Orthodontist Salary
The salary of an orthodontist depends on a number of factors that include work experience and location. The article will guide with the job description and average annual salary earned by an orthodontist.
Orthodontist Job Description
An orthodontist helps to get rid of facial abnormalities like irregular bite or uneven teeth. He/she examines, diagnoses and finds solutions for the deformities in the positioning of the teeth or jaw. Before starting with any procedure, the orthodontist first has to study the dental history of the client. Dental x-rays and dental photographs are taken to analyze the possible result after the treatment. The orthodontist has to decide what exact alterations are required to be done in the oral structure of the client to improve the appearance along with normal function. With all the available data, the orthodontist then plans the treatment. He/she designs and manufactures special dental appliances like retainers, dental braces, etc.
Sometimes the orthodontic treatment is done for mere improvement of appearance. While sometimes the orthodontic treatment is done to help the client with easy chewing and swallowing of the food.
The working hours of an orthodontist can be anywhere between 30-40 hours per week. They do not have to work for emergency situations as with other medical practitioners. Many of the orthodontists work independently and run dental clinics, while some of them work with other health practitioners and dentists. Orthodontics is basically a business oriented medical field, thus, professionalism and good communication skills are two basic requirements to become an orthodontist. Good time management skills, great logical and analytical thinking, perfect hand-eye coordination and good eyesight are some more basic requirements to become an orthodontist. Now, let us take a look at the orthodontist salary range.
Salary of an Orthodontist
The salary of an orthodontist is governed by three factors, the skills and work experience, type of employment and the geographical area. As mentioned earlier, orthodontics is business. Thus, the more clients you have, the more money you earn. Skills and great work experience are two basic necessities to make good money in orthodontics. Moreover, the location where the orthodontist has established the clinic also plays a major role. Orthodontists in cities like New York, earn some of the highest salaries due to high standard of living. While those working in rural areas earn less annual salary. Education is one more important factor that influences the orthodontist's salary. An orthodontist with higher educational degree and adequate amount of training earns quite good in the beginning. According to a salary survey made in the year 2009, the average starting annual salary of an orthodontist was $90,000. It is observed that orthodontist who are self employed earn far more than orthodontist who work under some other employer.
The table given below provides annual orthodontist average salary according to work experience gained.
| Work Experience (in years) | Average Annual Salary (in $) |
| Less than 1 | 79,327-167,048 |
| 1-4 | 96,624-159,308 |
| 5-9 | 95,455-180,000 |
| 10-19 | 102,564-197,739 |
| 20 or more | 142,245-260,500 |
The table given below specifies average annual salary of an orthodontist according to the type of employer.
| Type of Employer | Average Annual Salary (in $) |
| Hospital | 24,000-100,000 |
| Company | 92,606-196,836 |
| Self-Employed | 100,065-201,115 |
| Private Practice/Firm | 99,604-170,501 |
This was a brief information on orthodontist salary. The figures given in the above tables are approximate and may change with circumstances and area.
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