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Best Jobs For Former Dentists [2026]

By Chris Kolmar
Jul. 13, 2022
Last Modified and Fact Checked on: Jan. 20, 2026

Best Jobs for Former Dentists in 2026

As the dental profession evolves, many dentists are reconsidering their career paths. The landscape has changed significantly, leading to a decline in new dentists entering the field. With the job market for dental professionals facing challenges, it’s worth exploring where former dentists are heading next.

This leads us to an important question:

What career paths are they pursuing now?

To gain insights, we analyzed the resumes of former dentists and identified the most common career transitions. We focused on the top 100 jobs that emerged from our analysis.

Here’s a quick overview of the top ten most common jobs for former dentists:

  1. Associate Dentist (Overview)

  2. General Dentist (Overview)

  3. Dental Assistant (Overview)

  4. Dentist/Owner (Overview)

  5. Volunteer (Overview)

  6. Dental Services Director (Overview)

  7. General Practice (Overview)

  8. Research Assistant (Overview)

  9. Teaching Assistant (Overview)

  10. Internship (Overview)

These roles leverage skills that dentists often possess or serve as stepping stones to different careers.

However, the list above may seem predictable. To provide a more captivating perspective, we’ve highlighted some of the most unexpected and interesting career moves made by former dentists:

  1. Volunteer Jobs (Overview)

  2. Dental Services Director Jobs (Overview)

  3. General Practice Jobs (Overview)

  4. Research Assistant Jobs (Overview)

  5. Associate Jobs (Overview)

  6. Clinical Director Jobs (Overview)

  7. Teaching Assistant Jobs (Overview)

  8. Internship Jobs (Overview)

  9. Orthodontist Jobs (Overview)

  10. Customer Service Representative Jobs (Overview)

While some of these positions may appear more appealing than others, they certainly capture attention.

How We Determined the Most Common Jobs of Former Dentists

Using data from our extensive database of over 7 million resumes, we examined all entries that listed “dentist” in their work history. We then identified the subsequent jobs they pursued, ranking them by frequency.

This method provided us with our initial rankings.

To highlight the most interesting career transitions, we reviewed the ranked list for any positions that:

  • Represented less than 1% of all new job listings
  • Were not included in the top 100 most common jobs in our database

That’s how we compiled this list—below, you’ll find the detailed ranking of the most common jobs for former dentists.

Detailed Ranking of the Most Common Jobs of Former Dentists

Rank Job Title %
1 Associate Dentist 11.17%
2 General Dentist 10.68%
3 Dental Assistant 7.61%
4 Dentist/Owner 2.1%
5 Volunteer 1.78%
6 Dental Services Director 1.46%
7 General Practice 1.29%
8 Research Assistant 1.29%
9 Teaching Assistant 1.13%
10 Internship 1.13%
11 Associate 1.13%
12 Clinical Director 1.13%
13 Orthodontist 0.97%
14 Dental Hygienist 0.97%
15 Customer Service Representative 0.97%
16 Periodontist 0.81%
17 Consultant 0.81%
18 Resident 0.81%
19 Instructor 0.81%
20 Office Manager 0.65%
21 Server 0.65%
22 Sales Associate 0.65%
23 Optometrist/Practice Owner 0.65%
24 Fellow 0.65%
25 Owner 0.65%
26 Dental Officer 0.65%
27 Operations Manager 0.49%
28 Teacher 0.49%
29 Registered Dental Assistant 0.49%
30 Clinical Instructor 0.49%
31 Home Health Aid 0.49%
32 General Education Teacher 0.32%
33 President/Owner 0.32%
34 Student Internship 0.32%
35 Administrative Assistant 0.32%
36 Lead Dental Assistant 0.32%
37 Environmental Health Specialist 0.32%
38 Cashier 0.32%
39 Community Service Volunteer 0.32%
40 Ship Worker 0.32%
41 Customer Service Trainer 0.32%
42 Psychologist, Private Practice 0.32%
43 Assistant 0.32%
44 Graduate Research Assistant 0.32%
45 Teacher Assistant 0.32%
46 Clinician 0.32%
47 Cosmetic Dentist 0.32%
48 Clerk 0.32%
49 Insurance Coordinator 0.32%
50 Chief Executive Officer 0.32%
51 Orthodontic Assistant 0.32%
52 Front Desk Receptionist 0.32%
53 Oral Surgeon 0.32%
54 Doctor 0.32%
55 Product Manager 0.32%
56 Research Associate 0.32%
57 Analyst Internship 0.32%
58 Special Education Teacher 0.32%
59 Adjunct Faculty 0.32%
60 Dental Assisting Instructor 0.32%
61 Assembler 0.32%
62 Manager 0.32%
63 Office Assistant 0.32%
64 Technician 0.32%
65 Office Administrator 0.32%
66 Science Teacher 0.16%
67 Call Center Representative 0.16%
68 Singer 0.16%
69 Systems Analyst 0.16%
70 Family Member Caretaker 0.16%
71 Sales Manager 0.16%
72 Director, Network Operations 0.16%
73 Processor 0.16%
74 Licensed Agent 0.16%
75 Registered Nurse 0.16%
76 Graduate Assistant 0.16%
77 Prosthodontist 0.16%
78 Team Leader 0.16%
79 Field Sales Representative 0.16%
80 Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeon 0.16%
81 Manager Stylist 0.16%
82 Call Center Specialist 0.16%
83 Health Researcher 0.16%
84 Attorney 0.16%
85 Front Office Administrator 0.16%
86 Associate Manager 0.16%
87 Detailer 0.16%
88 Receptionist 0.16%
89 Therapist 0.16%
90 Network Internship 0.16%
91 Handyman 0.16%
92 Senior Technician Specialist 0.16%
93 Dishwasher/Busser 0.16%
94 Sales Agent 0.16%
95 President/Chief Executive Officer 0.16%
96 Human Resources Internship 0.16%
97 Clinical Manager 0.16%
98 Customer Service Manager 0.16%
99 Provider Services Representative 0.16%
100 Medical Biller Coder 0.16%

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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