# Orthodontists

US SOC code 29-1023. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1023

Also called: Orthodontic dentist, Orthodontic specialist, Dentofacial orthopedics specialist, Board certified orthodontist.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **6,210** US orthodontists, with median pay of **$289,140** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2004, the highest was **6,400**, in May 2023, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Angle) of **500** from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for orthodontists: Digital intraoral scanning + CAD/CAM aligner fabrication, 2015 to 2022. Digital scanning eliminated a full appointment category (impression/pouring/trimming/shipping) and substantially reduced the lab-to-clinic turnaround time for aligner fabrication.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1023&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **20%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Orthodontists employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1900
- Latest US employment: 6,210 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $289,140 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [24]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Edward Angle Wikipedia [1] |
| 1950 | 2,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., American Board of Orthodontics [2] |
| 1987 | 8,603 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Changing number and distribution of… [3] |
| 1990 | n/a | $117,000 (estimate) | Est., Statista / ADA Survey of Dental Practice [5] |
| 1995 | 8,869 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Changing number and distribution of… [3] |
| 2004 | 6,190 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 4,820 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 5,200 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 5,350 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 5,500 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 5,410 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 5,580 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 5,040 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 5,530 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 5,570 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 6,190 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 5,410 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 5,200 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 5,080 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 5,350 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 5,990 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 5,040 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 5,140 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 6,310 | $174,360 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 6,400 | $286,670 (estimate) | BLS OEWS May 2023 (employment) [4]; Est., Statista / ADA Survey of Dental Practice (pay) [5] |
| 2024 | 5,150 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 6,210 | $289,140 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (64)

### Employment series

1. [Edward Angle Wikipedia -- Angle School of Orthodontia founding and student training 1900-1930](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Angle), Wikipedia (citing American Board of Orthodontics and AJODO historical sources)
2. [American Board of Orthodontics -- Our Story (founding 1929, ADA recognition 1950)](https://www.americanboardortho.com/about-abo/our-story/), American Board of Orthodontics
3. [Changing number and distribution of orthodontists: 1987-1995 (AJODO 1998)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889540698702379), American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [Statista / ADA Survey of Dental Practice -- Private orthodontists median annual net income US 2023 (145% increase since 1990 cited)](https://www.statista.com/statistics/756816/orthodontists-and-dentofacial-orthopedists-median-annual-net-income-in-us/), Statista / American Dental Association
6. [BLS OEWS May 2022, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. [BLS OEWS May 2025, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

8. [Edward H. Angle -- British Orthodontic Society historical record (appliance development timeline)](https://bos.org.uk/museum-and-archive/appliances-and-equipment/fixed-appliances/edward-h-angle/), British Orthodontic Society
9. [A Brief History of Orthodontics -- Orthodontics Limited (appliance history)](https://www.orthodonticslimited.com/orthodontics/orthodontics-history/), Orthodontics Limited
10. [History of imaging in orthodontics from Broadbent to cone-beam computed tomography (AJODO 2015 review)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889540615010616), American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
11. [A Brief History of Orthodontic Braces -- ArchWired (stainless steel adoption history)](https://www.archwired.com/a-brief-history-of-orthodontic-braces/), ArchWired
12. [Nickel-Titanium orthodontic archwires -- Wikipedia (Andreasen 1972 clinical introduction)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodontic_archwire), Wikipedia
13. [How Braces Have Changed: Evolution from Then to Now (direct bonding mid-1970s)](https://gnworthodontics.com/blog/how-braces-have-changed/), Greater Northwest Orthodontics
14. [How braces have evolved: From 1000 BCE to 2025 (ceramic and lingual braces history)](https://fritzwilsonortho.com/blog/how-braces-have-changed/), Fritz and Wilson Orthodontics
15. [Align Technology Wikipedia -- history section (1997 founding, 1999 launch, 21M+ patients)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Align_Technology), Wikipedia
16. [Align Technology investor page -- ClinCheck Live Plan (21 million patient training data reference)](https://investor.aligntech.com/news-releases/news-release-details/align-technology-announces-clincheckr-live-plan-automates-doctor/), Align Technology
17. [PMC -- CBCT imaging: a boon to orthodontics (PMC4273277, 2014 review)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4273277/), PubMed Central / Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences
18. [Cone beam computed tomography -- Wikipedia (dental introduction circa 2001)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_beam_computed_tomography), Wikipedia
19. [Align Technology -- iTero Lumina new innovations (Oct 2025 press release, references iTero digital-scan history)](https://investor.aligntech.com/news-releases/news-release-details/align-technology-announces-new-innovations-iterotm-digital/), Align Technology
20. [Inside Dentistry -- SureSmile robotically bent wires reduce treatment times by up to 30%](https://www.insidedentistry.net/news/?newsID=103945), Inside Dentistry
21. [PMC -- AI-Driven Advancements in Orthodontics for Precision and Patient Outcomes (PMC12110745, 2025)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12110745/), PubMed Central
22. [SOTA Cloud -- ORCA Dental AI CephX partnership announcement (June 2025)](https://www.sotacloud.com/blog/sota-cloud-orca-ai-cloud-based-imaging-cephalometric-analysis/), SOTA Cloud
23. [DentalMonitoring -- AAO 2025 new AI tools launch (DM+, AIDA Auto Replies, remote monitoring)](https://orthodonticproductsonline.com/practice-products/software/teledentistry/dentalmonitoring-launches-new-tools-and-partnerships-at-aao-annual-session/), Orthodontic Products Online

### Forecasts and exposure studies

24. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1023 Orthodontists (2025: 7.1 thousand; 2035: 7.5 thousand; +6.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1023&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
25. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-1023.00, human-rated β 0.2)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

26. [Dental Cosmos Volume 41, Issue 3 (March 1899) -- "Classification of Malocclusion" pp. 248-264 (University of Michigan Library Digital Collections)](https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dencos/acf8385.0041.001/266:56), University of Michigan Library Digital Collections
27. [American Association of Orthodontists Wikipedia -- founding history (AAO founded 1900)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Orthodontists), Wikipedia
28. [American Board of Orthodontics -- Our Story (founded 1929, ADA recognition 1950)](https://www.americanboardortho.com/about-abo/our-story/), American Board of Orthodontics
29. [History of imaging in orthodontics from Broadbent to cone-beam computed tomography (AJODO 2015)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889540615010616), American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
30. [Orthodontic archwire Wikipedia -- NiTi section (Andreasen 1972 introduction)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodontic_archwire), Wikipedia
31. [Align Technology Wikipedia -- history section (FDA clearance 1998, 1999 launch, consumer advertising)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Align_Technology), Wikipedia
32. [KFF State Health Facts: Professionally Active Dentists by Specialty Field (ADA data, end of 2024)](https://www.kff.org/state-health-policy-data/state-indicator/dentists-by-specialty-field/), KFF (American Dental Association data)

### Predecessors & successors

33. [Edward Angle Wikipedia -- pre-specialty era orthodontic practice by general dentists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Angle), Wikipedia
34. [American Board of Orthodontics -- Our Story (residency training pathway established 1929)](https://www.americanboardortho.com/about-abo/our-story/), American Board of Orthodontics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 29-1023.00 — Orthodontists](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1023.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC — AI-Driven Advancements in Orthodontics for Precision and Patient Outcomes (2025)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12110745/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Align Technology — ClinCheck Live Plan press release](https://investor.aligntech.com/news-releases/news-release-details/align-technology-announces-clincheckr-live-plan-automates-doctor/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [DentalMonitoring — AAO 2025 new AI tools launch](https://orthodonticproductsonline.com/practice-products/software/teledentistry/dentalmonitoring-launches-new-tools-and-partnerships-at-aao-annual-session/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Inside Dentistry — SureSmile robotically bent wires reduce treatment times by up to 30%](https://www.insidedentistry.net/news/?newsID=103945), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SOTA Cloud — ORCA Dental AI CephX partnership (June 2025)](https://www.sotacloud.com/blog/sota-cloud-orca-ai-cloud-based-imaging-cephalometric-analysis/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Orthodontic Products Online — Inside ClinCheck Live Plan: Align's new 15-minute treatment planning tool](https://orthodonticproductsonline.com/practice-products/software/treatment-planning/inside-clincheck-live-plan-aligns-new-15-minute-treatment-planning-tool/), accessed 2026-06-22
- [PMC — Reproducibility of AI in Cephalometric Landmark Detection (2025)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12523740/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.