General dentist vs cosmetic dentist

The differences between general dentists and cosmetic dentists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cosmetic dentist has an average salary of $160,413, which is higher than the $147,636 average annual salary of a general dentist.

The top three skills for a general dentist include patients, patient care and treatment planning. The most important skills for a cosmetic dentist are oral surgery, DDS, and dentures.

General dentist vs cosmetic dentist overview

	General Dentist	Cosmetic Dentist
Yearly salary	$147,636	$160,413
Hourly rate	$70.98	$77.12
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	48,612	25,507
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

General dentist vs cosmetic dentist salary

General dentists and cosmetic dentists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Dentist	Cosmetic Dentist
Average salary	$147,636	$160,413
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $219,000	Between $94,000 And $273,000
Highest paying City	Haverhill, MA	-
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	-
Best paying company	Berkshire	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between general dentist and cosmetic dentist education

There are a few differences between a general dentist and a cosmetic dentist in terms of educational background:

	General Dentist	Cosmetic Dentist
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences	Advanced Dentistry And Oral Sciences
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

General dentist vs cosmetic dentist demographics

Here are the differences between general dentists' and cosmetic dentists' demographics:

	General Dentist	Cosmetic Dentist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%	Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 23.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 18.6% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between general dentist and cosmetic dentist duties and responsibilities

General dentist example responsibilities.

Set up OSHA plan for the office, and lead OSHA training.
Manage HMO and indemnity dental insurances.
Observe bonding, restorations, tooth extraction, periodontal surgery, dentures, root canal, and crown placement
Perform dental surgical procedures including extraction of diseas or irreparably decay teeth.
Work with Rueben Gordon, DDS
Hone dental/patient management skills.Alan Jon Napoles, DDS

Cosmetic dentist example responsibilities.

Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
Provide Invisalign treatment to correct dental alignment.

General dentist vs cosmetic dentist skills

Common general dentist skills

Patients, 34%
Patient Care, 25%
Treatment Planning, 15%
Diagnosis, 4%
OSHA, 2%
Dentures, 2%

Common cosmetic dentist skills

Oral Surgery, 27%
DDS, 21%
Dentures, 16%
Treatment Planning, 16%
Direct Patient Care, 8%
Dental Practice, 6%

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General Dentist vs Cosmetic Dentist

Updated January 8, 2025

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