Dentist vs Physician: $176K vs $271K Median Pay

Dentist vs Physician: what changes?

Consider Dentist if you want to examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. Consider Physician if you would rather diagnose and provide nonsurgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems. Entry credentials differ: Dentist, professional dental degree; Physician, medical degree and residency.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Dentist and Physician. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

The labor-market benchmark for Dentist covers the broader BLS group Dentists (29-1020). It does not isolate this specialty.

The labor-market benchmark for Physician covers the broader BLS group Physicians (29-1210). It does not isolate this specialty.

Compare the practical differences

Dentist

National median pay (2025): $176,110
Route into the job: 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.
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 4,800

Know before you choose

Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.

See the full Dentist brief

Physician

National median pay (2025): $271,090
Route into the job: A bachelor's degree and medical degree are followed by internship and residency training. Specialty requirements and state licensing affect the full route into practice.
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Analyze records, reports, test results, or examination information to diagnose medical condition of patient.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 20,800

Know before you choose

Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.

See the full Physician brief

How the national numbers differ

Physician has the edge on annual openings

Physician is at 20,800 annual openings, compared with 4,800 annual openings for Dentist.

Dentist has the edge on projected growth

Dentist is at 5.6% projected growth, compared with 3.6% projected growth for Physician.

Physician has the edge on median pay

Physician is at $271,090, compared with $176,110 for Dentist.

64.7/ 100

Dentist

68.7/ 100

Physician

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence