What The 2026 Salary Survey Report Reveals About The Dental Job Market

After several years of disruption, this year’s Dental Salary Survey Report points to some stabilization in the dental job market. Across many roles, the pace of movement appears to be slowing, and more professionals report a willingness to stay put in the near term.

That sense of calm, however, is uneven across the industry. While most segments of the workforce show clear signs of settling down, others reveal mounting pressure, suggesting the job market has not yet fully leveled out everywhere. Let’s take a deeper look.

Volatility Settles Across Many Roles, But Not Everywhere

2025 survey responses indicate that many dental professionals are experiencing steadier work patterns than in recent years. This is especially evident among registered dental hygienists, where compensation, lifestyle, and satisfaction indicators appear more balanced after a preceding period defined by widespread shortages and aggressive hiring competition. Responses from dentists and front-office staff also show signals of a settling job market, with job and compensation satisfaction generally on the rise. 

Dental assistants, however, break the mold. DAs continue to report lower satisfaction and a higher likelihood of considering a job change, even as wages have increased. From a labor market perspective, demand for assistants remains high, but that hiring activity alone does not necessarily translate into long-term stability. Here are a few themes from the report that might indicate why: 

• Compensation lags far behind: DAs are still the lowest-paid role by a wide margin. Only 27% feel satisfied with total compensation, and more than a third are making $40K or less, even after this year’s wage gains. Benefits are slipping too. Only 37% are satisfied with benefits, down 10 points year over year. Even with a jump in average pay, it did not move enough to offset inflation, workload, or market expectations. The report calls this a “flashing red light” that tells us expectations have outpaced adjustments.
  
• Lack of control with growing responsibility: Unlike hygienists or dentists, DAs have limited control over schedules, pace, or scope of work. At the same time, the workload is getting heavier. Understaffing, overbooking, and physical fatigue show up repeatedly in write-in responses. This combination of limited control and pressurized workload is proving toxic to morale, with the survey report noting a backslide across every satisfaction metric — a pattern not seen in any other role this year.
  
• Recognition gap: Another theme that echoes through loud and clear in write-ins is a feeling of being overlooked, disrespected, or treated as disposable. So, they are not only feeling the pressures of being the lowest-paid role, but many DAs feel they are treated as inferior counterparts in their offices. 

Job Changes Are About More Than Money 

Another consistent theme in this year’s survey is that movement within dentistry is not just about pay. For many dental professionals looking for a new job in the industry, pay might start the search, but culture and working conditions often decide whether someone stays or walks. 

Dentists are the clearest example: 46% of those who changed jobs did it for a better work environment, compared to 28% who cited higher pay.

Hygienists and dental assistants are closer to a true split. Among RDHs who changed jobs, 45% cited a better work environment and 44% said it was for higher pay. For DAs who found a new job, 40% said they left for a better work environment compared to 44% who pointed to higher pay. 

Even where pay is still a primary factor, the pattern is consistent and not altogether surprising: Healthier, happier work environments support a stable workforce, while dysfunctional workplaces drive turnover. Obvious as it might seem, this is good news for practice leaders. Unlike insurance pricing or inflation, workplace culture and office environment are levers that leaders can pull. Investing in culture, continuing education, and team dynamics is a great way to control what you can and invest in your practice. 

Flexibility: A New Standard Feature

With the exception of front office staff, who overwhelmingly (98%) work standard full-time weeks, flexibility is becoming the norm for much of the dental workforce. 

Nearly three in four respondents (76%) report working four days a week or fewer, and only 8% work more than 40 hours. Dentists and hygienists, in particular, continue to lean into shorter weeks and reduced schedules, signaling a broader shift away from rigid, five-day models. 

In response, many practices are adapting by hiring across a mix of full-time, part-time, and variable arrangements, not as a perk, but as a baseline expectation.

Long-Term Talent Constraints Bubble Beneath the Surface

Even as the day-to-day job market calms down, the survey suggests the pipeline is tight. Many experienced dentists and hygienists are approaching the point where they’ll retire, cut back hours, or step away from full schedules, and there simply aren’t enough newer professionals entering fast enough to replace that capacity. 

As a licensed, highly trained field, dentistry is not a workforce you can “ramp” quickly — it takes years to develop clinical talent, and state-by-state rules can make it even harder to move people where they’re needed. For the time being, practices are likely to keep competing for the same limited pool of candidates, especially in clinical roles. And as the workforce ages, the pressure only increases to hold onto the team you have while planning further ahead for recruiting, training, and succession.

What the Salary Survey Data Signals for the Dental Job Market

For practices, this environment underscores the importance of understanding how roles differ in demand and mobility. Dental assistants are particularly vulnerable in the current market, and how employers respond may prove to be pivotal in what comes next. The aging workforce population is another key consideration coming out of this data, signaling a clear need for future planning and renewed focus on practice culture. 

For dental professionals, the report highlights a market where professional options remain available, with decisions increasingly influenced by fit, flexibility, and long-term opportunity.

To explore these trends in more detail, including compensation, benefits, and work conditions by role, view the full Dental Salary Survey Report.