Healthcare Practitioners
Orthodontists
Also called: Board Certified Orthodontist, Orthodontic Dentist, Orthodontic Specialist, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Specialist
US median pay
$289,140
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+6%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
200
7,100 employed
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities.
- Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures.
- 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.
- Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth.
- Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function.
- Provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates.
- Advise patients to comply with treatment plans.
- Prepare diagnostic and treatment records.
- Instruct dental officers and technical assistants in orthodontic procedures and techniques.
- Coordinate orthodontic services with other dental and medical services.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Complex Problem Solving4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Coordination3.9/5
- Time Management3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.4/5
- Persuasion3.2/5
- Instructing3.2/5
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry5.0/5
- Customer and Personal Service4.2/5
- English Language3.7/5
- Biology3.7/5
- Computers and Electronics3.3/5
- Mathematics3.2/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Doctoral or professional degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Post-doctoral training69%
- Doctoral degree12%
Who this job suits
Mostly Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.