How To Become An Orthodontic Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is an orthodontic technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Manish Valiathan

The average orthodontic technician salary is $73,370. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an dental assisting major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become an orthodontic technician. Orthodontic technicians with a Dental Assistant (RDA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 1,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What's a day at work look like for an orthodontic technician?

Manish Valiathan

Associate Professor, Case Western Reserve University

In the short run, so long as the social distancing requirements are in place, all providers will work at a slightly reduced capacity. This is also an opportunity to take one's time to cultivate relationships in the office, evaluate systems and processes, with a keen eye towards opportunities for improvements.

ScoreOrthodontic TechnicianUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $73,370

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 9.53%

Black or African American 9.26%

Hispanic or Latino 17.45%

Unknown 3.88%

White 59.34%

Gender

female 86.04%

male 13.96%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an orthodontic technician

Explore orthodontic technician education requirements

Most common orthodontic technician degrees

High School Diploma

34.5 %

Associate

21.8 %

Bachelor's

20.2 %

Start to develop specific orthodontic technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	44.95%
Scheduling Appointments	7.17%
Patient Care	6.19%
Oral Hygiene	4.42%
Front Desk	4.09%

Complete relevant orthodontic technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New orthodontic technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an orthodontic technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real orthodontic technician resumes.

Research orthodontic technician duties and responsibilities

Discuss orthodontic procedures with patients and/or parents.
Fix old splints that are send back in for repairs (i.e.
Sterilize instruments using autoclaves, ultrasonic's and chemical disinfectants to maintain accept standards.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.

Prepare your orthodontic technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your orthodontic technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an orthodontic technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable orthodontic technician resume templates

Build a professional orthodontic technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your orthodontic technician resume.

Apply for orthodontic technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an orthodontic technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do orthodontic technicians rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Orthodontic technician reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Many many many things. The flexible schedules, the happy patients, the relationships you create with your patients and the lifelong bonds you make. You get to see the Joy and happiness flow off of them when their braces come off. It's so rewarding

Cons

Literally nothing