Open wide and get ready for the best states for orthodontists!
I never had to get braces, but my sister did, and she had hers for about four years. I think the standard length of time for braces is two years, but she consistently forgot to wear the rubber bands they give you to correct overbites, so the time just kept getting tacked on. This meant more trips to the orthodontist for dreaded cleanings and more time being forced to eat pizza with a fork and knife. I’m not kidding. There are a lot of things you can’t eat with braces, like popcorn or apples, because those things could get stuck in the brackets and break them. Broken brackets are annoying and mean, you guessed it, another trip to the orthodontist. I think they purposely design braces to have issues so you have to go to the dentist more often.
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Orthodontists are a specialized form of dentist that prevent, diagnose, and treat dental irregularities “bad bites,” which can be caused by overbites, underbites, and crooked teeth. Orthodontists don’t only use braces to correct these issues, though. They may also recommend clear teeth aligners like Invisalign depending on the situation. Orthodontists can do all the things a regular dentist can do as well as the specialized services pertaining to malocclusions, which is just a fancy way of saying bad bites. While a regular dentist mostly just cleans your teeth, an orthodontist focuses on perfect teeth. If you want the best teeth cleaning of your life, check out the best states for dental hygienists.
In order to create this list, we found the average annual salary from Salary and the cost of living index from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. We took the average of those two criteria to rank the states. Cost of living is important to consider because if a state is ridiculously expensive to live in, it’ll take a really high salary to offset it. The states with the best combination of low cost of living and high salary are at the top of the list because they’re the best scenario.
Continue reading to learn all about the best states for orthodontists.
25. Pennsylvania
Cost of living index: 102.8
Average annual salary: $130,634
Hourly wage: $62.80
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24. Minnesota
Cost of living index: 101.1
Average annual salary: $129,174
Hourly wage: $62.10
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23. Utah
Cost of living index: 92.8
Average annual salary: $119,435
Hourly wage: $57.42
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22. Nevada
Cost of living index: 104.5
Average annual salary: $134,586
Hourly wage: $64.70
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21. Washington
Cost of living index: 107.1
Average annual salary: $138,713
Hourly wage: $66.68
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20. Virginia
Cost of living index: 100.2
Average annual salary: $130,982
Hourly wage: $62.97
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19. Alabama
Cost of living index: 91.2
Average annual salary: $119,562
Hourly wage: $57.43
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18. Louisiana
Cost of living index: 94.4
Average annual salary: $123,917
Hourly wage: $59.57
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17. North Carolina
Cost of living index: 94.2
Average annual salary: $124,110
Hourly wage: $59.66
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16. Mississippi
Cost of living index: 86
Average annual salary: $113,450
Hourly wage: $54.54
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15. Iowa
Cost of living index: 91.7
Average annual salary: $121,163
Hourly wage: $58.25
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14. Idaho
Cost of living index: 89.6
Average annual salary: $119,158
Hourly wage: $57.28
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13. Kansas
Cost of living index: 90.4
Average annual salary: $121,272
Hourly wage: $58.30
We’re halfway through our list of best states for orthodontists, and if you are interested in the other half, click next.
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12. Kentucky
Cost of living index: 90.8
Average annual salary: $122,208
Hourly wage: $58.75
11. Texas
Cost of living index: 90.7
Average annual salary: $122,226
Hourly wage: $58.76
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10. Tennessee
Cost of living index: 89.8
Average annual salary: $121,490
Hourly wage: $58.40
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9. Oklahoma
Cost of living index: 88.6
Average annual salary: $120,119
Hourly wage: $57.74
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8. Ohio
Cost of living index: 93
Average annual salary: $126,372
Hourly wage: $60.75
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7. Missouri
Cost of living index: 90.8
Average annual salary: $124,201
Hourly wage: $59.71
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6. Illinois
Cost of living index: 95.5
Average annual salary: $130,784
Hourly wage: $62.87
5. Georgia
Cost of living index: 91.4
Average annual salary: $125,193
Hourly wage: $60.18
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4. Delaware
Cost of living index: 102.6
Average annual salary: $141,380
Hourly wage: $67.97
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3. Arkansas
Cost of living index: 88.5
Average annual wage: $123,115
Hourly wage: $59.18
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2. Indiana
Cost of living index: 87.9
Average annual salary: $125,626
Hourly wage: $60.39
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1. Michigan
Cost of living index: 88.2
Average annual salary: $129,504
Hourly wage: $62.26
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That concludes our list of the best states for orthodontists. If you’re looking for somewhere new to live and work, let these guide you in the right direction to find the best balance of high salary and low cost of living.
