Fix teeth, run a clinic, earn well. Eight years of school and a lot of debt first.
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Pay, the path, pros and cons and the facts on one printable page. Good for a wall or a guidance counsellor.
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What you earn and what it costs to get there.
Typical associate
$160,000
First-year associate
$110,000
Practice owner
$300,000
Associates are paid a share of what they bill, often 35% to 45%. Owners keep what is left after staff, rent and equipment. Pay varies a lot by province and by how busy the clinic is. Job Bank's census-based figures are lower: a median of about $110,000 a year and a top end of about $228,000, pulled down by part-timers and new grads.
$110,000 to $150,000
First year or two as an associate in someone else's clinic
Rural and small-town clinics often pay more because they struggle to hire. Big cities have more dentists competing for the same patients.
$250,000+
Established owners, after expenses
Most dentists own or co-own a clinic within 10 years of graduating. Buying one costs $500,000 to well over $1 million, usually with a bank loan.
Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel
The low end is two years of undergraduate study before applying, then four years of dental school at the cheapest Canadian tuition, plus the DAT (Dental Aptitude Test), the NDEB (National Dental Examining Board) application and certification exam, and the first year of a provincial licence. The high end is a full four year undergraduate degree and a dental school near $60,000 a year. Many new dentists finish owing $200,000 to $350,000 once living costs and interest are added, and licence and insurance keep costing $3,000 to $6,000 every year after that. Buying into or building a practice is a separate six figure decision later on.
Many new dentists graduate owing $200,000 to $350,000. It is one of the most expensive degrees in Canada, and also one of the best paid.
Few, if you are an associate
Most associates are self-employed contractors: no pension, no paid vacation, no employer health plan. You buy your own.
Ownership is the real benefit
A clinic is an asset you sell when you retire.
Free dental care for your family
Standard in most clinics.
Public health and hospital jobs
Salaried, with a pension and benefits, but lower pay.
The exact path from high school to qualified.
University first, then a four-year professional degree, then national exams.
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Biology, chemistry, physics, math and English. Marks matter a lot.
University science courses
2 to 4 years
Dental schools want at least 2 to 3 years of university. Most people who get in have finished a full degree.
DAT (dental aptitude test)
One day
A half-day test of science, reading and perceptual ability. Written in your second or third year of university.
Dental school
4 years
Four years for a DDS (doctor of dental surgery) or DMD (doctor of dental medicine) at one of 10 Canadian schools. Two years of science and lab work, then two years treating real patients under supervision.
NDEB (National Dental Examining Board) exam and provincial licence
A few months
Pass the national certification exam, then register with your provincial dental college. Then you can work.
Biology
Required.
Chemistry
Required, and organic chemistry comes later.
Physics
Math
Calculus and functions.
Art or shop class
Fine hand skills matter. Anything that trains your hands helps.
Every province has a dental college, for example the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario. Only registered dentists can diagnose, drill, pull teeth or use the title. Moving provinces is straightforward once you hold NDEB (National Dental Examining Board) certification, which every province accepts.
There are only 10 dental schools in Canada.
University of Toronto, Western University
Ontario
McGill, Université de Montréal, Université Laval
Quebec
UBC (University of British Columbia), University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba
Western Canada
Dalhousie University
Nova Scotia, also serves the other Atlantic provinces
Things you don't need, but that help.
All of these need 2 to 6 more years after dental school, and you usually pay tuition during residency.
Orthodontist
2 to 3 more years. Braces and aligners. $300,000 or more.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
4 to 6 more years, sometimes with a medical degree. Wisdom teeth, jaw surgery, implants.
Pediatric dentist
2 to 3 more years. Kids only.
Endodontist or periodontist
2 to 3 more years. Root canals, or gums and implants.
Shadow a dentist
Most schools expect it. Start by asking your own dentist.
Work as a dental assistant or receptionist
Shows you know the environment.
Hands-on hobbies
Drawing, model building, music. Anything that needs fine motor control.
Research or volunteering
Admissions looks at the whole file, not only marks.
Remote and northern communities offer signing bonuses and higher pay, and some provinces help repay student loans if you practise in an underserved area for a few years. Canadian dental degrees are also recognized in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland with some paperwork.
Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.
Most dentists work 4 days a week, 8 to 9 hours each. A morning might be two fillings, a crown and a few check-ups, each booked for 30 to 60 minutes, with the hygienist's patients to check in between. Afternoons are similar, plus the occasional emergency toothache. Owners spend part of every day on staff, supplies and billing.
The good
The hard parts
Like the field but not this exact job?
Things people don't tell you.
The Canadian Dental Care Plan started in 2024 and covers millions of lower-income Canadians who had no dental insurance. It is the biggest new source of dental patients in decades.
Canada's 10 dental schools graduate only just over 500 new dentists a year between them. Every school gets far more applicants than it has seats.
The large majority of Canadian dentists work in private practice, either owning a clinic or working as an associate in one. Hospital and public health dentists are rare.
The whole job happens inside a space the size of a fist, often seen through a mirror. Dental schools test spatial reasoning for that reason. Being good at drawing or building things is a real advantage.
Last checked September 2026. Pay figures are typical full-time annual amounts in Canadian dollars, based on Government of Canada Job Bank wage data and published salary grids. They vary by province, employer and experience. Tuition is for domestic students.