Pediatric Dentist

A dentist for kids only, from first tooth to the teen years. Dental school plus 2 to 3 more years of residency, and a lot of patience.

Typical pay: $110,000a year
Time to qualify: 10 to 11 yearsafter high school
Demand: Very high
Licence needed: Yesregulated job

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Where to study to become a pediatric dentist in Canada

Programs in the fields this career usually comes through. Each has its own page: what it takes to get in, the courses you need and what it costs.

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Quick answers

How much does a pediatric 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 pediatric dentist in Canada?

10 to 11 years after high school, on the usual route.

What does it cost to become a pediatric dentist?

$164,000 to $443,000 all in for tuition, fees, exams and kit. Living costs are not counted.

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

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

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Pediatric Dentist salary in Canada

What you earn and what it costs to get there.

What dentists make, all specialties together

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, so this is not a pediatric dentist figure. The numbers come from the 2021 Census (Statistics Canada). Job Bank notes that a large number of people in this group are self-employed. We could not find a public Canadian source that reports pediatric dentist pay on its own.

Where pay is highest

About $120,000

The Job Bank median for dentists in Alberta, the highest of the 4 provinces it reports

Quebec is about $106,000, Ontario $104,000 and BC (British Columbia) lowest at $84,000. Like the national figure, these pool every kind of dentist. New pediatric dentists usually join a children's practice and are paid a share of what they bill.

What it costs to get there

University before dental school (2 to 4 years): $7,000 to $10,000 a year
Dental school (4 years): $25,000 to $60,000 a year
Pediatric dentistry residency (2 to 3 years): $20,000 to $50,000 a year, usually unpaid; some hospital-based spots pay a stipend
NDSE (National Dental Specialty Examination): About $6,870 for the 2027 sitting
Specialty licence and insurance: $3,000 to $6,000 a year

Roughly, all in

$164,000 to $443,000

Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel

The low end is two years of undergraduate study, four years of dental school at a cheaper Canadian faculty, and a two year residency at the bottom of the fee range. The high end is four years of undergraduate study, dental school at the most expensive faculties, and a three year residency you pay for rather than one that comes with a hospital stipend. Both include the NDSE (National Dental Specialty Examination) and the first year of specialty licence and insurance. Debt of 300,000 to 500,000 dollars by the end is normal, and none of these figures include buying into or building a practice afterwards.

Debt of $300,000 to $500,000 by the end is common. The pay clears it, but not quickly.

Benefits

Nothing automatic in private practice
Self-employed: you buy your own health plan and save for your own retirement.
Children's hospital jobs
Salaried, with a pension and benefits. There are fewer of them.
Ownership
A specialty practice is an asset you sell when you retire.
Predictable schedule
Weekdays, daytime. Kids do not book night appointments.

How to become a pediatric dentist in Canada

The exact path from high school to qualified.

The path to becoming a pediatric dentist, step by step

You become a dentist first. There is no shortcut.

1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Biology, chemistry, physics, math and English with top marks.
2
University, then the DAT (dental aptitude test)
2 to 4 years
2 to 4 years of science courses, then the dental admission test.
3
Dental school
4 years
4 years for a DDS (doctor of dental surgery) or DMD (doctor of dental medicine). You graduate as a general dentist.
4
Pediatric dentistry residency
2 to 3 years, plus any practice years
2 to 3 years at a dental school or children's hospital, often with a master's degree attached. Behaviour management, sedation, treating kids with special needs, and operating room dentistry. Only a few seats per program.
5
Specialty exam and licence
A few months
Pass the NDSE (National Dental Specialty Examination), then register as a specialist with your provincial dental college.

High school courses that help you become a pediatric dentist

Biology
Required.
Chemistry
Required.
Physics
Math
Calculus and functions.
Psychology or child development
Half the job is getting a 4-year-old to open their mouth.

Time and money, at a glance

Years after high school: 10 to 11 for most people
Residency seats in Canada: A few per school, a few dozen a year nationally
Total tuition: $154,000 to $430,000
Paid while training?: No, and residency usually charges tuition

A protected specialty title

Pediatric dentistry is one of 12 dental specialties recognized by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Only a dentist who finished an accredited residency, passed the NDSE (National Dental Specialty Examination) and registered as a specialist with a provincial dental college can call themselves a pediatric dentist. General dentists treat children too, and most kids see one; specialists get the very young, the very anxious, kids with medical or developmental conditions, and cases that need sedation or an operating room. Specialty registration moves between provinces without re-examination.

Where people study

Residency programs are small. Some Canadian ones:

University of Toronto, with the Hospital for Sick Children
Ontario
Université de Montréal
Quebec, in French
UBC (University of British Columbia), University of Manitoba
Western Canada
US programs
Many Canadians train in the US, where there are far more seats, then return.

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.
5
Pediatric dentistry residency
3 years
Université de Montréal runs a 3 year program in French, combined with a master's in dental medicine, with clinical training at Sainte-Justine children's hospital. You need your ODQ (Quebec order of dentists) permit and an interview.
6
Specialty exam and ODQ specialist certificate
End of residency
Pass the NDSE (National Dental Specialty Examination). In Quebec only a dentist holding an ODQ (Quebec order of dentists) specialist certificate can call themselves a pediatric dentist.

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 pediatric dentist

Things you don't need, but that help.

Ways to stand out

Sedation and general anaesthesia days
Treating kids in a hospital operating room or with in-office sedation. Extra training, and it is where the hardest cases go.
Special needs dentistry
Children and adults with autism, cerebral palsy or complex medical conditions. Very few dentists are trained for it.
Hospital appointments
A part-time post at a children's hospital adds salary, pension and teaching.
A second location
Multi-office children's practices are common in cities.

Nice-to-haves

Shadow a pediatric dentist
In university, and again in dental school. It is a very different room from a regular clinic.
Work with kids
Camp counsellor, coaching, tutoring, daycare. Programs want to see it.
Be a strong general dentist first
Residency programs weigh dental school marks and hand skills heavily.
Patience and a calm voice
Crying is a normal part of the day.

A side path: kids without the residency

Every general dentist can treat children, and family practices see them every day. If you like working with kids but not another 3 years of school, you can build a general practice that welcomes families and refer the youngest and most complex cases to a specialist.

What being a pediatric dentist is really like

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

What a pediatric dentist does day to day

Twenty to forty children, most for short visits: check-ups, cleanings, fluoride, sealants, small fillings, a knocked-out tooth from the playground. Every visit starts with winning the child over. Parents are in the room, and often need as much reassurance as the kid. Some days are spent at the hospital treating a child under general anaesthesia. Bright rooms, cartoons on the ceiling, stickers at the end.

The honest pros and cons of being a pediatric dentist

The good

Daytime hours, in a group with a Job Bank median of about $110,000
Patients grow up in front of you over years
Families are loyal, so the practice is stable
You can fall back on general dentistry at any point

The hard parts

10 to 11 years of school, and residency charges tuition
Residency seats are scarce
Crying, biting and frightened parents, daily
Debt that can pass $400,000

Work life

Typical hours: 32 to 40 a week, 4 days is common
Remote work: No
Physical demand: Moderate, bending over small, moving patients
Unionized: No, mostly self-employed

Similar paths

Like the field but not this exact job?

Things nobody tells you about being a pediatric dentist

Things people don't tell you.

A small club

The Canadian Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says it represents more than 300 pediatric dentists across the whole country. Most cities have only a handful.

First visit by the first birthday

The Canadian Dental Association says a child should first see a dentist by age 1. A 2022 survey found only about 45% of Canadian dentists give parents that advice.

How a pediatric 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.