Dentist vs Orthodontist: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Dentist vs Orthodontist: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1021 and 29-1023). The national median annual wage is $170,950 for dentists and $289,140 for orthodontists (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +5.7% for dentists and +6.0% for orthodontists from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree vs Doctoral or professional degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | DentistSOC 29-1021 | OrthodontistSOC 29-1023 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $170,950 | $289,140 | Orthodontist |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 124,390 | 6,210 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +5.7% | +6.0% | About the same |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +8,100 jobs | +400 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 4,200 a year | 200 a year | Dentist |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Doctoral or professional degree | Doctoral or professional degree | About the same |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | Internship/residency | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.59 | 3.27 | Orthodontist |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.72 | 4.89 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 5.00 | 4.81 | About the same |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($289,140 vs $170,950)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (3.27 vs 3.59)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 86% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Operation and Control (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Financial Resources (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Reading Comprehension (+0.9 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Analysis (+1.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Programming (+0.5 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Dentist
- Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
- Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
- Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
- Use dental air turbines, hand instruments, dental appliances, or surgical implements.
Orthodontist
- 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.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Dentist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (83.8% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (1.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (1.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
Orthodontist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (85.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (1.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Dentist → Orthodontist: skills to build: Operations Analysis, Programming. Careers after Dentist
- Orthodontist → Dentist: skills to build: Operation and Control, Management of Financial Resources, Equipment Selection.
Go deeper
Dentist career hub · Dentist salary · Dentist how to become · Dentist career change · Orthodontist career hub · Orthodontist how to become
Common questions
Which pays more, Dentist or Orthodontist?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1021 and 29-1023). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 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. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “dentist vs orthodontist salary”, “orthodontist vs dentist salary”, “orthodontist salary vs dentist” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).