Pediatric dentists: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Pediatric dentists focus on dentistry for children and special-needs patients.
- Education Required
 - All dental schools require applicants to have completed certain science courses, such as biology and chemistry, before entering dental school. Students typically need at least a bachelors degree to enter most dental programs, although no specific major is required. However, majoring in a science, such as biology, might increase ones chances of being accepted. Requirements vary by school.
 - Training Required
 - All nine dental specialties require dentists to complete additional training before practicing that specialty. This training is usually a 2- to 4-year residency in a program related to the specialty. General dentists do not need additional training after dental school.
 - Job Outlook
 - 
      The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 17% (Much faster than average)
      
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
 - Dentists must be licensed in the state(s) in which they work. All states require dentists to be licensed; requirements vary by state. Most states require a dentist to have a degree from an accredited dental school and to pass the written and practical National Board Dental Examinations.
 - Median pay: How much do Dentists make?
 - $159,770 Annual Salary
 - $76.81 per hour
 
Careers for Dentists
- Dental public health specialists
 - Dental surgeons
 - Dentofacial orthopedics dentists
 - Doctors, dental medicine
 - Doctors, dental surgery
 - Endodontists
 - Family dentists
 - Invisible braces orthodontists
 - Maxillofacial pathologists
 - Maxillofacial prosthetics dentists
 - Maxillofacial prosthodontists
 - Maxillofacial surgeons
 - Oral and maxillofacial radiologists
 - Oral and maxillofacial surgeons
 - Oral pathologists
 - Oral surgeons
 - Orthodontists
 - Pathologists, oral
 - Pediatric orthodontists
 - Pedodontists
 - Periodontists
 - Prosthodontists
 - Public health dentists
 - Radiologists, oral and maxillofacial
 - Reconstructive dentists
 - Surgeons, dental
 - Surgeons, oral and maxillofacial