Find jobsGet started

How to hire orthodontists

A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.

$139.01U.S. median hourly pay
$146,580–$342,300Middle half, yearly
6,210People in this job in the U.S.

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function.
• Advise patients to comply with treatment plans.
• Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities.
• Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures.
• Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth.
• Prepare diagnostic and treatment records.
• Provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates.
• Study diagnostic records, such as medical or dental histories, plaster models of the teeth, photos of a patient's face and teeth, and X-rays, to develop patient treatment plans.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Doctoral or professional degree]
• Strong active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, speaking, reading comprehension and active learning skills
• Working knowledge of medicine and dentistry, customer and personal service, English Language and biology
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $139.01 an hour ($289,140 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Check your finished job post

Interview questions for orthodontists

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

  1. Tell me about a time you had to adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  2. Tell me about a time you had to advise patients to comply with treatment plans. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  3. Tell me about a time you had to diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  4. Tell me about a time you had to examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
  6. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
  7. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
  8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What orthodontists do

  • Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function.
  • Advise patients to comply with treatment plans.
  • Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities.
  • Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures.
  • Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth.
  • Prepare diagnostic and treatment records.
  • Provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates.
  • Study diagnostic records, such as medical or dental histories, plaster models of the teeth, photos of a patient's face and teeth, and X-rays, to develop patient treatment plans.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringSpeakingReading ComprehensionActive LearningMedicine and DentistryCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageBiology

Education, experience and outlook for orthodontists

  • Typical education to start: Doctoral or professional degree (BLS)
  • Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
  • Training on the job: Internship/residency (BLS)
  • Job outlook: +6% over ten years, faster than average · about 200 openings a year (BLS)

Related hiring guides

Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.

Post a job freePay by area

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database 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. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.