Prosthodontists
Diagnose, treat, rehabilitate, design, and fit prostheses that maintain oral function, health, and appearance for patients with clinical conditions associated with teeth, oral and maxillofacial tissues, or the jaw.
- Median pay
- $311,180
- Doing it now
- 1,000
- By 2035
- Up 5.8%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
a year
across the country
0 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Fit prostheses to patients, making any necessary adjustments and modifications.
- Design and fabricate dental prostheses, or supervise dental technicians and laboratory bench workers who construct the devices.
- Measure and take impressions of patients' jaws and teeth to determine the shape and size of dental prostheses, using face bows, dental articulators, recording devices, and other materials.
- Collaborate with general dentists, specialists, and other health professionals to develop solutions to dental and oral health concerns.
- Repair, reline, or rebase dentures.
- Restore function and aesthetics to traumatic injury survivors, or to individuals with diseases or congenital disabilities.
- Use bonding technology on the surface of the teeth to change tooth shape or to close gaps.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral SciencesSee 2 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Analytical and curious
Helping and teaching
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $311,180 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.