Dentist

Fix teeth, run a clinic, earn well. Eight years of school and a lot of debt first.

Typical pay: $110,000a year
Time to qualify: 6 to 8 yearsafter high school
Demand: Very high
Licence needed: Yesregulated job

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Quick answers

How much does a dentist make in Canada?

The median pay is about $110,000 a year. Across everyone in the job it runs from about $33,000 at the lower end to about $228,000 at the upper end. The source is listed under Sources at the end of this page.

How long does it take to become a dentist in Canada?

6 to 8 years after high school, on the usual route.

What does it cost to become a dentist?

$119,800 to $288,800 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.

Do you need a licence to work as a dentist in Canada?

Yes. It is a regulated job, so you need a licence or registration before you can work.

What is the job outlook for a dentist in Canada?

Very high demand nationally, from government outlook data. Demand varies by region, so check your area.

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Dentist salary in Canada

What you earn and what it costs to get there.

What dentists make

Median

$110,000

Lower end

$33,000

Upper end

$228,000

These are Job Bank (the Government of Canada job site) figures for all dentists together, a year. General dentists and every dental specialist are in one group. The numbers come from the 2021 Census (Statistics Canada). Job Bank notes that a large number of people in this group are self-employed. Associates are paid a share of what they bill, and owners keep what is left after staff, rent and equipment, so pay varies a lot by province and by how busy the clinic is.

Where pay is highest

$180,000 a year

The median in Newfoundland and Labrador, the highest of any province

New Brunswick follows at $132,000 and Nova Scotia at $126,000. British Columbia's median is the lowest, at $84,000. New dentists usually start as associates, paid a share of what they bill, so early income depends on how busy the clinic is.

Owning a practice

Paid from profit

Owners keep what the clinic makes after staff, rent and equipment. No public survey reports it

Many dentists go on to own or co-own a clinic. Buying one usually takes a large bank loan.

What it costs to get there

University before dental school (2 to 4 years): $7,000 to $10,000 a year
DAT (dental aptitude test): About $600
Dental school tuition (4 years): $25,000 to $60,000 a year
NDEB (National Dental Examining Board) application and certification exam: About $2,200
Provincial licence and insurance: $3,000 to $6,000 a year

Roughly, all in

$119,800 to $288,800

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.

Benefits

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.
Dental care for your family at no cost
Standard in most clinics.
Public health and hospital jobs
Salaried, with a pension and benefits.

How to become a dentist in Canada

The exact path from high school to qualified.

The path to becoming a dentist, step by step

University first, then a four-year professional degree, then national exams.

1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Biology, chemistry, physics, math and English. Marks matter a lot.
2
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.
3
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.
4
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.
5
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.

High school courses that help you become a dentist

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.

Time and money, at a glance

Years after high school: 7 to 8 for most people
Dental school admission: Competitive, with far more applicants than seats
Total tuition, including university: $114,000 to $280,000
Paid while training?: No. Summer jobs only.

A regulated profession

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.

Where people study

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

Quebec routeIn Quebec? The route is different. 2 more cards.

The path in Quebec

In Quebec you start dental school straight from CEGEP (public college), with no bachelor's degree first.

1
Finish Secondary V
Age 16 or 17
With Secondary V math (Technical and Scientific, or Science option), chemistry and physics. These are the entry courses for the CEGEP (public college) science program.
2
Science DEC (Diploma of College Studies)
2 years
A 2 year CEGEP (public college) program (200.B1), offered in English at Dawson and the other English colleges. Take the biology and chemistry courses dental schools ask for.
3
Dental school, straight from CEGEP
4 to 5 years
McGill starts with a 1 year Dent-P preparatory year, then a 4 year DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine). Montréal's DMD is 5 years, Laval's 4. Laval uses the TAED (dental aptitude test), Casper and interviews.
4
NDEB exams and ODQ (Ordre des dentistes du Québec) permit
After graduating
Pass the NDEB (National Dental Examining Board) exams, as everywhere in Canada. The ODQ, the Quebec order of dentists, then issues your permit once you show French.

Dental schools in Quebec

McGill University: Dent-P year plus a 4 year DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine), in English
Université de Montréal: 5 year DMD, 219 credits, in French
Université Laval: 4 year DMD, 219 credits, in French, in Quebec City

McGill's Dent-P year is only for Quebec residents coming straight from CEGEP (public college). From fall 2027, Montréal drops the TAED (dental aptitude test) and Casper and uses a motivation questionnaire instead.

What helps you get ahead as a dentist

Things you don't need, but that help.

Specialties

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.
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.

Nice-to-haves before you apply

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.

Working in the North or abroad

Remote and northern communities often recruit with incentives, 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.

What being a dentist is really like

Day to day, pros and cons, where you'd work.

What a dentist does day to day

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 honest pros and cons of being a dentist

The good

A Job Bank median of about $110,000 a year
Regular daytime hours, rarely nights or on-call
You see the result of your work right away
Steady demand: everyone has teeth

The hard parts

Very expensive and very competitive to get in
Back, neck and wrist strain from bending over patients all day
Many patients are scared of you
Running a small business is a second job

Work life

Typical hours: 32 to 40 a week, usually 4 days
Remote work: No
Physical demand: Moderate, fine hand work in awkward positions
Unionized: No, most are self-employed

Similar paths

Like the field but not this exact job?

Things nobody tells you about being a dentist

Things people don't tell you.

A federal dental plan changed the market

The Canadian Dental Care Plan started in 2024 and covers millions of lower-income Canadians who had no dental insurance, which brought new patients into clinics.

Only 10 dental schools

Canada's 10 dental schools graduate a few hundred new dentists a year between them. Every school gets far more applicants than it has seats.

A shortage is coming

Job Bank counted about 21,400 dentists in Canada in 2023, and 42% of them were 50 or older. It expects a strong risk of a dentist shortage through 2033.

The hands matter as much as the marks

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.

How a dentist compares

Every list is built from the same numbers shown above, so you can see where this career sits next to the others.

More health careers in Canada

Dental and eye care first, then the rest of the field. See every career in health.

Where these numbers come from

Last checked October 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. How every figure on this site is sourced and checked.