# Will orthodontists be replaced by AI? Updated October 2026 Orthodontists score 35 out of 100 for AI exposure. AI helps with 63% of their task time, and they stay in charge. AI can do another 9%. 28% needs a person. - **9%** AI can do it - **63%** AI helps - **28%** Needs a person Moderate exposure Lower than 54% of the 923 jobs we scored. ## Task by task We graded 11 tasks, most exposed first. AI can do 1 of them, helps with 7 and leaves 3 to people. | Task | AI exposure | | --- | --- | | Prepare diagnostic and treatment records. Chart notes and treatment records can be drafted from dictation. | 70% AI can do it | | 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 can analyze X-rays, scans and records; orthodontist decides plan. | 55% AI helps | | Provide patients with proposed treatment plans and cost estimates. AI can draft plans and cost estimates; clinician presents and approves. | 50% AI helps | | Coordinate orthodontic services with other dental and medical services. AI can draft referrals and scheduling; coordination needs people. | 40% AI helps | | Diagnose teeth and jaw or other dental-facial abnormalities. AI can flag imaging findings, but diagnosis needs clinical judgement. | 35% AI helps | ## How orthodontists compare All jobs (923) Healthcare practitioners and technical (89) The dark line is **orthodontists, at 35**. Each dot is a score, and darker dots mean more jobs share it. The short marks are the averages, 37 for all jobs and 34 for healthcare practitioners and technical. ## Pay and outlook in the US Median pay $289,140 a year, May 2025 People employed 6,210 in the US, May 2025 Projected change in jobs +6.0% from 2024 to 2034 ## Skills to build - Fit and adjust fixed braces and aligners manually in patients' mouths - Read cephalometric tracings in Dolphin Imaging and Compu-Ceph - Bend labial and lingual arch wires for each patient - Review AI-drafted treatment plans and sign off before presenting costs - Hold clinical judgement on jaw growth and malocclusion diagnosis - Teach hands-on bonding and wire technique to dental assistants ## Safer roles nearby 5 related jobs with lower scores. - [Dentists28 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dentists/) - [Prosthodontists16 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/prosthodontists/) - [Pediatric surgeons29 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/pediatric-surgeons/) - [Oral surgeons14 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/oral-surgeons/) - [Orthopedic surgeons29 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/orthopedic-surgeons/) ## Questions about orthodontists and AI Will AI replace orthodontists? Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly preparing diagnostic and treatment records and drafting treatment plans with cost estimates. The hands-on work stays with orthodontists, because fitting and adjusting appliances in a patient's mouth needs a person in the chair. Which orthodontist tasks is AI taking over? Record keeping is the first to go. Chart notes and treatment records, rated 70 out of 100 for exposure, can be drafted from dictation. Plan drafting follows at 50, since AI can produce treatment plans and cost estimates for the orthodontist to review before the patient sees them. Which orthodontist tasks stay human? Hands-on work stays human. Fitting appliances, rated 4 out of 100 for exposure, and adjusting them, rated 5, need a clinician's hands in the mouth. Examining jaw development in person, rated 8, also stays with the orthodontist because it depends on touch and direct observation. How can orthodontists stay valuable as AI takes on records? Spend the hours AI frees on the tasks that score lowest for exposure. Keep fitting and adjusting braces and aligners manually, rated 4 and 5 out of 100, and bend arch wires for each patient. Check AI-drafted plans in Dolphin Imaging or Compu-Ceph before signing off, and teach dental assistants bonding and wire technique in person. ## Related jobs - [Dental assistants26 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dental-assistants/) - [Ophthalmologists33 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/ophthalmologists/) - [Cardiologists36 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cardiologists/) - [Dermatologists34 out of 100](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/dermatologists/) ## Next steps for orthodontists - ### Check your job Your job title is a rough guide. Your tasks decide your score. Paste your job description or CV to see which tasks AI can do. [Check your job](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-exposure-checker/) [Check your CV](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/cv-checker/) - ### Estimate team savings The score is per person. Add headcount and salary to see the hours AI can take on in a team of orthodontists, and what they cost. [Estimate what AI saves a team of orthodontists](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/team-ai-audit/?role=orthodontists) [Work out the return on automation](https://www.aigentcy.com/tools/ai-savings-calculator/) ### Check which roles in your team AI can take on We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first. [Book an AI audit](https://www.aigentcy.com/audit/) ## Related topics - [**Jobs AI can't replace**Roustabouts score lowest, at 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-cant-replace/) - [**Jobs most at risk from AI**Proofreaders score highest, at 76.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-most-exposed-to-ai/) - [**High-paying jobs with low AI exposure**Pediatric surgeons earn a median $559,030 and score 29.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/high-paying-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Entry-level jobs with low AI exposure**Roustabouts need little prior training and score 6.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/entry-level-jobs-low-ai-exposure/) - [**Jobs AI speeds up the most**AI helps with 98% of the task time for health informatics specialists.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs-ai-speeds-up/) - [**AI and jobs in Malta**15 iGaming roles graded task by task.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/malta/) - [**Skills that keep work human**The skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/skills/) - [**Jobs A to Z**Every job we score, by first letter.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/jobs/) - [**AI exposure by industry**Average scores for 22 job groups.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/industries/) - [**Write a CV screening software can read**How applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/cv-screening-guide/) - [**AI for businesses**The tasks to automate first in each team and industry.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-for/) - [**How we score AI exposure**The grading, the weights and every source.](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/) Sources and licences Occupation data from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and modified by Aigentcy. O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Wage, employment and projection data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. EU occupation names from ESCO, European Commission. AI usage signals from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY) and Microsoft Research (CC BY 4.0). [Methodology and sources](https://www.aigentcy.com/ai-exposure/methodology/). Scores © Aigentcy. Quote them with a link to the page.