Dentistry

How to become an orthodontist

Official title: Orthodontist

Also called: Specialist orthodontist, Dental specialist

Orthodontists examine and treat teeth issues and oral cavities. They may design and create devices to straighten teeth and jaws like braces.

Main tasks

Analyse patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals
Adjust dental devices or appliances to ensure fit
Diagnose dental conditions
Examine mouth, teeth, gums, or related facial structures
Communicate detailed medical information to patients or family members
Train medical providers
Record patient medical histories
Design medical devices or appliances

How to become one

You need more than one qualification to become an orthodontist. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: to complete the Health Sciences First Year programme at the University of Otago; a Bachelor of Dental Surgery; a Doctorate of Clinical Dentistry (Orthodontics); two years' experience as a dentist; an Annual Practising Certificate; to pass a police check. Other requirements: to complete the primary examination and join the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS). Registration body: Dental Council of New Zealand.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 2 universities in New Zealand
Registration or licence: An Annual Practising Certificate. Registration body: Dental Council of New Zealand (https://www.dcnz.org.nz/).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $206,030 to $247,330 a year (median $226,680), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $185,380 a year · Upper: $267,980 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Dental Practitioners: 2,055 at the 2018 Census and 2,556 at the 2023 Census (+24.4%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 84 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Dental Practitioners, 51% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Dental Practitioners work (2023 Census): Auckland 35%, Canterbury 13.9%, and Wellington 12%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an orthodontist?

How much does an orthodontist earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $226,680 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $206,030 to $247,330 a year.

Has the number of people working as an orthodontist grown in New Zealand?

It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of an orthodontist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026