Dental Laboratory Technician Definition: Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.
List of Dental Laboratory Technician Job Duties
- Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
- Place tooth models on apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient’s jaw to evaluate functionality of model.
- Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
- Create a model of patient’s mouth by pouring plaster into a dental impression and allowing plaster to set.
- Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
- Shape and solder wire and metal frames or bands for dental products, using soldering irons and hand tools.
Qualities of a Dental Laboratory Technician
Dental Laboratory Technicians state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work:
- Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
- Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Dental Laboratory Technician Salary
Dental Laboratory Technicians make between $25,320 and $64,180 a year. Dental Laboratory Technicians who work in Alaska, Virginia, or Colorado make the highest salaries.
Tools & Technologies Used by Dental Laboratory Technicians
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Dental Laboratory Technicians:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Microsoft Windows
- Spreadsheet software
- Scheduling software
- Graphics software
- Computer aided design and drafting (CADD) software
- Inventory management software
- Database management software
- CAD/CAM
- Computer imaging software
Becoming a Dental Laboratory Technician
What education or degrees do I need to become a Dental Laboratory Technician?
Who Employs Dental Laboratory Technicians?
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
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