Pediatric Dentist

What pediatric dentists make

An estimate. Job Bank pools every dental specialist with general dentists in one census-based code and reports a median of $110,000 and a top end of $228,000, counting part-timers and only employment income, not clinic profits. Specialists bill more than general dentists, and this site lists general dentists at about $160,000, so the typical figure here is set above that. Pediatric fees per visit are lower than for implants or root canals, so the range sits a little below the surgical specialties.

Starting pay

Most new pediatric dentists join an existing children's practice. Hospital jobs pay a salary with benefits, but less. Before that, residency pays little or nothing and usually charges tuition.

Owning a practice

Volume is the model: many short visits a day, and families come back every 6 months for years. Some clinics also bill for sedation and hospital operating room days.

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. Fewer of them, and lower pay.

• Ownership

  A specialty practice is an asset you sell when you retire.

• Predictable schedule

  Weekdays, daytime. Kids do not book night appointments.

The path

You become a dentist first. There is no shortcut.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Biology, chemistry, physics, math and English with top marks.

2. 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. 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. 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. 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

• 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

$200,000 to $350,000

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.

Ways to earn more or 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.

A typical 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 trade-offs

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?

• DentistFix teeth, run a clinic, earn well. Eight years of school and a lot of debt first.
• PediatricianA doctor for babies, children and teens. Four years of residency after medical school, then a job that never runs short of patients.
• OrthodontistA dentist who went back to school to straighten teeth. One of the best-paid jobs in Canada, and one of the longest roads.

First visit by the first birthday

Pediatric dentists recommend a first dental visit by age 1 or within 6 months of the first tooth. Most Canadian kids come much later, which is why cavities are still the most common chronic disease of childhood.

Tooth surgery is the top reason kids go under

Dental surgery to fix badly decayed baby teeth is one of the most common reasons young children in Canada have a day surgery under general anaesthesia. Pediatric dentists do most of it, in hospital operating rooms.

A small club

The Canadian Academy of Pediatric Dentistry represents a little over 300 pediatric dentists across the whole country. Most cities have only a handful, so families often travel to see one.

Dentist first, always

Every pediatric dentist in Canada is a fully licensed dentist who went back to school. If residency never works out, you still have a well-paid career, which is a safety net most long training paths do not have.