Life As a Dental Laboratory Technician

Job Description & Duties Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.

Daily Life Of a Dental Laboratory Technician

• Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
• Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures.
• Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists’ specifications.
• Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework.
• Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
• Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatus.

Things a Dental Laboratory Technician Should Know How to Do

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.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

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.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Other Dental Laboratory Technician Job Titles

• Dental Technician Manager
• Orthodontic Technician
• Dental Laboratory Worker
• Dental Laboratory Technician (Dental Lab Tech)
• Metal Room Dental Technician

Dental Laboratory Technician Employment Estimates

In the United States, there were 38,100 jobs for Dental Laboratory Technicians in 2016.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 14.4% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 5,500 new jobs for Dental Laboratory Technicians by 2026. There will be an estimated 5,000 positions for Dental Laboratory Technician per year.

The states with the most job growth for Dental Laboratory Technicians are California, Florida, and Michigan.

Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, Missouri, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

What is the Average Salary of a Dental Laboratory Technician

Dental Laboratory Technicians Make between $25,320 and $64,180 a year. The median salary is $40,440.

How much do Dental Laboratory Technicians make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Alaska	$57,940
Virginia	$52,220
Montana	$51,200
New York	$50,250
Connecticut	$49,880
Nebraska	$48,640
Kansas	$48,000
Utah	$47,780
Colorado	$47,210
Mississippi	$46,430
Idaho	$45,920
Massachusetts	$45,650
South Carolina	$45,560
Arizona	$45,240
Kentucky	$44,720
Minnesota	$44,670
Rhode Island	$44,570
Washington	$43,710
Georgia	$43,420
Ohio	$43,400
California	$43,340
North Carolina	$43,190
Maine	$42,910
Oklahoma	$42,900
Iowa	$42,740
New Jersey	$42,610
Nevada	$42,080
Texas	$41,840
Illinois	$41,800
Tennessee	$41,660
New Hampshire	$41,320
Michigan	$41,310
Florida	$41,110
Missouri	$40,850
Pennsylvania	$40,210
Oregon	$40,080
Wisconsin	$39,960
Hawaii	$39,850
North Dakota	$39,540
West Virginia	$39,530
Arkansas	$39,260
Maryland	$39,180
Indiana	$38,990
New Mexico	$38,390
Louisiana	$37,920
Alabama	$36,540
South Dakota	$32,790

What Tools & Technology do Dental Laboratory Technicians Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Dental Laboratory Technicians may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Dental product design software
• Microsoft Word
• Intuit QuickBooks
• CAD/CAM

How to Become a Dental Laboratory Technician

Learn what Dental Laboratory Technician education requirements there are.

What work experience do I need to become a Dental Laboratory Technician?

Where do Dental Laboratory Technicians Work?

Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Those thinking about becoming Dental Laboratory Technicians might also be interested in the following careers:

• Watch Repairers

Are you already one of the many Dental Laboratory Technicians in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:

• Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons