Dentist vs dental surgeon

The differences between dentists and dental surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a dental surgeon has an average salary of $279,537, 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 a dental surgeon are patients, diagnosis, and dental clinic.

Dentist vs dental surgeon overview

	Dentist	Dental Surgeon
Yearly salary	$147,415	$279,537
Hourly rate	$70.87	$134.39
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	8,570	32,596
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	46	49
Years of experience	-	6

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 a dental surgeon do?

A Dental Surgeon performs surgery on various parts of the head, neck, and mouth. They perform repairs on injuries due to facial trauma, reconstruction to correct birth defects, and treatment of various diseases.

Dentist vs dental surgeon salary

Dentists and dental surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dentist	Dental Surgeon
Average salary	$147,415	$279,537
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $218,000	Between $150,000 And $517,000
Highest paying City	Lynn, MA	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	The Primary Health Network	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between dentist and dental surgeon education

There are a few differences between a dentist and a dental surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Dentist	Dental Surgeon
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
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 dental surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between dentists' and dental surgeons' demographics:

	Dentist	Dental Surgeon
Average age	46	49
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 39.5% Female, 60.5%
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, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between dentist and dental surgeon 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.

Dental surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Work collaboratively with other professionals to create effective treatment for the patients.
Research on tobacco induce oral cancers and diagnose and perform surgical treatments on oral cancer patients.
General dentistry focuse on restorative, minor surgeries and open method extractions, removable prosthetics, endodontics, non-surgical periodontics
Review A/R report & outstanding claim for follow up with office manager at EOM.

Dentist vs dental surgeon skills

Common dentist skills

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

Common dental surgeon skills

Patients, 33%
Diagnosis, 10%
Dental Clinic, 9%
Surgical Extractions, 5%
Oral Surgery, 5%
Surgical Procedures, 4%

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Dentist vs Dental Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

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