Average Salary of a Dentist

What is the average salary of a dentist? Well, dentist wages range widely depending on factors such as location, area of specialty, and the number of years in practice; nevertheless, the compensation data itself is subject to change from year to year.

About half of all dentists will have an annual salary that falls anywhere between $104,000 and $208,000. An annual salary of $141,896 to $156,240 is considered to be the typical or median income in the United States.

In this article, we will examine the lowest-paid dentists as well as the highly paid dentists so we can better understand the salary range. The 10th percentile of dentists in terms of salary made less than $72,840, while the 10th percentile of dentists in terms of salary made more than $208,000. Please note that a significant portion of the variance of these numbers appears to be attributable to the field of dentistry a dentist practices in and the location of the patient’s office (for example, a governmental dentist salary versus a private practice dentist salary).

Average Salary of a Dentist: Dental Practice Owner

According to ada.org, the average annual net compensation for general dentists in the United States in 2018 was $197,200, while the average annual net salary for specialty dentists was $330,200. According to Ziprecruiter.com, the average annual salary for a dentist who owns and operates a private practice is somewhat less than $366,000, coming in at $178,600 on average, with a range that goes as low as $25,500. According to Paysa.com, the average salary is significantly lower than previously thought, coming in at just $150.3k, with highs of $170.75k and lows of $139.4k.

There is no indication on either Ziprecruiter.com or Paysa.com as to whether the data pertain to regular dentists or dental specialists. However, when their numbers are compared to those of the ADA, it is safe to presume that they are referring to the owner of a dental office who also works as a general dentist.

In the same way that we did with the pay of an associate dentist, we are going to take into consideration the average of these statistics for the salary of a dental practice owner. This results in an average annual salary of $175,400 for the owner of a dental firm. The owner of a dental practice that is located in a high-income location has the potential to make as much as $268.6k annually, while the owner of a dental practice that is located in a low-income area has the potential to earn as little as $82.45k annually.

Average Salary of a Dentist: Associate Dentist

Indeed.com reports that the annual income range for an associate dentist in the United States can range anywhere from $61k to $480k, with an average of $221.3k. The lowest compensation reported was $41k. However, an associate dentist in the United States makes a substantially lower average of $159.7 thousand dollars per year, with highs of $256.5 thousand dollars and lows of $36.5 thousand dollars, as stated by ziprecruiter.com. Payscale.com also provides a different figure, stating that the average compensation for an associate dentist is $121.9 thousand dollars, with highs of $166 thousand dollars and lows of $93 thousand dollars.

In the interest of maintaining a level playing field, we will take each of these values into consideration and then arrive at the conclusion that the typical annual compensation of an associate dentist is $167,700. An associate dentist in a high-income area with many years of experience might expect to earn upwards of $300k, whereas an associate dentist just starting out in a low-income area can expect to make as little as $63.5k over the course of their career.

What Does a Dentist Do?

Dentists are trained to identify and treat conditions that affect patients’ teeth, gums, and other components of the mouth and oral cavity. They offer guidance and education on how to properly care for the teeth and gums, as well as the dietary decisions that might have an effect on oral health.

Dentists are often responsible for the following duties:

Take care of any cavities and remove any rotting from the teeth.

Restore or extract any teeth that are damaged.

The teeth should be treated with a whitening chemical or a sealant.

In order to prevent patients from experiencing pain during procedures, anesthetics should be administered.

Antibiotics and other drugs should be prescribed.

In order to diagnose any issues, it is necessary to take x-rays of the patient’s teeth, gums, jaw, and any surrounding areas.

Develop prototypes and carry out precise measurements for dental prosthetics like dentures.

Patients need to be educated on a variety of topics related to dental care, including diet, flossing, and the use of fluoride.

Skilled dentists have access to a wide range of tools, such as x-ray machines, drills, mouth mirrors, probes, forceps, brushes, and scalpels, among other things. In addition to it, they make use of technologies such as lasers and digital scanners.

In addition to this, dentists who work in private practice are responsible for a wide range of administrative activities, such as purchasing equipment and supplies and keeping the books. They staff the office with dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental laboratory technicians, and receptionists, all of whom are under their supervision.

Related Dentist Positions

The majority of dentists practice general dentistry and may treat a number of dental conditions. However, other dentists choose to focus their careers on a particular dental subfield, such as one of the following:

Anesthesiologists in the dentistry field are responsible for the administration of medications (anesthetics), the monitoring of sedated patients to ensure their safety, and the provision of pain management assistance to patients after dental procedures.

Dentists who work in public health are responsible for fostering communities that are free of dental disease and promoting overall dental wellness.

Endodontists are the dental specialists that perform root canal therapy, which involves removing the nerves and blood supply from teeth that have been damaged or diseased.

Imaging technology allows oral and maxillofacial radiologists, who specialize in diagnosing conditions that affect the head and neck, to do their work.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons operate on the mouth, jaws, teeth, gums, neck, and head, performing treatments such as surgically correcting a cleft lip and palate or removing impacted teeth. They also diagnose and treat conditions related to the mouth, jaws, teeth, and gums.

Oral pathologists are responsible for the diagnosis of problems that can be found in the mouth, such as lumps or ulcers, as well as diseases that can be found in the mouth, such as cancer.

Orthodontists use braces and other dental tools to exert pressure on a patient’s teeth in order to move them into the correct position.

Dental care for children and patients with special needs is the primary emphasis of pediatric dentists.

Periodontists are dental specialists who treat both the gums and the bones that support the teeth.

Dentists may also be involved in research. Alternately, they might work as adjunct professors, overseeing students in dental school clinics among other things.