Periodontist

The gum and implant specialist. A dentist who did 3 more years of residency to treat gum disease and place implants. High pay, very long road.

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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Quick answers

How much does a periodontist 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 periodontist in Canada?

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

What does it cost to become a periodontist?

$184,000 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 periodontist 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 periodontist in Canada?

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

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Periodontist 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 periodontist 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 periodontist 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 periodontists usually join a specialty 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
Periodontics residency (about 3 years): $20,000 to $50,000 a year, usually unpaid
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

$184,000 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 three year periodontics residency at the bottom of the fee range. The high end is four years of undergraduate study and dental school and residency at the most expensive programs. Both include the NDSE (National Dental Specialty Examination) and the first year of specialty licence and insurance. The residency is normally unpaid and you pay fees to attend it, which is the part that surprises people most, and debt of 300,000 to 500,000 dollars by the end is common.

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

Benefits

Nothing automatic
Almost all periodontists are self-employed: you buy your own health plan and save for your own retirement.
Ownership
A specialty practice is an asset you sell when you retire.
Predictable schedule
Weekdays, planned surgeries, very few emergencies.
Teaching
Part-time posts at a dental school add a salary and a pension.

How to become a periodontist in Canada

The exact path from high school to qualified.

The path to becoming a periodontist, 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
Periodontics residency
About 3 years, plus any practice years
About 3 years at a dental school, usually with a master's degree attached. Only a few seats per program. Most programs want a year or more of general practice first.
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 periodontist

Biology
Required. Gum disease is biology: bacteria, bone and immune response.
Chemistry
Physics
Math
Calculus and functions.
Art or shop class
This is surgery inside a small space. Hand skills matter.

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: $174,000 to $430,000
Paid while training?: No, and residency usually charges tuition

A protected specialty title

Periodontics 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 periodontist. General dentists can treat gum disease and place implants, but they cannot use the title. Specialty registration moves between provinces without re-examination.

Where people study

Residency programs are small. Some Canadian ones:

University of Toronto
Ontario
Université Laval
Quebec, in French. The only periodontics program in Quebec
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
Periodontics residency at Laval
3 years, after 1 year of practice
The only program in Quebec: 3 years in French at Université Laval, taken with a master's. It takes about 2 residents per intake and wants a year of general practice or a multidisciplinary residency first.
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 periodontist.

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 periodontist

Things you don't need, but that help.

Ways to stand out

Implant surgery
The core of most modern periodontal practices.
Sedation
Extra certification to sedate anxious patients. Lets you take on more surgical cases.
Referral network
Your patients come from general dentists. Building those relationships is the business.
Teaching and research
A part-time faculty post at a dental school.

Nice-to-haves

Shadow a periodontist
In university, and again in dental school.
Be a strong general dentist first
Residency programs weigh dental school marks and hand skills heavily.
Research during dental school
A published paper helps a residency application a lot.
Comfort with surgery and blood
This is the surgical corner of dentistry.

A side path: implants without the residency

Many general dentists now place implants after short courses. They cannot call themselves periodontists and should refer complex cases, but it is a way to do some of this work after dental school alone.

What being a periodontist is really like

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

What a periodontist does day to day

Mornings are often surgery: an implant, a gum graft, a deep cleaning under the gum line, a bone graft before an implant can go in. Afternoons are consultations from referring dentists, follow-ups, and checking on healing. Most patients are adults, many over 50. Assistants and hygienists handle much of the routine care; you do the cutting. Days end around 5.

The honest pros and cons of being a periodontist

The good

Well paid: Job Bank's median for the dentists group is $110,000 a year
Daytime hours, planned surgeries, few emergencies
Implants are a growing field
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
Debt that can pass $400,000
Bending over patients in surgery all day wears out backs and necks

Work life

Typical hours: 32 to 40 a week, 4 days is common
Remote work: No
Physical demand: Moderate, fine surgical work in awkward positions
Unionized: No, self-employed

Similar paths

Like the field but not this exact job?

Things nobody tells you about being a periodontist

Things people don't tell you.

Gums, not cavities, take many adult teeth

Cavities get the attention, but the Canadian Academy of Periodontology says uncontrolled gum disease is a common cause of tooth loss in adults. Early on, the main sign can be gums that bleed easily.

The gums are linked to the heart

The Canadian Academy of Periodontology says evidence suggests gum disease can be a risk factor for heart disease. It is one reason periodontists talk to patients about more than their mouth.

How a periodontist 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.