Years ago, Blaine Pardy worked for a gas company. But he was laid off when
times got tough in the industry. Suddenly he found himself searching for a
new trade. A job training position in dental technology opened up, and Pardy
jumped at the chance.
"I didn't even know that the job existed," says Pardy. "I thought all this
kind of stuff was done at the dentist's office. I thought I'd give it a try."
Pardy enrolled in a four-year apprenticeship program and never looked back.
"It was fluke it happened," he says. "I'm so happy I took the chance. I feel
it's what I was meant to do."
Pardy works on a variety of artificial mouthpieces. "Dentists don't have
the time to make these pieces, so they contract work out to us."
The dentists send a prescription, description and impression of what needs
to be done in the lab. Then Pardy sculpts the different orthodontic pieces,
bridges, crowns, dentures and even mouth guards. Much like a jeweler or a
fine craftsperson, he has to visualize what the piece will look like and make
it natural looking and fitting.
"Usually, the dentists send in the shade they want it to be. After a while,
you can visualize what needs to be done. It's like working on a skeleton.
It doesn't have lips or cheeks, but you can see enough to match the teeth,"
says Pardy
After sculpting, Pardy has to match the ceramic coloring with the natural
teeth.
"It's finicky work and it's not for everyone," he says. "You have to have
an eye and a knack for it."
"If you're not artistic and you don't want to work in a lab, this is not
the career for you," says Sandra Bailey. She's the coordinator of a college-level
dental technician program.
It's not always easy to know what work you would be good at, Bailey admits.
For this reason, she advises anyone considering this career to do their homework
carefully.
"I encourage anyone going into a health career to investigate the career
by going to a facility. Go to a dental lab, have a look around, see what people
do. It's different on paper. Once you start really looking at what people
do, it either turns you off, or just affirms that, yes, this is what you want."
When he was growing up, David Nunally didn't dream of running a dental
technology lab. But he knew he'd have a career in the dental industry.
"My father's a dentist, my brother's a dentist, his wife's a dentist, her
brother's a dentist. But I wasn't really interested in the hands-on part of
the work."
Nunally didn't enjoy being in the workstation as much as he liked dealing
with clients. He now runs a dental lab, and has all but retired his prosthesis-making
equipment.
"I run the office, talk with the doctors, look after customer service and
sales," he says. Nunally is in charge of a 3,000-square-foot lab with 45 operating
workstations. "We have 20 people working for us, but we're looking for more."
Nunally trained as a dental technologist and worked as an apprentice for
two years to learn the trade. As soon as he had enough knowledge under his
belt, he opened the lab. He expects the business to continue to grow.
"Baby boomers are at the stage where their teeth are breaking down," he
says. "They're making more money and so [they] will probably
pay to have their teeth repaired rather than pulled."
Nunally is prepared to meet clients' needs and put a smile back on their
faces. "Running this business is just the greatest thing."
Pardy agrees that restoring a person's teeth is rewarding work. "I get
satisfaction trying to make my work perfect. It's great to think that I'm
creating something that will look good in a patient's mouth and will make
them feel good."