Salary for an Orthodontic Technician
Orthodontic technicians specialize in creating dental prosthetics designed to align and straighten teeth and jaws based on the prescriptions and molds they receive from dentists and orthodontists. These technicians may find employment in a variety of types of labs and offices, earning wages that vary based on their level of experience.
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Salary
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The average salary for dental technicians, including orthodontic technicians, was $37,980 as of May 2010 in the United States, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median income was $35,140 annually; techs in the bottom 10 percent earned less than $20,940 a year, and those in the top 10 percent earned over $58,560.
Industry
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The salary of an orthodontic technician working in the industry of medical equipment and supplies manufacturing was $37,770 as of 2010, reports the bureau. Those working in dentists’ offices earned an average of $37,030, and those employed by the federal executive branch earned an average of $53,960. Professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers offered a salary average of $40,930 for orthodontic technicians, and colleges, universities and professional schools offered an average of $43,010. In the offices of other types of health practitioners, the average income of an orthodontic technician was $41,100 a year.
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Location
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The highest concentration of jobs for orthodontic technicians was in the state of Oregon as of 2010, where 0.61 techs were employed per every thousand jobs for the salary average of $36,810 a year. The bureau names the District of Columbia as the top paying area for these workers with a salary average of $57,060, followed by Alaska with an average of $53,970 and Montana with an average of $51,280.
Outlook
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Dental and orthodontic technicians can expect a 14 percent increase in employment opportunities between 2008 and 2018, a rate the bureau deems “faster than the average” in comparison with all jobs in the United States. This increase is due to a higher level of demand for cosmetic prostheses. No formal education requirements exist to become an orthodontic technician, but some choose to pursue an associate's degree or one-year certificate.
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