An orthodontist is a dental specialist who diagnoses and corrects misaligned teeth and jaws — straightening teeth and fixing bites with braces, clear aligners, and other appliances.
Every orthodontist is first a dentist, then completes an accredited residency in orthodontics of at least 24 months.
It's one of the highest-paid, most consumer-facing dental specialties, and much of an orthodontist's care is elective and marketed directly to patients and parents.
What is an orthodontist?
An orthodontist is a dentist who has specialized in orthodontics — the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws (malocclusion).
Where a general dentist handles the broad range of oral health, an orthodontist focuses specifically on moving teeth into proper position and correcting how the upper and lower teeth fit together.
The distinction is training: an orthodontist is a general dentist who then completed a multi-year residency in orthodontics.
That extra training is what separates the specialist from a general dentist who offers some aligner treatment.
What does an orthodontist do day to day?
The core work is planning and guiding tooth movement over time.
Orthodontists diagnose alignment and bite problems using exams, x-rays, and scans; design a treatment plan; and place and adjust appliances — traditional braces, clear aligners, retainers, and devices that guide jaw growth in children.
Much of the day is progress visits: adjusting braces, tracking aligner stages, and monitoring how teeth and bites respond over months of treatment.
Because most cases run a year or more, orthodontics is a long-relationship specialty built on steady, incremental care.
Orthodontist vs. general dentist
General dentists and orthodontists overlap at the edges, which causes confusion.
Many general dentists now offer clear-aligner treatment for simple cases, and some patients start there.
But an orthodontist has years of dedicated training in the biomechanics of moving teeth and correcting complex bite and jaw problems that fall outside a GP's scope.
In practice, a general dentist refers complex alignment, significant bite issues, and cases involving jaw growth to an orthodontist.
The specialist handles the difficult work and the full range of appliances; the GP handles routine care and refers out.
How you become an orthodontist
The path is dental school plus a specialty residency.
First you become a dentist — a bachelor's degree, four years of dental school for a DDS or DMD, and licensure.
Then you complete an accredited orthodontics residency focused entirely on the specialty — CODA's accreditation standard sets a minimum of 24 months and 3,700 scheduled hours.
Many orthodontists also earn board certification from the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) — voluntary but a mark of distinction.
All told it's roughly a decade of education after high school, which is part of why the specialty commands the pay it does — see the step-by-step guide to how to become an orthodontist.
How much does an orthodontist earn?
Orthodontists are among the highest-paid dental professionals.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median wage of about $289,140 per year for orthodontists (OEWS, SOC 29-1023, May 2025), with a wide range — from roughly $100,000 at the 10th percentile to well over $400,000 at the top — reflecting how much ownership, region, and case volume drive the number.
Most orthodontists own or partner in practices, so their earnings blend clinical pay and practice profit, and estimates vary by source and release.
See how much orthodontists earn for the percentile breakdown, state figures and how the pay compares with general dentists and oral surgeons, or browse current orthodontist openings.