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Orthodontist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an orthodontist is $166,400 per annum, before tax, up $35,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- What you earn varies most with how the practice is set up and where you sit in it.
- An associate on commission takes a share of the fees billed for their patients, while an owner or partner also carries the costs of the clinic, its staff and its equipment.
- When you compare offers, ask how your share of fees is calculated, whether lab fees come out of it, and whether the figure quoted is for full-time hours.
The median salary rose by $35,500 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than orthodontist
The largest typical pay rise is $1,700 a year, moving into Dentist.
- Dentist+$1,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher orthodontist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time orthodontist salary is $166,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Orthodontists are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Clinical assessment and treatment and Patient care and support tend to command a premium over general orthodontist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Dentist pays a typical $1,700 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Orthodontist salary questions
How much do orthodontists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an orthodontist is $166,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is orthodontist pay rising or falling?
The median orthodontist salary is up $35,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than orthodontist?
Dentist pays a typical $1,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to orthodontist.
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Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.