Beginning in high school, aspiring orthodontists should take a course load heavy in chemistry and biology to best prepare them for similar studies during their undergraduate years. Students should also take on courses in physics and mathematics and continue these studies through college. Dental schools require a very competitive grade point average as well as a strong score on the Medical College Admissions Test. Once accepted to dental school you will continue to study in the science of dentistry as well as microbiology and mathematics and laboratory work under supervision. After four years of study in dental school you will hold either a doctorate of dental surgery or a doctorate of dental medicine, depending on your program, and will then enter studies for orthodontics.
Combined, schooling after high school for most orthodontists before entering orthodontics school totals eight years, and only 11 percent of students graduating from dental school will go on to pursue a degree or specialization in orthodontics according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Schooling in orthodontics involves not just a continued study of the science of dentistry, but specialized and hands-on lab time specializing in orthodontics practice, including studies in diagnostics as well as surgery.
The rewards for those who choose to become orthodontists can be substantial, however. The mean annual salary for an orthodontist in the United States is $206,190 according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures from 2009. The BLS also indicates that there are approximately 5,410 orthodontists employed in the United States.
Employment figures for orthodontists show that just 7 percent of the total number of graduates from dental school are currently employed as orthodontists according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, with the generation of baby boomers currently educated in and practicing in orthodontics inching toward retirement age, it is believed that many of these positions will become available for recent graduates of orthodontics programs. Doctors with degrees in Orthodontics and Orthodontology seeking employment should know that the employment rate for orthodontists is expected to rise by 9 percent by 2016 to a total of 10,000.