When people find out I’m a resident in orthodontics, one of the first things they tell me besides their own experience with braces is how fantastic and cushy my future lifestyle will be. That’s open for debate. While people are generally aware of the amount of work and dedication it takes to become a dental specialist, little do they know about the financial costs. With the cost of attendance for dental school increasing every year coupled with the sky high costs for dental residency, let’s crunch some numbers to see what it takes (financially) to become a dental specialist. Spoiler alert: it costs a million dollars — or more — to become an orthodontist.
Undergrad
The first step to becoming an orthodontist is to obtain your bachelor’s degree. This typically takes four years. Majoring in a hard science may be the most efficient way to knock-out your pre-dental requirements, but don’t feel pressured to declare Biology or Chemistry as your concentration. Using medical school data as a proxy, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges only 51 percent of 2012 medical school matriculants majored in the biological sciences.
Seeing as New York University is the largest dental school in the US and is also the home of one of the nation’s largest orthodontic residency programs, let’s use them as a case study. Below is the cost of attendance for NYU undergrad, the College of Arts and Sciences.
| Freshman Year | Sophomore Year | Junior Year | Senior Year | |
| Tuition & Fees | $49,242 | $49,242 | $49,242 | $49,242 |
| Room & Board | $17,578 | $17,578 | $17,578 | $17,578 |
| Travel & Personal | $6,422 | $6,422 | $6,422 | $6,422 |
| Health Insurance | $4,167 | $4,167 | $4,167 | $4,167 |
| Total Educational Expenses | $77,409 | $77,409 | $77,409 | $77,409 |
Your grand total for NYU undergrad comes out to $309,636. Bear in mind this assumes no annual 2-3% tuition hikes.
Dental School
The next step to becoming an orthodontist is to obtain your dental degree. This will take another four years. Congrats! You just got admitted to the NYU College of Dentistry. And don’t forget that dental school is much more expensive than medical school.
| D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | |
| Tuition | $72,904 | $72,904 | $72,904 | $72,904 |
| Fees | $3,120 | $2,958 | $2,924 | $2,818 |
| Instruments and Vital Book Fees | $7,520 | $5,824 | $7,520 | $5,824 |
| Health Insurance** | $3,354 | $3,354 | $3,354 | $3,354 |
| Total Educational Expense | $86,898 | $85,040 | $86,702 | $84,900 |
| Room & Board** | $27,966 | $33,560 | $33,560 | $30,756 |
| Personal Expenses | $3,888 | $4,666 | $4,666 | $4,628 |
| Transportation | $2,272 | $2,726 | $2,726 | $2,726 |
| Loan Fees**** | $216 | $216 | $216 | $216 |
| Total Estimated Living Expenses | $34,342 | $41,168 | $41,168 | $37,966 |
Your total for NYU dental school comes out to $498,184. This, too, assumes no annual 2-3% tuition hikes. Your cumulative educational expenses (undergrad + dental school) now stand at $807,820.
Residency
Your final educational step to becoming an orthodontist is to match into residency. Most orthodontic residency programs are 3 years in length. Who’s ready to start their NYU Orthodontics residency?
| PGY1 | PGY2 | PGY3 | ||
| Tuition | $72,904 | $72,904 | $72,904 | |
| Fees | $10,691 | $10,691 | $10,691 | |
| Total Educational Expense |
$83,595 | $83,595 | $83,595 | |
| Room & Board | $27,966 | $33,560 | $33,560 | |
| Personal Expenses | $3,888 | $4,666 | $4,666 | |
| Transportation | $2,272 | $2,726 | $2,726 | |
| Loan Fees | $216 | $216 | $216 | |
| Total Estimated Living Expenses |
$34,342 | $41,168 | $41,168 |
Your total for NYU orthodontics comes out to $367,463. Again, we’re making the assumption of no annual 2-3% tuition increases. Your cumulative educational expenses (undergrad + dental school +residency), including living expenses, come out to $1,175,283. Even if you’re able to cut down these already ‘average’ living expenses by $175K during your 10+ years of school, you’re still taking out one million dollars to become an orthodontist.
And don’t forget, your unsubsidized loans have been accruing interest during your 7 years of graduate education. With current interest rates set at 5.31% (Direct Unsubsidized) and 6.31% (Grad Plus) for graduate students, and 3.76% (Direct Unsubsidized) for undergraduate students, a significant portion of your monthly income will be thrown at paying off your debt. Thinking about a mortgage, kids, or a decent car? Keep on thinking.
What are your experiences with educational debt? Have any tips on how to decrease your debt burden? Comment below!
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