Salary
Orthodontic Assistant in Colorado: Duties, Pay and How to Get Started
What orthodontic assistants do, how the job differs from general dental assisting, what the role pays, and the realistic path into an ortho office in Colorado.
Orthodontic assisting is one of the most popular specialties for dental assistants, and one of the better paying. It's also a different kind of job from general dentistry. Here's what it involves and how people in Colorado get into it.
What makes ortho different
In a general practice, you move between fillings, crowns, extractions and cleanings. In an orthodontic office, nearly every patient is there for braces or aligners, and most visits are short, frequent adjustments.
That means:
- High volume. Ortho offices often see many patients a day, frequently in an open-bay layout with several chairs in one room.
- Mostly kids and teens, plus a growing number of adults in aligners.
- Very little anesthesia or drilling. Procedures are mostly non-surgical.
- Repetitive, detailed hand work. Wires, ligatures, bands, brackets and a lot of patient education.
If you like fast rhythm, working with young people and procedures you can get very good at, ortho is a great fit.
Typical duties
What you're allowed to do depends on Colorado's delegation rules and on what your orthodontist trusts you with. Ortho assistants commonly:
- Take records: photos, x-rays (Colorado x-ray rules) and impressions or digital scans
- Remove and place archwires and ligatures
- Prepare teeth and set up for bonding brackets
- Help with debonding and cleanup when treatment ends
- Make or fit retainers, and take scans for aligners (scanner tech)
- Teach patients and parents about brushing with braces, elastics and emergencies
- Sterilize, turn over bays and manage lab cases
Before doing any intraoral task, make sure it's allowed under the current Colorado Dental Board rules and that you've been trained for it.
Pay
Colorado dental assistants average about $21 to $23 an hour on job sites, and specialty offices like orthodontics generally pay toward the upper end or above (Colorado salary guide). Pay rises with speed, the number of procedures you can handle and experience with digital workflows. Lead ortho assistants and clinical coordinators earn more still. The highest-paying assistant jobs.
Credentials
Colorado doesn't require a credential to work as an orthodontic assistant. DANB offers an orthodontic credential (the COA) and the RHS radiography exam, and both are optional here but useful:
- The RHS is one way to meet Colorado's x-ray requirement.
- The COA shows an ortho employer you already know the specialty.
- Both are portable if you move (DANB in Colorado).
How to get in
Route 1: general assisting first. The most common path. Spend a year in a general office getting fast at chairside basics, infection control and x-rays, then apply to ortho offices with that experience.
Route 2: straight into ortho. Some ortho offices hire and train new assistants, often starting with sterilization, records and patient education before moving to chairside work. Being x-ray qualified, comfortable with kids and teens, and good at explaining things helps a lot.
For either route, a training program that includes radiography and plenty of hands-on hours puts you ahead. Compare Colorado programs, and see our tips for getting hired.
Is it right for you?
Choose ortho if you like upbeat, high-volume days, working with young patients, and becoming expert at a focused set of procedures. If you'd rather have variety and more surgical work, general practice or oral surgery may suit you better.
Start with the basics: the program match quiz shows which Colorado programs fit your schedule and budget.
Checked September 30, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Do orthodontic assistants make more than general dental assistants?
Often, yes. Specialty offices such as orthodontics and oral surgery generally pay more than general practices, although it depends on the office, your experience and your skills.
Do you need special certification to be an orthodontic assistant in Colorado?
Colorado doesn't license dental assistants, including orthodontic assistants. The Dental Board regulates which tasks may be delegated. DANB offers an orthodontic credential (COA) that is optional in Colorado but can help your application.
Can I get an orthodontic assistant job with no experience?
Some ortho offices train new assistants, especially for entry-level roles such as sterilization and records. Many prefer a year of general assisting first. Being x-ray qualified and good with kids and teens helps a lot.