Schoolsoup.com » Careers » Dental Laboratory Technicians

Dental Laboratory Technicians Career Information

At School Soup we want to help you on your Dental Laboratory Technicians Career path. Here in our Dental Laboratory Technicians career section, we have lots of great information to help you learn all about Dental Laboratory Technicians. If you're interested in other possible careers, please select a career from the dropdown menu below to learn more about that specific career.

----- Select a Career ----- Accountants and Auditors Actors, Directors, and Producers Actuaries Adjusters, Investigators, and Collectors Administrative Service Managers Adult Education Teachers Aerospace Engineers Agricultural Engineers Agricultural Scientists Agricultural Workers Air Traffic Controllers Aircraft Mechanics and Engine Specialists Aircraft Pilots Animal Care and Service Workers Apparel Workers Architects Archivists and Curators Atmospheric Scientists Automotive Body Repairers Automotive Mechanics Bank Tellers Barbers and Cosmetologists Bill and Account Collectors Billing Clerks Bindery Workers Biological and Medical Scientists Biomedical Engineers Boilermakers Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Bricklayers and Stonemasons Broadcast Technicians Brokerage Clerks and Statement Clerks Busdrivers Butchers and Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians Cargo and Freight Agents Cargo and Freight Agents Carpenters Carpet Installers Cashiers Chefs, Cooks, and Other Kitchen Workers Chemical Engineers Chemists Chiropractors Civil Engineers Clerical Supervisors and Managers Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians College and University Faculty Computer Control Programmers and Operators Computer Operators Computer Programmers Computer Scientists, Computer Engineers, and Systems Analysts Computer Software Engineers Concrete Masons and Terrazzo Workers Construction and Building Inspectors Construction Contractors and Managers Correction Officers Cost Estimators Counselors Counter and Rental Clerks Credit Clerks and Authorizers Dancers and Choreographers Demonstrators, Produst Promoters, and Models Dental Assistants Dental Hygienists Dental Laboratory Technicians Dentists Designers Desktop Publishers Diesel Mechanics Dietitians and Nutritionists Dispatchers Dispensing Opticians Drafters Drywall Workers and Lathers Economists and Marketing Research Analysts Education Administrators Electric Power Generating Plant Operators and Power Distributors and Dispat Electrical and Electronics Engineers Electricians Electroneuro- diagnostic Technologists Electronic Equipment Repairers Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Repairers Elevator Installers and Repairers Emergency Medical Technicians Engineering Technicians Engineers Environmental Engineers Farm Equipment Mechanics Farm Operators and Managers File Clerks Financial Analysts and Personal Financial Advisors Financial clerks Financial Managers Firefighting Occupations Fishers, Hunters, and Trappers Flight Attendants Food and Beverage Service Workers Foresters and Conservation Scientists Forestry and Logging Occupations Funeral Directors Gaming Cage Workers Gaming Services Occupations Gardeners and Groundskeepers General Managers and Top Executives General Office Clerks Geologists and Geophysicists Glaziers Guards Handlers, Equipment Cleaners, Helpers, and Laborers Hazardous Materials Removal Health Information Technicians Health Services Managers Heating, Air-Conditioning Technicians Home Appliance and Power Tool Repairers Homemaker - Home Health Aides Hotel and Motel Desk Clerks Hotel Managers and Assistants Human Resources Assistants Human Resources Specialists and Managers Industrial Engineers Industrial Machinery Repairers Industrial Production Managers Information Clerks Inspectors, Testers, and Graders Instructional Coordinators Insulation Workers Insurance Agents and Brokers Insurance Underwriters Interviewing and New Accounts Clerks Janitors and Cleaners and Cleaning Supervisors Jewelers Job Opportunities in the Armed Forces Landscape Architects Lawyers and Judges Librarians Library Assistants and Bookmobile Drivers Library Technicians Licensed Practical Nurses Line Installers and Cable Splicers Loan Officers and Counselors Machinists and Tool Programmers Mail Clerks and Messengers Management Analysts and Consultants Manufacturers' and Wholesale Sales Representatives Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations Managers Material Moving Equipment Material Recording, Scheduling, Dispatching, and Distributing Occupations Materials Engineers Mathematicians Mechanical Engineers Medical Assistants Medical Transcriptionists Metallurgical, Ceramic, and Materials Engineers Meteorologists Mining Engineers Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics Motorcycle, Boat, and Small-Engine Mechanics Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Musicians Nuclear Engineers Nuclear Medicine Technologists Nursing Aides and Psychiatric Aides Occupational Therapists Operations Research Analysts Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians Optometrists Order Clerks Painters and Paperhangers Painting and Coating Machine Operators Paralegals Payroll and Time keeping Clerks Personnel Clerks Pest Control Workers Petroleum Engineers Pharmacists Pharmacy Aids Pharmacy Technicians Photographers and Camera Operators Photographic Process Workers Physical Therapist Assistants and Aids Physical Therapists Physician Assistants Physicians Physicists and Astronomers Plasterers Plumbers and Pipefitters Podiatrists Police, Detectives, and Special Agents Postal Clerks and Mail Carriers Precision Assemblers Prepress Workers Printing Press Operators Private Household Workers Procurement Clerks Property and Real Estate Managers Protestant Ministers Psychologists Public Relations Specialists Purchasers and Buyers Rabbis Radio and Television Announcers and Newscasters Radiologic Technologists Rail Transportation Workers Real Estate Agents, Brokers, and Appraisers Receptionists Record Clerks Recreation Workers Recreational Therapists Registered Nurses Reporters and Correspondents Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks Respiratory Therapists Restaurant and Food Service Managers Retail Sales Worker Supervisors and Managers Retail Sales Workers Roman Catholic Priests Roofers School Teachers Kindergarten, Elementary, and Secondary Science Technicians Secretaries Securities and Financial Services Sales Representatives Semiconductor Processors Sheetmetal Workers Social and Human Services Assistants Social Scientists and Urban Planners Social Workers Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists Stationary Engineers Statisticians Stenographers and Court Reporters Stock Clerks Structural and Reinforcing Ironworkers Surgical Technologists Surveyors Systems Analysts, Computer Scientists, and Database Administrators Tax Examiners, Collectors, anc Revenue Agents Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs Teacher Aides Telephone Operators Tool and Die Makers Traffic, Shipping, and Receiving Clerks Travel Agents Truckdrivers Typists, Word Processors, and Data Entry Keyers Urban and Regional Planners Vending Machine Servicers and Repairers Veterinarians Visual Artists Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators Water Transportation Occupations Welders, Cutters, and Welding Machine Operators Woodworking Occupations Writers and Editors View All Careers

• Significant Points
• Nature of the Work
• Working Conditions
• Employment
• Training, Qualifications, Adv.

• Job Outlook
• Earnings
• Related Occupations
• Sources of Additional Information

Significant Points

·            Employment should increase slowly, as the public's improving dental health requires fewer dentures but more bridges and crowns.

·            Dental laboratory technicians need artistic aptitude for detailed and precise work, a high degree of manual dexterity, and good vision.

Nature of the Work

Dental laboratory technicians fill prescriptions from dentists for crowns, bridges, dentures, and other dental prosthetics. First, dentists send a specification of the item to be fabricated, along with an impression (mold) of the patient's mouth or teeth. Then, dental laboratory technicians, also called dental technicians, create a model of the patient's mouth by pouring plaster into the impression and allowing it to set. Next, they place the model on an apparatus that mimics the bite and movement of the patient's jaw. The model serves as the basis of the prosthetic device. Technicians examine the model, noting the size and shape of the adjacent teeth, as well as gaps within the gumline. Based upon these observations and the dentist's specifications, technicians build and shape a wax tooth or teeth model, using small hand instruments called wax spatulas and wax carvers. They use this wax model to cast the metal framework for the prosthetic device.

After the wax tooth has been formed, dental technicians pour the cast and form the metal and, using small hand-held tools, prepare the surface to allow the metal and porcelain to bond. They then apply porcelain in layers, to arrive at the precise shape and color of a tooth. Technicians place the tooth in a porcelain furnace to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework, and then adjust the shape and color, with subsequent grinding and addition of porcelain to achieve a sealed finish. The final product is nearly an exact replica of the lost tooth or teeth.

In some laboratories, technicians perform all stages of the work, whereas in other labs, each technician does only a few. Dental laboratory technicians can specialize in one of five areas: Orthodontic appliances, crowns and bridges, complete dentures, partial dentures, or ceramics. Job titles can reflect specialization in these areas. For example, technicians who make porcelain and acrylic restorations are called dental ceramists.

Working Conditions

Dental laboratory technicians generally work in clean, well-lighted, and well-ventilated areas. Technicians usually have their own workbenches, which can be equipped with Bunsen burners, grinding and polishing equipment, and hand instruments, such as wax spatulas and wax carvers.

The work is extremely delicate and time consuming. Salaried technicians usually work 40 hours a week, but self-employed technicians frequently work longer hours.

Employment

Dental laboratory technicians held about 43,000 jobs in 2009. Most jobs were in commercial dental laboratories, which usually are small, privately owned businesses with fewer than five employees. However, some laboratories are large; a few employ more than 50 technicians.

Some dental laboratory technicians work in dentists' offices. Others work for hospitals providing dental services, including U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' hospitals. Some technicians work in dental laboratories in their homes, in addition to their regular job.

Training, Qualifications, Adv.

Most dental laboratory technicians learn their craft on the job. They begin with simple tasks, such as pouring plaster into an impression, and progress to more complex procedures, such as making porcelain crowns and bridges. Becoming a fully trained technician requires an average of 3 to 4 years, depending upon the individual's aptitude and ambition, but it may take a few years more to become an accomplished technician.

Training in dental laboratory technology also is available through community and junior colleges, vocational-technical institutes, and the Armed Forces. Formal training programs vary greatly both in length and in the level of skill they impart.

In 2009, 30 programs in dental laboratory technology were accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation in conjunction with the American Dental Association (ADA). These programs provide classroom instruction in dental materials science, oral anatomy, fabrication procedures, ethics, and related subjects. In addition, each student is given supervised practical experience in a school or an associated dental laboratory. Accredited programs normally take 2 years to complete and lead to an associate degree.

Graduates of 2-year training programs need additional hands-on experience to become fully qualified. Each dental laboratory owner operates in a different way, and classroom instruction does not necessarily expose students to techniques and procedures favored by individual laboratory owners. Students who have taken enough courses to learn the basics of the craft usually are considered good candidates for training, regardless of whether they have completed a formal program. Many employers will train someone without any classroom experience.

The National Board for Certification, an independent board established by the National Association of Dental Laboratories, offers certification in dental laboratory technology. Certification, which is voluntary, can be obtained in five specialty areas: crowns and bridges, ceramics, partial dentures, complete dentures, and orthodontic appliances.

In large dental laboratories, technicians may become supervisors or managers. Experienced technicians may teach or may take jobs with dental suppliers in such areas as product development, marketing, and sales. Still, for most technicians, opening one's own laboratory is the way toward advancement and higher earnings.

A high degree of manual dexterity, good vision, and the ability to recognize very fine color shadings and variations in shape are necessary. An artistic aptitude for detailed and precise work also is important. High school students interested in becoming dental laboratory technicians should take courses in art, metal and wood shop, drafting, and sciences. Courses in management and business may help those wishing to operate their own laboratories.

Job Outlook

Job opportunities for dental laboratory technicians should be favorable, despite very slow growth in the occupation. Employers have difficulty filling trainee positions, probably because entry-level salaries are relatively low and because the public is not familiar with the occupation.

Although job opportunities are favorable, slower-than-average growth in the employment of dental laboratory technicians is expected through the year 2010, due to changes in dental care. The overall dental health of the population has improved because of fluoridation of drinking water, which has reduced the incidence of dental cavities, and greater emphasis on preventive dental care since the early 1960s. As a result, full dentures will be less common, as most people will need only a bridge or crown. However, during the last few years, demand has arisen from an aging public that is growing increasingly interested in cosmetic prostheses. For example, many dental laboratories are filling orders for composite fillings that are the same shade of white as natural teeth to replace older, less attractive fillings.

Earnings

Median hourly earnings of dental laboratory technicians were $12.94 in 2009. The middle 50 percent earned between $9.83 and $16.82 an hour. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $7.78, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $21.47 an hour. Median hourly earnings of dental laboratory technicians in 2000 were $12.88 in offices and clinics of dentists and $12.87 in medical and dental laboratories.

Technicians in large laboratories tend to specialize in a few procedures, and, therefore, tend to be paid a lower wage than those employed in small laboratories that perform a variety of tasks.

Related Occupations

Dental laboratory technicians fabricate artificial teeth, crowns and bridges, and orthodontic appliances, following specifications and instructions provided by dentists. Other workers who make and repair medical devices include dispensing opticians, ophthalmic laboratory technicians, orthotists and prosthetists, and precision instrument and equipment repairers.

Sources of Additional Information

For a list of accredited programs in dental laboratory technology, contact:

• Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Association, 211 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Internet: http://www.ada.org

For information on requirements for certification of dental laboratory technicians, contact:

• National Board for Certification in Dental Technology, 325 John Knox Rd., L103, Tallahassee, FL 32303. Internet: http://www.nbccert.org

For information on career opportunities in commercial dental laboratories, contact:

• National Association of Dental Laboratories, 325 John Knox Rd., L103, Tallahassee, FL 32303. Internet: http://www.nadl.org