Dentist Salary Guide
A dentist salary can vary based on many factors. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary of a general dentist in 2008 was $142,870. This number varies wildly for most dentists.
Factors Affecting Dentists’ Salaries
Dentists who have just completed school and have little experience and few clients may earn significantly less than that figure. Dentists who have spent years building up their client base may even triple that salary. Dentists who are employed by a practice and earn a salary will typically make less money than those who own their own practice. However, they may often receive benefits like health care or coverage for their malpractice insurance premiums. Dentists who own their own practice will have to pay for perks like these out of their own pockets.
However, when dentists have their own practice, they can work as much or as little as they want. This gives them the opportunity to work part-time and make a great dentist salary, but it also gives them the chance to work long hours and earn several hundred thousand dollars per year.
Where they live will also impact their salary’s potential. Dentists in areas with a high cost of living can sometimes charge more for their services than those who live in smaller areas. Some areas like Utah have too many dentists. Thus, dentists in oversaturated areas like these have to keep their prices low to attract new clients. This has a negative impact on their salary. Dentists who live in places like Alaska make significantly more money than those working in other states.
If a dentist decides to specialize, he or she can also anticipate making a larger salary. The average salary for a specialist is $315,000 per year. However, like the average dentist salary, this number can also fluctuate wildly. According to the American Academy of Dentists, there are nine dental specialties, and they include the following professions:
- Public health dentist
- Endodontist
- Oral and maxillofacial pathologist
- Oral and maxillofacial radiologist
- Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
- Orthodontist
- Pediatric dentist
- Periodontist
- Prosthodontist
All of these professionals except the public health dentist must enroll in postgraduate education after they earn their dental degree. These postgraduate programs can last from two to six years depending upon which specialty the dentist chooses to pursue.
People who are not willing or who are not interested in attending dental school can work in this profession as a hygienist or as an assistant. Dental hygienists earn wages that average at $65,000 per year. Dental assistants earn an average of $33,000 per year.
Projected Growth for the Dental Field
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this profession is expected to grow by about 16 percent between the years 2008 and 2018. The growth in this field can be attributed to many factors. The population in the United States is increasing, and thus, some professions are growing automatically as a result of the population increase. The elderly portion of the population is growing faster than some other segments of the population. This too increases the need for health care including dental care.
A few generations ago, the elderly were more prone to losing their teeth. The current generation of elderly people is more likely to keep their teeth. Thus, they need more help filling cavities and addressing other issues. As health coverage continues to expand for some people, more and more people will have the resources that they need to see a dentist. This will also help make this profession more lucrative.
According to some estimates, the demand for dentists will actually outpace the number of dentists who enter the field. To deal with this discrepancy, dentists will assign more tasks to their hygienists and assistants. These professionals will become responsible for more tasks, and they will learn about more procedures as these professions change.
Education and Training
Before an individual can earn a dentist salary, they must get the right education. Currently, there are 57 accredited dental schools in the United States. They require most of their applicants to have a bachelor’s degree before entering their program, and interested applicants should have completed at least two years worth of college level pre-dental classes. However, some advanced students are invited to enroll in dental school after completing only two or three years of their college education. These advanced students constitute only 15 percent of the total number of students who enroll in dental schools. Some college students who want to apply to dental school find it advantageous to pick a science based major like biology or chemistry. Other students take pre-dental courses while getting a major in another discipline.
Bottom Line
The road to earning a dentist salary can be a long and difficult one. However, most dentists find that their salaries compensate them well for their hard work and effort. These salaries are impacted by a number of factors ranging from their location to their employer to the economy. However, these salaries can be incredibly high, and even on the low end, they offer people the chance to live a fairly comfortable life.
