How to hire a periodontist

How to hire a periodontist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step periodontist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a periodontist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new periodontist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a periodontist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The periodontist hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect periodontist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of periodontists.

   Type of Periodontist	Description	Hourly rate
   Periodontist	Dentists diagnose and treat problems with patients’ teeth, gums, and related parts of the mouth. They provide advice and instruction on taking care of the teeth and gums and on diet choices that affect oral health.	$63-185
   Public Health Dentist	Public Health Dentists have a hefty requirement of a master's or bachelor's degree in public health with licensure in dentistry and experience in the field as a prerequisite for this career. In addition, they will need strong skills in communication, manual dexterity, teamwork, and a great deal of patience, stamina for long hours of work, and an approach that is both thorough and methodological... Show more	$30-136
   Pediatric Dentist	A pediatric dentist is responsible for taking care of children and infant's dental needs and concerns. Pediatric dentists maintain the patients' oral health, monitor their conditions, and schedule regular dental checkups... Show more	$47-134

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Dental Care
   • Soft Tissue
   • DR
   • Perio
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Implant Placement
   • Private Practice
   • Dental Implants
   • Medical History
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Oral Health
   • Oral Surgery
   • Dentures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Invisalign treatments and procedures.
   • Assist DR. in dental procedures mainly dentures and crowns.
   • Provide patients with single visit crowns and onlays using Cerec 3 CAD/CAM technologies
   • Carry out new patient and emergency patients screening/treatment appointments, and documenting observations and treatment.
   • Wash and sterilize equipment using germicides and sterilizers.

   More periodontist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the periodontist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A periodontist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a periodontist in Alabama may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level periodontist. Additionally, a periodontist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average periodontist salary

   $227,065yearly

   $109.17 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level periodontist salary

   $133,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average periodontist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$328,676	$158
   2	Utah	$270,931	$130
   3	Colorado	$268,289	$129
   4	Illinois	$245,656	$118
   5	Pennsylvania	$229,014	$110
   6	Wisconsin	$220,432	$106
   7	Massachusetts	$219,269	$105
   8	New York	$218,501	$105
   9	Louisiana	$217,199	$104
   10	California	$214,066	$103
   11	Florida	$213,986	$103
   12	Indiana	$213,436	$103
   13	Virginia	$193,865	$93
   14	Georgia	$192,285	$92
   15	Michigan	$188,555	$91
   16	Ohio	$182,746	$88
   17	Texas	$174,797	$84

   Average periodontist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	New England Cancer Specialists	$243,278	$116.96	1
   2	Gentle Dental	$241,320	$116.02	6
   3	Dental Care Alliance	$241,205	$115.96	53
   4	Dental Associates	$240,808	$115.77
   5	Great Expressions Dental Centers	$239,914	$115.34	11
   6	Pacific Dental Services	$235,739	$113.34	89
   7	Western Dental	$230,347	$110.74	22
   8	Modern Dental Group	$229,216	$110.20
   9	Heartland Dental	$227,898	$109.57	11
   10	Professional Dental Technology	$225,762	$108.54
   11	Westchester	$225,762	$108.54
   12	Marquee Dental Partners	$225,762	$108.54
   13	Pdc	$225,762	$108.54
   14	coast.com	$220,568	$106.04
   15	Clear Choice Health Care	$213,221	$102.51	29
   16	Smile Brands	$213,218	$102.51	30
   17	Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine	$212,788	$102.30	10
   18	Omni Health Inc	$208,844	$100.41
   19	DentalOne Partners	$204,800	$98.46
   20	Willamette Dental Group	$203,846	$98.00

4. Writing a periodontist job description

   A job description for a periodontist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a periodontist job description:

   Periodontist job description example

   Periodontist
   
   Earning Potential of $970K (for Full-Time Providers working 21 days/month)
   
   We are seeking a Part-Time Board Eligible or Board-Certified Periodontist for our offices in Tucson & Casa Grande, AZ. This is a fantastic opportunity for the right Periodontist!
   
   At Western Dental & Orthodontics, we are a Dental Home providing a lifetime of services for our patients. Periodontists, like you, support this idea by providing Periodontic treatment, including implant placement, in our fully-equipped dental facilities along with trained support staff.
   
   At Western Dental, we have a variety of Corporate Support Departments including Billing, Quality Management, Procurement/Facilities, Human Resources, and IT to provide you and the offices you work at administrative and technological support. In the field, our clinical and operational management teams work to ensure your days are scheduled efficiently so you can maximize your production.
   
   We offer a consistently, fully booked patient schedule.
   
   Our Periodontists are expected to:
   • Partner with other specialists and general dentists to provide the best optimal dental care
   • Be able to travel to various dental practices in your area
   
   We offer Immigration Sponsoring Programs including: OPT, H-1B, TN, and Green Card in select regions.
   
   We offer our Periodontists: Guaranteed Daily Base Rates plus lucrative incentive programs Part time positions available, including 1099 options Company Paid Professional Liability Insurance Company Paid CE courses 401(k) Healthcare benefits for full time providers Qualifications: We'll need you to provide:
   
   • Current Dental License for the state in which you wish to practice
   • Periodontic Certificate from an accredited U.S. Dental University
   • Current CPR Card
   • NPI Number
   • DEA Certificate
   
   Credentialing Items to Collect: Proof of right to work in the U.S. Picture Identifcation Dental License Dental School Diploma CPR Card DEA Card Five Year Work History Contact Information for Credentialing:
   Ruthie Henry
   
   CREDENTIALING/RE-CREDENTIALING REQUIREMENTS
   
   1 A - POLICY
   It is the policy of Western Dental Services, Inc., ("WDS") to utilize a credentialing process that ensures that contracted providers have appropriate professional licenses and credentials for treating WDS members. The credentialing process is paperless and the electronic files are stored on a secure network with access only given to employees involved with the credentialing process. WDS does not delegate or sub-delegate credentialing decisions. All initial and re-credentialing decisions are made by the WDS Credentialing Committee and are conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner, including but not limited to an applicant's race, religion, ethnicity, national identity, gender, age, sexual orientation and patient type/line of business. Credentialing Committee dentists are required to sign an agreement that they will make decisions in a non-discriminatory manner. A satisfactory completion of the credentialing process is a requirement of the provider contract with WDS. Re-credentialing must be completed every three years. The credentialing process is monitored, reviewed and updated on an annual basis. The Chief Dental Officer has primary responsibility for the credentialing and re-credentialing processes and routinely monitors the Credentialing Committee decisions.
   
   1 B - CREDENTIALING REQUIREMENTS
   Prior to an applicant dentist being contracted or re-contracted and prior to the provision of dental services by the applicant dentist to any WDS member, the Credentialing Committee must verify that all required credentials have been collected, that primary verification is completed, that all queries have been run and that all adverse findings have been reviewed and accepted.
   
   The following documents are required for initial credentialing: The completed and signed provider application packet (signature prior to, but within 180 days of application review by the Credentialing Committee) which includes a question about History of Hospital Affiliations or Privileges Evidence of current, unencumbered dental license (also acceptable - current, unencumbered oral and maxillofacial surgery permit ("OMS") with a current, unencumbered medical license for dual-degree oral surgeons) Evidence of applicable sedation permits, if any Copy of current CPR card (for staff model dentists) Attestation of current CPR status (for network IPA providers) Evidence of current DEA Certificate (not required for orthodontists; only for providers who will prescribe or dispense medications requiring a DEA certificate) or a statement that the doctor will not prescribe medications requiring a DEA certificate (e.g. for a newly-licensed associate doctor waiting to receive a certificate) Copy of current medical liability insurance cover page - Minimum coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence / $3,000,000 aggregate (for network IPA providers only - Staff model providers are covered under the WD group liability policy maintained by WD at all times) Verification letter/email for National Provider Identifier number Copy of applicant's resume, curriculum vitae or Work History Form Completed and signed Attestation (signature prior to, but within 90 days of application review by the Credentialing Committee) that also includes confirmation that the dentist complies with infection control guidelines For new IPA facilities only, completed facility audit with access survey Review of past WDS Quality Management history, if any (for re-contracted dentists). The Credentialing Coordinator performs verification of the following credentials: Primary verification of all previously held or current dental licenses (prior to, but within 60 days of the Credentialing Committee review) Primary verification of sedation permits, when applicable; Dental School graduation and year (through the Dental Board or specified Dental School); and Primary source completion of specialty program or certification status, if applicable. Primary source the American Board Certification, if applicable. Primary Source Verification is obtained electronically and is initialed, dated and uploaded into WDS' secure proprietary system by the QM Manager or the QM Credentialing Coordinator.
   
   WDS' system does not allow for document modification or deletion at any time. Based on system/user permissions, only the Credentialing Committee members have access to review this information. Only members of the Credentialing Committee can update system data, which is stamped with user name, date and time by the system and cannot be deleted or modified by the user. At least annually, user permissions are audited by IT.
   
   The Credentialing Coordinator queries the following (prior to, but within 60 days of the Credentialing Committee review): Dental Board for any actions or restrictions on licensure Applicant's status with the National Practitioners Data Bank ("NPDB")-Health Integrity Practitioners Data Bank ("HIPDB") Applicant's status with the Office of the Inspector General (additional state level OIG for Texas Brident providers: oig.hhsc.state.tx.us/Exclusions/Search.aspx). Medi-Cal Suspended and Ineligible List. Applicant's status with SAM.Gov. Applicant's status with Medicare Opt Out (Data.CMS.Gov) Applicant's status with OFAC The Credentialing Coordinator reviews the information collected for completeness, accuracy and conflicting information. The applicant dentist is notified by the Talent Acquisition (for staff model) or Provider Relations (for IPA) representative of any missing documents, so that the missing documents may be collected or the erroneous information can be corrected in writing to the Talent Acquisition or Provider Relations representative within 30 days, which is then forwarded to the Credentialing Coordinator. In the event the information supplied by the applicant dentist conflicts with the information obtained by the Credentialing Coordinator or when a query or attestation contains adverse actions, the provider application is pended and the applicant dentist is notified of the findings so as to obtain a written explanation/correction of the discrepancy or a written explanation of the circumstances of the adverse action within 30 days. This explanation is included with all other credentialing information to be reviewed by the Credentialing Committee.
   
   Upon request, the Credentialing Coordinator will provide the status of the credentialing application to the applicant dentist. At any time during the application process, the applicant provider may review the information contained in his/her credentialing file by contacting th

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5. Post your job

   To find the right periodontist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with periodontists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit periodontists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your periodontist job on Zippia to find and recruit periodontist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting periodontists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new periodontist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the periodontist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new periodontist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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