Careers That Make People Smile

Your ultimate guide to jobs in dentistry!

October 21, 2025

Ever thought about getting into dentistry, but not sure where to start?

Whether you’re curious about becoming a dentist, dental hygienist, or lab technician, we’ve partnered with the American Dental Association to break down every step of the dental career path.

Keep scrolling, and we’ll explore what these roles pay, how to get started, and why this field is one of the most stable and high-paying in healthcare!

Dental Assistant, NYU Langone: $47K-$52K (Brooklyn, NY)

Social Media Coordinator: $31.60-$37/hr (Irvine, CA)

OTR Truck Driver, Swift Transportation: $1,400/week (Houston, TX)

Golf Course Manager, MD National Capital Park: $64K-$114K (Mitchellville, MD)

Say ‘AHHH’ to Careers in Dentistry

If you’ve ever thought about getting into healthcare but don’t love the idea of hospitals or overnight shifts, dentistry might be your best option!

Not only is it one of the highest-paying healthcare fields, but it’s also one of the hardest to automate because, well, nobody’s trusting AI with a root canal anytime soon.

According to data from the American Dental Association and our salary database, dental professionals consistently rank among the top earners in the medical world. Not to mention, the job security and satisfaction rates are sky-high (over 80% of dental professionals say they love what they do!).

And here’s the best part: dentistry isn’t just for people who want to be dentists. 

There are plenty of career paths depending on your skills, education, and interests, and whether you love patient care, precision work, or managing the business side of a practice.

Here’s a quick breakdown of various dental office jobs, the educational requirements, and how much they pay:

If you’re a helper at heart and love being hands-on:

🦷 Dental Assistant

  • Responsibilities: Assists dentists during procedures.

  • Median wage: $22.38/hour according to the ADA

  • Required education: Certificate/diploma from a CODA program, and state-specific requirements

If you’re detail-oriented, love chatting with people, and find cleaning oddly satisfying:

🪥 Dental Hygienist

  • Responsibilities: Cleans teeth while checking for disease and cavities.

  • Median wage: $42.08/hour according to the ADA

  • Required education: Associate’s or Bachelor’s in dental hygiene

If you’re a behind-the-scenes, technical creative who loves precision, design, and working with your hands:

⚙️ Lab Technician

  • Responsibilities: Makes prosthetics like crowns and dentures.

  • Median wage: $45,820, according to the BLS

  • Required education: Associate’s degree or on-the-job training

If spreadsheets are your love language and you thrive on keeping chaos organized, you’ll shine here:

💻 Dental Office Manager

  • Responsibilities: Manage admin and business operations of a dental practice.

  • Median wage: $66,000, according to the BLS

  • Required education: Bachelor’s degree preferred with some dental office admin experience

If you’re a natural problem-solver with steady hands and a passion for patient care:

🪥 General Dentist

  • Responsibilities: Provides treatment and diagnosis for teeth and gums.

  • Median wage: $191,750 according to the ADA

  • Required education: DDS or DMD

If you’ve got nerves of steel, thrive under pressure, and live for high-stakes precision:

🩻 Oral Surgeon

  • Responsibilities: Performs oral surgeries, such as extractions & reconstructions.

  • Median wage: $239,200, according to the BLS

  • Required education: DDS/DMD and 4-6 years of surgical residency

How to Find Dental Jobs

The ADA Career Center is the best place to start your job search! Because dentistry is such a specialized area, you should start your job search with dental-specific job boards. The ADA Career Center is the perfect example. You can browse jobs in the many areas of dentistry, search for employers, and get career advice. 

Ready to explore the full guide? Learn more about every dental career path, schooling options, and salary breakdowns in our full Dental Career Guide, created in partnership with the American Dental Association.

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In this episode, Hannah and James sit down with Shaun Rowley from Capital One Café to unpack how the Money & Life Program helps you align your financial habits with your personal values. From self-paced exercises to mentor sessions and community meetups, this program makes building a healthy relationship with money actually doable.

If you’ve ever wanted to stress less about money and feel more confident about your goals, this one’s for you!

Tune in on YouTube above, or on your preferred podcast platform here, and redeem a free handcrafted drink at your local Capital One Café using this link!

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