Orthodontist

Explore This Path

Transform smiles and boost confidence by correcting dental misalignments.
Improve oral health and aesthetics, impacting patients' lives positively.
Craft custom dental appliances for unique, personalized treatments.

💰 Earn $98K-$0

📚 Doctoral or Professional Degree

⏱️ 48 MONTH TRAINING

📈 3.7% JOB GROWTH

Find Training

What You’ll 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.

Study diagnostic records, such as medical or dental histories, plaster models of the teeth, photos of a patient's face and teeth, and X-rays, to develop patient treatment plans.
Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function.
Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth.
Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities.
Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures.

Scoop

Minimum Education

Doctoral or Professional Degree

Career Prospects

Good (Increasing by 1-5%)

Training Time

Over 4 years

Job Openings

200 Annually

Median Earnings

$239,200 Nationally

$25K

$50K

$75K

$100K

$125K

$150K

$175K

$200K

$225K

$250K

Best For You If...

YOU Like 💕

Relating with or serving others
Thinking and problem solving
Working with my hands

You are skilled in 💫

Active Listening
Instructing
Learning Strategies
Reading Comprehension
Social Perceptiveness
Speaking

You value 🙏

Accomplishing things
Having freedom
Receiving recognition

Deep Dive

Orthodontist

Explore career pathways, key skills, and what each role has to offer.

Pathways to this Career

Learn about the education and training paths that can lead to this career — and what to expect from each one.

Bachelor's Degree

A bachelor's degree typically results in increased knowledge about a variety of academic subjects, specialized knowledge in a focused field of study, and is considered the foundational qualification for many careers.

🎓 College

⏱️ FINISH IN 4-5+ years