral health for whole communities rather than one patient at a time. Typical pay $160k.
Oral & Maxillofacial Pathologist: Dental specialist who diagnoses diseases of the mouth and jaws by studying tissue samples. Typical pay $220k.
Orofacial Pain Specialist: Dentist who treats jaw joint (TMJ) disorders, facial pain, and teeth grinding. Typical pay $190k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Dental Hygienist: Cleans teeth, takes X-rays, screens for disease, and teaches patients how to care for their mouths. Typical pay $94k.
Dental Therapist: A mid-level provider, like a PA for dentistry, who fills cavities and pulls teeth in underserved communities. Typical pay $75k.
Anaplastologist: Creates lifelike artificial ears, noses, eyes, and fingers for people who lost them to cancer, trauma, or birth defects. Typical pay $70k.
Dental Office Manager: Runs the business side of a dental practice: scheduling, billing, insurance, staff, and marketing. Typical pay $65k.
Denturist: Makes and fits dentures directly for patients (licensed in a handful of states). Typical pay $70k.
Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist: Teaches exercises that retrain the tongue, lips and face muscles to fix problems like tongue thrust, mouth breathing and some sleep issues. Typical pay $80k.
Dental Practice Broker: Helps dentists sell or buy practices: valuing the business, finding the right buyer and guiding the deal to closing. Typical pay $105k.
Starter: fastest way in
Dental Assistant: Hands dentists their instruments, takes X-rays, and helps patients feel comfortable. Typical pay $47k.
Expanded Function Dental Assistant: A dental assistant with extra training who can place fillings and sealants after the dentist prepares the tooth. Typical pay $52k.
Dental Laboratory Technician: Crafts crowns, bridges, dentures, and retainers from a dentist's impressions and scans. Typical pay $47k.
Dental Front Office Coordinator: Greets patients, schedules visits, and explains treatment costs and insurance. Typical pay $40k.
Orthodontic Assistant: Helps the orthodontist put on braces, change wires, and scan teeth for clear aligners. Typical pay $46k.
Dental Sterilization Technician: Cleans, sterilizes, and organizes the instruments used in a dental office. Typical pay $37k.
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.