How Much Do Dentists Earn? And How Long Does it Take to Become One?

Within the healthcare industry, dentistry is often seen as one of the more secure and well-paid careers. Combining clinical skill with patient care, dentistry offers clear progression and potential for high earnings, particularly for those who are willing to specialise or run their own practice.

So how long does it take to become a dentist? How much exactly do they make? And what dentist qualifications will you need?

What Skills Do You Need to Become a Dentist?

First thing’s first, if you want to become a dentist then there are a handful of skills you’ll need to have. Qualifications aside – and we’ll get to those later – dentists need to have excellent manual dexterity along with the ability to work under pressure. While it may not be quite as stressful as being a surgeon it does fall into a similar category.

You need to be able to work carefully, quickly, and confidently. You need to be able to recall your knowledge perfectly while you’re working.

It’s also important to have people skills. A lot of people get nervous when going to the dentist. Even just a checkup can be stressful. People are pretty much hard wired to be protective of anything coming near their face. At the dentist, patients have to sit at a vulnerable angle while allowing someone to poke around and operate tools inside their mouth. Put simply, patients need to be able to trust their dentist.

That’s why a really good dentist isn’t just good at the technical side of their job. If you want to be a great dentist, knowing how to communicate and put people at ease is vital. Often the simplest way to establish trust is to make sure the patient understands what’s happening at all times. That means a lot of explaining.

This is also important because dentists regularly need to provide oral hygiene and maintenance advice tailored to the patient. Whether it’s how to keep their crown clean or advice on managing gum disease, part of a dentist’s job is to teach the patient the best way to look after their teeth.

How Much Do Dentists Earn in the UK?

Newly qualified dentists usually start on a lower salary while completing their foundation training. They generally earn between £30,000 and £40,000 depending on two important factors. Private dentists are better paying than NHS dentists and earnings tend to be higher in large cities, particularly London.

More experienced dentists move up to the £50,000-£80,000 range and can even reach into the six figures if they do highly specialist work. All told there’s a huge variation but experience, reputation, and business skills will take you a long way.

Why Do Private Dentists Earn More?

Most dentists in the UK take a combination of private and NHS patients. NHS work has its advantages due to being stable and consistent. It’s a predictable way to ensure that you’ve always got enough patients on hand to cover the books.

That said, NHS work seriously limits how much dentists can charge. Private work, on the other hand, is where they make their real money, particularly when it comes to highly specialised cases.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Dentist?

If you’re thinking of pursuing a career as a dentist, expect it to take a minimum of five years to become fully qualified. First of all you’ll need to do a five year undergraduate degree following which you’ll have to do 1-2 years of post-graduate training. During your post graduate training you will be able to start working meaning you’ll be earning a basic entry level income.

All told it usually takes the best part of a decade to become a dentist but once you’re fully qualified there’s a potential for very high earnings.