How Can an Orthodontist Course Impact Your Career Trajectory?
In 2026, the predictable outcome of your endeavours, as a dentist, will be largely intertwined with the specialisation you choose, and the services you provide in your practice. Nowadays, it is no longer enough to provide basic tooth care services such as professional teeth cleaning, tooth extractions or fluoride treatments. Orthodontic services have become more important than ever in the UK’s major cities, and your professional development will largely depend on your specialisation in the field. Why should you choose an online orthodontist training course? Well, it is the most cost-effective way to increase your expertise as a dental professional and expand on the treatment portfolio you provide to your patients. A 12-month fully online orthodontist course will help you complete your mandatory CPD hours, will represent a tool to expand on your existing maxillofacial knowledge, can help you enter a lucrative new domain that’s experiencing constant growth in recent years, and it can be a huge boost to your medical reputation. Obtaining your Bachelor's in Dental Surgery from a DTC-accredited University was likely one of the hardest things you had to do. But this doesn’t mean that your professional development must stop after obtaining a BDS. A postgraduate diploma obtained after completing a 12-month orthodontist training course can and should be the next logical step in your career, and be a way to expand on your already perfected techniques and bring them up to date with the developments happening in the dentistry field in 2026. The course you attend will not be a walk in the park. But at the end of
it, you should possess the right tools to efficiently treat and diagnose malocclusions, your ability as a dentist will be significantly expanded and the ROI of your services will receive a boost.
It's a Natural Step Up Orthodontic treatments, even in the UK, have seen a significant surge in popularity in the last couple of years. Web searches for “clear aligners”, for example, have risen by more than 66% since 2022. Likewise, as of 2026, around 62% of all UK dental practitioners offer clear aligner therapy in their services catalogue. Traditional braces have seen a surge in widespread usage as well, especially in patients older than 18. According to the British Orthodontic Society, more than 70% of all dentistry practitioners active in the UK have reported an increase in older patients seeking orthodontic treatment, and, as of this year, around 25% of all orthodontic patients in the UK are adults.
There are many reasons for this development. Crooked teeth are no longer acceptable in a professional setting, and in an era in which every single physical feature can have an impact on our career development, orthodontic treatments have started to be seen as something of an investment in ourselves. Therefore, as a dentist, the expansion of your professional expertise with the help of a 12-month orthodontist course simply makes sense.
The Financial Benefits Are Clear as Day Orthodontic treatments are in serious demand right now, and for dentists, this represents an opportunity to expand on their revenue and obtain the business of clients that would not
otherwise be interested in the offerings of their practice. Financially, investing in orthodontist training is a no-brainer. For a cost that in most cases will not exceed £9,495 for a 12-month course, you can obtain the qualification required to provide services with an ROI far superior to most general dentistry treatments. According to Britasiadoctors, the average income for a private dental practitioner in the UK starts at £50,000. But for a skilled orthodontist, their annual income can be doubled that, as long as they achieve a constant influx of patients and their reputation leads to an increase in local visibility. A routine dental exam or a dental polish treatment in the UK costs around £60. Other, more extensive treatments, such as root canals, can be more expensive, sometimes more than £300. But overall, the treatments involved in general dentistry are much less expensive than what’s typically encountered in orthodontics.
Let’s Talk Numbers The application of traditional braces, for example, can cost more than £2,000. Clear aligners can be doubled that, while even retainers, in some private practices, can have a price of £200. If you are a general dentist with your own practice outside of a major UK city and you have around 120 treatment visits per month, with an average cost per visit of £120, your gross monthly revenue will come to around £14,400. If we assume that around 50% of your total revenue is spent on overhead and taxes, that means your net income can be close to £7,200 per month. But you can do better. Let’s say you invest in an orthodontist training course and you gain the right qualifications to provide in-depth maxillofacial treatments. If you have around 5 new orthodontic interventions per month at an average cost of £3,500 per case and fifteen follow-ups each with a cost of £100, you will earn an extra £19,000 every single month in gross revenue. In a worst-case scenario, around 50% of that sum will go to overhead expenses. But your total monthly income, should more than double.
What Treatments Could You Offer After You Graduate from an Orthodontist Course?
After you complete the 12 months necessary to graduate from the orthodontist course and you obtain a post-graduate diploma in dentofacial orthopaedics and orthodontic training, you should possess the right set of skills to provide high-level occlusion-related treatments both to adults and children. What are these treatments we are talking about? For one thing, you will become qualified to install fixed metal or ceramic braces, deal with clear aligners such as Invisalign, and provide follow-up care to patients who previously received complex orthodontic treatments. Likewise, your orthodontist training will allow you to handle pre-restorative procedures, install permanent implants, fix bite corrections, and of course, deal with maxillofacial emergencies that require prompt intervention. An orthodontist course can provide you with an opportunity to expand on your revenue retention, it’s a tool to reduce the number of patient referrals, and is perhaps the most efficient way to complete your mandatory continuous professional development hours while simultaneously investing in your professional development.
