There's no meaningful difference.
DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) and DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) are the same degree, earned through the same kind of training, with the same scope of practice and the same licensing requirements.
A dentist holding one is exactly as qualified as one holding the other — dental schools simply choose which title to award, for historical reasons.
Neither is higher, and it says nothing about a dentist's ability.
The short answer
DDS and DMD are two names for the same dental degree.
Both require completing an accredited dental school program, both cover the same curriculum, both lead to the same national board exam and state licensure, and both authorize the identical scope of practice.
Whether your dentist has a DDS or a DMD tells you nothing about their training or skill.
The only thing that differs is the label on the diploma — and that's a choice each dental school makes, not a signal of anything about the dentist.
Neither is "higher" than the other
What DDS and DMD stand for
DDS is Doctor of Dental Surgery. DMD is Doctor of Dental Medicine (sometimes rendered from the Latin Dentariae Medicinae Doctor).
Despite the different words — "surgery" versus "medicine" — both describe the same profession and the same qualification.
The wording is a quirk of naming, not a difference in what the dentist studied or can do.
A DMD is not more "medical" and a DDS is not more "surgical."
Why there are two names
The split is historical.
The DDS came first in the 19th century; later, when Harvard opened its dental school, it wanted a Latin-consistent degree name to match its other diplomas and coined the DMD.
Other schools followed one convention or the other, and both stuck.
Today the choice is purely institutional tradition.
The same accrediting body (CODA) holds both to identical standards, so the curriculum, clinical training, and requirements are equivalent regardless of which name a school awards.
Does it matter for patients or your career?
For patients: no. Both degrees license a dentist to provide the full scope of general dental care, and both sit for the same board exams and state licensure.
Choose a dentist on experience and fit, not the letters after their name.
For prospective students: also no. Pick a dental school for its program, cost, location, and outcomes — not for whether it awards a DDS or a DMD, since the two are interchangeable in the eyes of licensing boards and employers hiring dentists.
For the full picture of the profession, see what a dentist does and the dentist salary guide.