The average American does not spend nearly enough time brushing their teeth. Unfortunately, the result of this is a strong need for dentists. The dental care industry continues to grow with populations getting larger and an increased importance in healthcare circles being placed on teeth.

Here are some dental industry facts that may surprise you, direct from the desks of those working in the industry.

1. Dental school

There are 66 accredited dental schools in the US and an additional 10 in Canada, as of 2019. Currently, there are approximately 25,000 students enrolled in a pre-doctoral dental education program. Last year, there were over 6,300 graduates who have now been welcomed into the dental industry. As you can see, there is a growing demand in dental education.

2. A dentist’s average income

One of the dental industry facts that you might be interested to know is how much money they make. The average income for a dentist in private practice is $197,000 for those in general practice or $320,000 for specialists. This stems from an average annual gross billings in private practice of $718,000 approximately for general practitioners and $1.1 million for specialists.

For the average graduate of someone leaving dental school, they can expect to make as a general practitioner somewhere between $90,000 and $155,000 annually.

3. Traditionally a male position

Dentists have long been traditionally men. Female dentists have actually been on the uptick for quite some time, thankfully. The percentage of graduates in 1977 who were female were 7.1%, rising to 24.1% in 1987, 36.9% in 1997, 44.5% in 2007, and 48.5% in 2017. Within the next decade, estimates suggest there will be more female graduates from dentistry programs than males.

4. Soda is an enemy

Soda is a teeth killer and anyone in the dental industry will tell you that. People who drink soda regularly every day – as in 3 glasses or more – end up experiencing 62% more tooth decay, they require fillings more often, and they experience more tooth loss than someone not on this regimen.

The best drink for anyone’s teeth is water which will wash away any acids or substances from foods, beverages, or a meal.

5. Dental school enrollment on the increase

There are more people registered in dental programs in North America than ever. The average first-year cost is $53,000 for residents or $69,000 for non-residents. Non-residents make up approximately 4 percent of first-year students and 6 percent of graduates. Every year, over 600 graduates of international dental schools are admitted to US dental schools with advanced standing.

6. Amount of dentists currently working

In the United States, there are over 199,000 dentists working in dentistry as of 2018. Per 100,000 citizens, there’s roughly 61 dentists working in dentistry serving them although this ratio varies according to region. Of those working currently, only 32% of dentists are female. Mirroring estimates elsewhere in the dental industry, the number of female dentists is expected to increase in the coming years.

7. The average age of a dentist

The majority of dentists in the US are between the ages of 35 and 54. 16.5% of dentists are under age 35, 23.4% are between 35 and 44, 21.1% are between 45 and 54, 22.8% are between 55 and 65, and 15.8% are 65 years of age or older.

The age demographics of the dental industry accommodates practitioners of almost every adult age. The average age of retirement for dentists? With each passing year, it’s continued to increase. As of 2017, it is 69 years of age.

8. How often people visit a dentist

Roughly 52% of all adults in the US visit a dentist every six months, while 15% will visit a dentist one time per year, and over 21% have gone over a year without visiting a dentist. Among children, dentist visits are a little higher although only 65% of all children under the age of 18 have visited the dentist’s office in the past six months.

9. Top reasons why people don’t visit a dentist

There are many reasons why people don’t visit the dentist. The cost can be expensive. Some people have phobias relating to dentistry. Others cannot find the right dentist or haven’t done work to set aside the time.

There are approximately 18% of all children in the US with untreated carries and 47% of all adults over the age of 30 have at one point or another suffered with untreated periodontal disease.

10. The average person under-brushes

Although we typically recommend brushing 2-3 minutes a day, most adults only will brush for 45 seconds to a minute. Furthermore, there’s also even less attention paid to flossing. When someone doesn’t floss, they miss cleaning roughly 40% of all tooth surfaces. This means large spaces untouched. The result is oftentimes dental plaque, which can grow any of more than 300 bacteria.

11. Tooth enamel’s strength

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, by far. This makes it all the more incredible how things like soda can slowly wear them down. Using teeth to open bottle caps as well as for other purposes can also break down the tooth enamel.