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How to hire a dental ceramist

Dental ceramist hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring dental ceramists in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a dental ceramist is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new dental ceramist to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a dental ceramist, step by step

To hire a dental ceramist, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a dental ceramist:

Here's a step-by-step dental ceramist hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a dental ceramist job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dental ceramist
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the dental ceramist you need to hire. Certain dental ceramist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a dental ceramist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a dental ceramist that fits the bill.

    This list shows salaries for various types of dental ceramists.

    Type of Dental CeramistDescriptionHourly rate
    Dental CeramistDental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians construct, fit, or repair appliances and devices, including dentures, eyeglasses, and prosthetics.$18-68
    Finishing TechnicianWith great attention to detail, a finishing technician must have the ability to use all the machinery provided to finish a job. Finishing technicians must work long hours on sketches, blueprints, and other specifications... Show more$12-20
    Denture TechnicianA denture technician specializes in molding and creating metal or non-metal dentures, crowns, and bridges. They typically use models of the patients' mouth as a basis and utilize computer-aided software to design dentures according to the patients' needs... Show more$12-32
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Cad Cam
    • CAD/CAM
    • PFM
    • Dentures
    • Dental Lab
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage operations of dental laboratory as lead technician, working directly with patients and dentists in an in-house dental laboratory.
    • Fabricate, repair, or alter dental devices like crowns, inlays, dentures, bridge.
    • Fabricate, alter, and repair dental devices such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays.
    • Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
    • Perform duties as a ceramist producing porcelain fuse to metal crowns, e.max and full contour zirconia restorations.
    • Experience with a wide variety of high-tech materials, such as zirconia, ceramics and metal alloys (i.e.
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your dental ceramist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A dental ceramist salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, dental ceramists' average salary in alabama is 44% less than in new jersey.
    • Seniority. Entry-level dental ceramists earn 73% less than senior-level dental ceramists.
    • Certifications. A dental ceramist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a dental ceramist's salary.

    Average dental ceramist salary

    $74,175yearly

    $35.66 hourly rate

    Entry-level dental ceramist salary
    $38,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 15, 2025

    Average dental ceramist salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1Massachusetts$108,779$52
    2Maine$81,940$39
    3California$81,510$39
    4Texas$79,582$38
    5Ohio$78,504$38
    6Washington$78,131$38
    7Pennsylvania$78,013$38
    8Indiana$74,263$36
    9Florida$67,131$32

    Average dental ceramist salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1DCS$84,199$40.4817
    2DenMat$79,746$38.34
    3Utah Valley Regional Medical Center$77,696$37.35
  4. Writing a dental ceramist job description

    A dental ceramist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a dental ceramist job description:

    Dental ceramist job description example

    Salary: $30.00+/hr DOE

    Title: Ceramist

    Come make an immediate impact with Utah Valley Dental Lab ! We're looking for a hardworking and dependable Ceramist to help take us to the next level.

    The Ceramist will design complex full-arch and full-mouth reconstructions.

    Responsibilities:

    • understand and apply functional occlusion, advanced smile design principles
    • fabricate high-end cosmetic restorations from start to finish
    • communicate effectively with clients to ensure accuracy of RX
    • follow a daily schedule, read print and cursive writing
    • respond to emails, texts and phone calls in a professional manner

    Important Notice: This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that a team member in this position may be asked to perform. Duties and responsibilities may change to meet business needs.

    Qualifications:

    • Speak, read, and write English proficiently
    • Authorized to work in the U.S.
    • 5 years of experience fabricating smile design restorations and large complex restorations using a variety of dental ceramics, including: Ivoclar e.max, GC LiSi, Noritake CZR zirconia ceramic or GC Initial ZR, etc
    • Expertise in the fabrication of high-end cosmetic restorations: ceramic crowns, veneers, implants and bridges
    • Experience working with various stick bites, kois facebows, intra-oral photographs, relieving tissue around margins of master un-sectioned models and finishing margins under a 10-20X microscope
    • Ability to layer using multiple effect powders, including opals, mamelons, dentins, enamels, translucents, transparents and gingival ceramics
    • Ability to stain and glaze, as well as manually polish restorations
    • High attention to detail and RX IQ
    • Communicate effectively with clients to ensure accuracy of RX

    Compensation & Perks:

    • Health insurance including medical, dental and vision
    • PTO
    • Paid vacation
    • Paid holidays
    • On-site gym
    • Work in a high-growth company
    • 401(k) with employer match
  5. Post your job

    To find the right dental ceramist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with dental ceramists they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit dental ceramists who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your dental ceramist job on Zippia to find and recruit dental ceramist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    Recruiting dental ceramists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

    Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new dental ceramist

    Once you've selected the best dental ceramist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new dental ceramist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a dental ceramist?

Hiring a dental ceramist comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting dental ceramists involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of dental ceramist recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

Dental ceramists earn a median yearly salary is $74,175 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find dental ceramists for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $18 and $68.

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