How to Become a Dentist
Diagnose and treat problems with patients' teeth, gums, and related parts of the mouth, and provide preventive dental care. It typically requires a doctoral degree (dds, doctor of dental surgery, or dmd, doctor of medicine in dentistry), with a median salary of $170,950 per year and about average projected job growth.
Median pay
$170,950/yr
Middle half
$125,710 to $224,040
Job growth
About average
Openings / yr
3,900
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Oral Diagnosis
- Restorative Dentistry
- Patient Communication
- Manual Dexterity
- Clinical Assessment
Helpful certifications
- NBDE / INBDE (National Board Dental Examination)
- State Dental Licensure
Is this career a fit?
Remote-friendly
5/100
Work-life balance
62/100
Stress level
48/100
Satisfaction
75/100
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- Psychiatrist$281,870 median
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- Pharmacist$140,910 median
- Optometrist$136,570 median
- Physician Assistant$135,880 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Dentist make?
The median pay for a Dentist is $170,950 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $125,710 and $224,040 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become a Dentist?
The usual entry point is a doctoral degree (dds, doctor of dental surgery, or dmd, doctor of medicine in dentistry). Common majors are Pre-Dentistry, Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry.
Is Dentist a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is about average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 3,900 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does a Dentist use most?
Common skills for this role are Oral Diagnosis, Restorative Dentistry, Patient Communication, Manual Dexterity, and Clinical Assessment.
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Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).