Health & Medicine

Orthodontist

Straighten crooked teeth and fix bite problems with braces, clear aligners, and retainers over many months

Open interactive guide

What does an Orthodontist do?

Orthodontists are dentists with extra training in how teeth and jaws move. They work in specialty offices and see the same young patients every month for a year or two. It suits people who like planning, careful hand work, and cheering up shy teenagers.

A day in the life

8:00 AMAdjust wires and tighten braces for a string of patients
9:30 AMScan a new patient's teeth in 3D to plan clear aligners
11:00 AMMeet a family to explain the treatment plan and how long it takes
1:00 PMRemove braces from a teen and fit a first retainer
2:30 PMStudy X-rays and photos to decide how teeth should move next
4:30 PMReview lab orders and sign off on the day's records

What's great

  • Watch smiles change month by month
  • Mostly steady weekday hours
  • Fewer emergencies than general dentistry
  • Patients return for a long time

The hard parts

  • Two to three more years of training after dental school
  • Similar adjustments can feel repetitive
  • Residency spots are hard to win
  • Close detail work strains the neck and hands

What is an Orthodontist's salary and outlook?

$120k – $300k
Salary Range
Doctorate / Professional degree
Typical Education
Growing

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $120,000 to $300,000 a year, with a midpoint around $200,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Growing.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become an Orthodontist?

A common path is Dental school (DDS or DMD) plus a 2–3 year orthodontic residency. The ladder often runs from Associate Orthodontist to Orthodontist, then Orthodontic Practice Owner, and Owner of a Multi-Office Orthodontic Group. Other routes: Pass state license exams after dental school; Board certification through the American Board of Orthodontics; Teach at a dental school after residency; Join an existing practice and buy in over time.

  • Pass state license exams after dental school
  • Board certification through the American Board of Orthodontics
  • Teach at a dental school after residency
  • Join an existing practice and buy in over time

Career path

Entry level
Associate Orthodontist
Mid career
Orthodontist
Senior
Orthodontic Practice Owner
Executive
Owner of a Multi-Office Orthodontic Group

Will AI replace an Orthodontist?

How much will AI change this job?

Quite a bit

AI will help with some tasks in this job, while the most important parts stay human.

AI helps plan smiles, but orthodontists still do the work.

Orthodontists use AI tools to scan teeth and predict how smiles will shift over time. This helps them plan treatment faster and more accurately. But putting on braces, checking patient comfort, and making final decisions still need a real person.

AI can help with

  • Creating 3D models of teeth and jaws
  • Predicting how teeth will move during treatment
  • Speeding up paperwork and scheduling tasks

What stays human

  • Placing and adjusting braces or aligners by hand
  • Talking with patients about fears or questions
  • Making final treatment decisions based on each unique mouth

Skills to build now

  • Take science classes, especially biology and anatomy
  • Practice fine motor skills through art, crafts, or building models
  • Volunteer or shadow to build comfort talking with people

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.