Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance.
U.S. Workers
5,150
10-Year Growth
+4.4%
Annual Openings
200
Typical entry: Doctoral or professional degree
10 of 10 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
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.
AI: Fully automatable - AI systems in 2025 can analyze multimodal diagnostic records (images, models, histories) and generate comprehensive orthodontic treatment plans at a level that can be delivered automatically.
Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities.
AI: Fully automatable - AI is capable of detecting and diagnosing many dental and jaw abnormalities from images and records with high accuracy and can produce diagnostically useful conclusions automatically.
Provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can generate proposed treatment plans and produce itemized cost estimates automatically based on diagnostic data and clinic pricing models.
Prepare diagnostic and treatment records.
AI: Fully automatable - Preparation of diagnostic and treatment records is highly automatable: AI can extract, organize, and generate clinical documentation and records reliably in 2025.
Design and fabricate appliances, such as space maintainers, retainers, and labial and lingual arch wires.
AI: Fully automatable - AI can design appliances via CAD and drive automated fabrication (e.g., 3D printing and CNC) so the design and manufacture steps are largely automatable, though final clinical adjustment may still need a clinician.
Adjust dental appliances to produce and maintain normal function.
AI: Partial - AI can provide guidance and optimized adjustment parameters, but the manual, fine-motor adjustments of dental appliances in a patient’s mouth remain a human task in 2025.
Fit dental appliances in patients' mouths to alter the position and relationship of teeth and jaws or to realign teeth.
AI: Partial - AI can design and guide fitting and produce prefabricated appliances, yet the hands‑on fitting and patient management required to seat and adapt appliances are not fully automatable.
Examine patients to assess abnormalities of jaw development, tooth position, and other dental-facial structures.
AI: Partial - AI can assess images and telemedicine data but cannot perform the full hands‑on clinical examination (palpation, functional tests) needed to fully assess jaw and facial abnormalities.
Instruct dental officers and technical assistants in orthodontic procedures and techniques.
AI: Partial - AI can deliver didactic instruction, simulations, and step‑by‑step guidance, but real‑world mentoring of technical hands‑on orthodontic procedures still requires human supervision and assessment.
Coordinate orthodontic services with other dental and medical services.
AI: Partial - AI systems can automate scheduling, referral generation, EHR integration, and recommend coordination pathways but cannot fully replace clinician judgment and interpersonal coordination across providers.