1Pay
$176,110
Very high national median pay
2025 national median. Top 10% for pay among careers on ChooseField.
Healthcare · Career brief
Dentist
Is it a good career to pursue?
The 30-second read
Dentist at a glance
Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.
2Demand
5.6%
Steady projected growth
Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top quarter for growth among careers on ChooseField.
3Openings
4,800
Moderate opening volume
Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.
4Route in
Dental degree
The specialty-specific route needs verification
Professional dental degree. Prior-experience requirements vary or need verification.
5The work
Analytical
Problem-solving and analysis dominate the profile
Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
6The catch
Know this first
What could make this a poor fit
Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.
ChooseField take
The strongest national signals are pay and growth; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if analytical work appeals to you and you are comfortable with dental school and licensing. Main tradeoff: Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.
National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.
Want the evidence behind the snapshot?
Market and path
Pay, outlook, and the route in
The labor-market benchmark for Dentist covers the broader BLS group Dentists (29-1020). It does not isolate this specialty.
National median pay (2025)
$176,110
A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.
2025–2035 outlook
5.6%employment growth4,800openings per year
Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.
Typical entry route
An accredited DDS or DMD program and state licensing are required. Most programs expect a bachelor's degree and prerequisite sciences; specialty practice adds postgraduate training.
BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.
BLS qualification guidance · Reviewed September 6, 2026.
2025 employment
161,400
Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.
Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Dentists (29-1020).
Actual responsibilities
What you would be trusted to own
Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.
- Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
- Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, or other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments.
- Use dental air turbines, hand instruments, dental appliances, or surgical implements.
- Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
Decision-changing realities
What could make this a poor fit
- Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.
- The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.
- The helping mission includes documentation, direct care, and safety-critical routines where a missed detail can affect a patient.
Work profile
What the work emphasizes
O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
- Getting Information4.7
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.7
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.7
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.6
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.6
Interest profile
Career interests
O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.
- Investigative5.5
- Realistic5.2
- Social4.4
- Conventional3.7
- Enterprising2.0
- Artistic1.2
Preparation
What the training must make you competent at
Subject matter
Medicine and Dentistry
Biology
Psychology
Personnel and Human Resources
Before choosing the major or training
Run a cheaper test first
- Try an approved first-aid, CPR, patient-care, or health-science workshop. Use supervised training or simulation only.
- Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.
Field-specific evidence
What changes the picture
Practice economics are unusually well documented
ADA HPI publishes dentist earnings, billings, expenses, workforce supply, practice affiliation, and migration data.
ADA Health Policy Institute · Current ↗Rural supply is much lower
32.7 vs 64.7 / 100k
Dentists per 100,000 people in rural versus urban areas in recent ADA HPI data.
American Dental Association · 2025 ↗The fuller career guide
How the evidence fits together
The tradeoff that matters most
Dentistry combines high professional income with ownership potential, but the economics include expensive education and practice-level staffing issues. ADA's practice and workforce data are therefore more useful than treating one national median as the whole story.
Common questions
Questions people ask about this career
Is dentistry worth it?
Consider this field if its core work interests you: examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. Try an introductory project, class, or permitted observation before committing to training. Compare the actual cost and required experience with entry-level work available where you plan to live.
Dentist income
The national median annual wage in May 2025 was $176,110. This is a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Dental school debt
Compare total attendance cost with realistic associate-dentist offers, repayment terms, and the time needed to reach those earnings. Practice ownership has separate business costs and risks. A national wage or practice-revenue figure is not the amount available to repay personal loans.
Dentist vs dental hygienist
Consider Dentist if you want to examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. Consider Dental Hygienist if you would rather administer oral hygiene care to patients. Compare a sample task and the qualification requirements for each before choosing between them.
Adjacent options
Compare before committing
The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Dental Hygienist, Physician, Financial Advisor / Planner, Optometrists.
Dental Hygienist
- Median pay
- $98,100
- Growth
- 8%
Associate's degree
Compare side by side →Physician
- Median pay
- $271,090
- Growth
- 3.6%
Medical degree and residency
Compare side by side →Financial Advisor / Planner
- Median pay
- $105,070
- Growth
- 1.4%
Bachelor's degree
Compare side by side →Optometrists
- Median pay
- $136,570
- Growth
- 9.5%
Doctoral or professional degree
Compare side by side →Sources
- BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections and worker characteristics: pay, employment, openings, education, experience, and training for occupation 29-1020.
- O*NET 29-1021.00 occupation summary: tasks, knowledge, work context, and technologies.
- ADA Health Policy Institute: Current.
- American Dental Association: 2025.