What to Pay a Dentist
The national median is $170,950 a year, with the middle 50% between $125,710 and $224,040 (BLS OEWS, SOC 29-1021, May 2025).
That figure is a useful anchor, but most associates aren't paid a flat salary at all — the structure you choose will shape what a given candidate actually takes home far more than a single national number can.
At a glance
BLS OEWS, SOC 29-1021, May 2025
National median
$170,950/yr
25th to 75th percentile, national
Middle 50%
$125,710–$224,040
90th percentile, national (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
Top 10%
$319,630+
Budget from your own state where you can — the per-state breakdown at /career-guides/dentist/salary/ lists every state with a published BLS estimate; the spread between states is wide even before comp structure enters the picture.
The bigger driver is structure.
The more common model, per ADA guidance, is a percentage of production or collections, which ties pay directly to how full the schedule runs.
A base salary plus a production bonus is the other structure practices offer, trading upside for stability.
Our research found no primary or ADA source for a standard percentage or base.
Neither is "correct"; they suit different schedules and different candidates.
Ways to structure the pay
Percentage of production or collections
Best for: Full or growing schedules, experienced associates
A percentage of what the associate bills (production) or actually collects (collections); our research found no primary or ADA source for a standard rate.
Trade-off: Rewards a strong producer with real upside, but pay swings with schedule fullness — a slow month is a real pay cut, not just a slow month.
When to use: When you can offer a reasonably full schedule from day one, or you're hiring an associate confident in their own production.
Daily-rate guarantee
Best for: A new associate or a schedule still filling
A flat guaranteed amount per day worked, sometimes structured as a floor under a percentage-of-production formula (the associate is paid the higher of the two).
Trade-off: You carry the risk of a light schedule instead of the associate.
That is usually the point, and it costs less than losing a good hire in month two.
When to use: New-patient flow is still building, or you're testing fit before a longer-term structure.
Base salary plus production bonus
Best for: New graduates who want income stability; larger group practices
A base salary plus a bonus tied to a percentage of production once a threshold is met; our research found no primary or ADA source for typical base or bonus figures.
Trade-off: Lower upside than a straight percentage, but predictable income — a meaningful draw for a first-year associate carrying dental-school debt.
When to use: You're a multi-location practice, or you're competing for new graduates who value predictability.
If the associate is a W-2 employee, standard payroll withholding and benefits rules apply — this is not the 1099 question that comes up with hygiene or assisting temp work.
The Dentist Hiring Market Right Now
The dentist openings you are competing with, from the 967 active listings on DentistryHires as of November 13, 2026.
Employers with the most openings
Where the openings are
- California121
- Texas95
- Florida69
- Arizona53
- Colorado43
Pay employers post
- Median $204,000 a year; the middle half of posted pay runs $190,000–$300,000 (135 listings that state a salary)
- 14% of dentist listings state any pay at all, so posting a range helps yours stand out.
Benefits listings name
- Health insurancenamed in 84%
- Paid or provided CEnamed in 83%
- 401(k) plannamed in 62%
- Dental or vision coveragenamed in 62%
- Malpractice insurancenamed in 57%
- Paid time offnamed in 33%
- Advancement opportunitiesnamed in 26%
- Uncapped earning potentialnamed in 24%
Source: active dentist listings on DentistryHires, updated daily. Pay figures use only listings that state pay (midpoint of each posted range) and are hidden when one employer posted most of them. Benefits count listings that name the benefit; a listing that doesn’t mention one may still offer it.
See the listings →Questions employers ask
What is the average associate dentist salary?
The national median for dentists overall is $170,950 a year, with the middle 50% earning between $125,710 and $224,040 (BLS OEWS, SOC 29-1021, May 2025).
Per ADA guidance, pay for employed dentists is more commonly based on a percentage of production or collections than a flat salary, so actual take-home depends heavily on schedule and case mix, not just this national figure.
Should I offer a percentage of production or a base salary?
It depends on how full and predictable your schedule is and who you're trying to attract.
A percentage rewards a strong producer but is a weak offer against an empty schedule; a base-plus-bonus structure trades upside for stability and tends to appeal to newer graduates.
No source we found publishes a standard base or percentage for any of these — set yours from your own schedule and the trade-offs above.
How common is DSO-affiliated practice now?
Meaningful, and growing: DSO-affiliated practice covered 16.1% of U.S. dentists in 2024 — and about 1 in 4 dentists up to 10 years out of school — per ADA HPI, which reports the share has more than doubled since 2015.
What DSO-affiliated practices pay, no source we found publishes — so compare candidates on the structure and stability of your offer, not on any assumed DSO pay norm.
Does a non-compete affect what I should offer?
It's a separate question from pay, but it affects how a candidate values your offer overall.
Enforceability is set by state law and varies widely — some states bar non-competes for dentists entirely.
See the career-guide article on dentist non-competes rather than assuming your template's clause is enforceable everywhere.
Post the role
Put your listing in front of associate dentists who are actively looking.
More for Hiring a Dentist
- How to Hire a Dentist →
- General Dentist Job Description Template →
- Dentist Interview Questions: What to Ask and What to Listen For →
- Associate Dentist Contract: Sample Outline and What to Include →
- Hiring a Locum or Temp Dentist: When and How →
- Hiring Your First Associate →
- Career guide: The Dentist Career and Profession: What Dentists Do, Pay and Path →