Dentist vs associate dentist

The differences between dentists and associate dentists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate dentist has an average salary of $148,530, which is higher than the $147,415 average annual salary of a dentist.

The top three skills for a dentist include patients, diagnosis and DDS. The most important skills for an associate dentist are patients, DDS, and oral health.

Dentist vs associate dentist overview

	Dentist	Associate Dentist
Yearly salary	$147,415	$148,530
Hourly rate	$70.87	$71.41
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	8,570	7,961
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Doctoral Degree, 49%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

What does a dentist do?

Dentists are physicians specializing in oral health. The main responsibilities of dentists are to diagnose oral diseases and treat them with the help of different equipment and technologies. They manage to provide several services like tooth repair, cavities removal, teeth whitening, fillings, crowns, bridges, and even surgical procedures. They also help promote oral care by participating in community outreach and awareness programs. Sometimes, they would also conduct lectures and seminars for preventive education.

What does an associate dentist do?

An Associate Dentist helps the dentist carry out dental duties effectively and efficiently. They also help design plans for the treatment of the patients, provide anesthesia, and schedule patients appointments.

Dentist vs associate dentist salary

Dentists and associate dentists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dentist	Associate Dentist
Average salary	$147,415	$148,530
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $218,000	Between $99,000 And $221,000
Highest paying City	Lynn, MA	Danvers, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	The Primary Health Network	Paris
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between dentist and associate dentist education

There are a few differences between a dentist and an associate dentist in terms of educational background:

	Dentist	Associate Dentist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Doctoral Degree, 49%
Most common major	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Dentist vs associate dentist demographics

Here are the differences between dentists' and associate dentists' demographics:

	Dentist	Associate Dentist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 22.0% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 26.7% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between dentist and associate dentist duties and responsibilities

Dentist example responsibilities.

Manage HMO and indemnity dental insurances.
Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Experience with Medicaid, HMO, and PPO dental insurance plans.
Shadow Dr. Victor Avis, DDS in all dental procedures and assist in routine and surgical oral surgeries.
Provide dental service mostly to Medicaid patient.
Full mouth prophyllaxis, assisting flap surgery, frenectomy.

Associate dentist example responsibilities.

Provide and manage direct patient care, including examinations, evaluations, diagnosis and treatment for practice's diverse patient population.
Perform quality patient care in a busy Medicaid and insurance practice including root canals, crowns, dentures, and extractions
Diagnose and provide treatment for mostly Medicaid patients.
Use Dentrix and Dexis software on a daily basis.
Fast pace office that serve a large percentage of Medicaid insure pediatric population.
Provide patient care in all aspects of general dentistry including tasks like filling, tooth extraction, and setting artificial dentures.

Dentist vs associate dentist skills

Common dentist skills

Patients, 27%
Diagnosis, 9%
DDS, 8%
Work Ethic, 8%
Dentures, 4%
Treatment Planning, 4%

Common associate dentist skills

Patients, 58%
DDS, 14%
Oral Health, 8%
Aspen, 4%
Dental Services, 4%
Dentures, 3%

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Dentist vs Associate Dentist

Updated January 8, 2025

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