Veterinary Dentist Jobs 3 Jobs Available

A veterinary dentist specializes in oral and dental health in companion animals: complex extractions, periodontal disease treatment, oral surgery, orthodontics, and management of jaw fractures or oral tumors. Veterinary dentistry is a board-certified specialty through the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC).

Becoming board-certified in veterinary dentistry requires a DVM, generally a dentistry-focused internship or equivalent experience, and an AVDC-approved residency, followed by board certification exams. Beyond board-certified specialists, many general practice veterinarians also develop significant dental expertise and perform routine dental procedures without ever pursuing the full residency track.

Veterinary dentist jobs exist at dedicated veterinary dentistry and oral surgery practices, specialty and referral hospitals, and some general practices with a strong dental focus built into their service offerings. Board-certified dentists typically see complex referral cases, while routine dental cleanings and simpler extractions remain common and well-handled within general practice.

If you're a general practice DVM building dental skills without pursuing full board certification, it's worth distinguishing your own clinical dental interest and ongoing continuing education from the formal AVDC residency pathway, since both lead to genuinely different scopes of practice and very different career positioning within the field.

Before applying, ask about the case complexity and referral volume at a given practice, since this varies between a dedicated dentistry and oral surgery practice handling complex jaw reconstruction and a general hospital with a strong routine dental service.

When reviewing listings, pay attention to the equipment and support staff described, since dental and oral surgery work depends heavily on specialized tools like dental radiography and advanced surgical equipment that not every practice has fully invested in yet.