Will AI replace orthodontists?

Unlikely, though parts of the work are changing. About 32m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks touched by AI working on its own. The other 7h 28m (93%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 6% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 1 of 11 tasks, about 32m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Prepare diagnostic and treatment records. (32m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here. For 3 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

7h 28m of a typical shift, or 93%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function. (2h 34m a shift)
• Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth. (1h 17m a shift)
• Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures. (38m a shift)
• Study diagnostic records, such as medical or dental histories, plaster models of the teeth, photos of a patient's face and teeth, and X-rays, to develop patient treatment plans. (38m a shift)
• Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities. (32m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 93% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 92% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important

On Indeed, job postings in the Dental sector are at 117% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 14.9% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 200 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $289,140 a year ($139.01 an hour), 467% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $99,850 and $416,000 or more a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 7,500 jobs in 2035. It expects about 200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 6,210 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 712th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 7,500 in 2035.

The most common requirement is post-doctoral training: about 69% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Time Management, Coordination, Monitoring, Science
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 7h 28m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Facebook, Microsoft Office software
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (0m touched, $352k median pay)
• Prosthodontists (0m touched, $311k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 1 observed in real AI use, 10 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.