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Dental Laboratory Technician

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AVG. SALARY

$44,260

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EDUCATION

High school preferred +

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JOB OUTLOOK

Increasing

What They Do

Dental Laboratory Technicians Career Video

About This Career

Constructs and repairs full or partial dentures or dental appliances.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

  • Reads prescriptions or specifications and examines models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.
  • Tests appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
  • Fabricates, alters, or repairs dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth.
  • Places tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model.
  • Removes excess metal or porcelain and polishes surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines.
  • Trains or supervises other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
  • Melts metals or mixes plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pours materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses.
  • Prepares metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
  • Rebuilds or replaces linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures.
  • Applies porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

  • You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
  • Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
  • Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
  • Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
  • Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
  • Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
  • Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
  • Work in this occupation involves sitting more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

  • Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
  • Seeing clearly up close
  • Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
  • Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

  • Regular working hours and limited travel

Specialty and Similar Careers

Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:

  • Ceramist
  • Crown and Bridge Dental Laboratory Technician (Crown and Bridge Dental Lab Tech)
  • Dental Ceramist
  • Dental Technician (Dental Tech)
  • Denture Technician (Denture Tech)
  • Metal Finisher
  • Orthodontic Laboratory Technician (Ortho Lab Tech)
  • Porcelain Technician (Porcelain Tech)
  • Waxer

Contact

  • Email Support

  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900

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