1 Dentists make about twice that of a dental hygienist. 2  I am going to college right now for dental hygiene in mass and i know i can expect to leave school with a starting salary of about 30-35 an hour. that averages out to be 63,700 a year. 3  So dentists average about 130,000 dollars a year or even more. Which State you practice in: Utah is flooded with dentists, so Dentists there do not make nearly as much as Dentists in most other states. 2  However, Dentists in Alaska can make over a million dollars per year. 3  How many other Dentists are in the area: the more Dentists, the less patients.