What does a dental ceramist do?
Dental ceramist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dental ceramist resumes:
- 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.
- Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators.
- Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
- Manage operations of dental laboratory as lead technician, working directly with patients and dentists in an in-house dental laboratory.
- Receive RX orders from doctors and ensure all work are completed on a timely manner and on budget.
Dental ceramist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 30% of Dental Ceramists are proficient in Cad Cam, CAD/CAM, and PFM. They’re also known for soft skills such as Technical skills, Detail oriented, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Dental Ceramists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cad Cam, 30%
Designed and milled Lava crowns using Cad Cam technology.
- CAD/CAM, 30%
Produced crown and bridge work * Worked with custom and stock implants * Proficient with CAD/CAM machines- only technician on site
- PFM, 21%
Assumed full accountability in waxing up and fabricating PFM crowns, color matched, stained, glazed and finished PFM crowns.
- Dentures, 15%
General administrative office duties, insurance and patient billing and delivered dentures to surrounding dental practices.
- Dental Lab, 4%
Lead Technician- Responsible for product quality at dental laboratory.
Common skills that a dental ceramist uses to do their job include "cad cam," "cad/cam," and "pfm." You can find details on the most important dental ceramist responsibilities below.
Technical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a dental ceramist to have is technical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians need to understand how different tools and materials work." Dental ceramists often use technical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided technical and administrative supervision over dental assistants, dental hygienists and treatment coordinators assigned to dental clinic. "
Detail oriented. Many dental ceramist duties rely on detail oriented. "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must follow work orders and prescriptions precisely," so a dental ceramist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways dental ceramist responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "demonstrated exceptional communication and relationship building skills and meticulous attention to detail in clinical dental treatment. "
Dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of dental ceramists is dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday dental ceramist duties, as "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must work well with their hands to use precision instruments." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "complete all work in a timely manner and still display accuracy, dexterity and quality in the product. "
The three companies that hire the most dental ceramists are:
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Compare different dental ceramists
Dental ceramist vs. Crown and bridge technician
With 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. They must execute quality work to deadlines and adapt to changes that might occur between process implementations. They are responsible for training staff on machines and troubleshooting when issues arise. They are also responsible for quality control on finished products.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dental ceramist responsibilities require skills like "cad/cam," "lava," "finesse," and "quality products." Meanwhile a typical crown and bridge technician has skills in areas such as "osha," "repair orders," "shop drawings," and "plc." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that crown and bridge technicians earn slightly differ from dental ceramists. In particular, crown and bridge technicians are 7.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a dental ceramist. Additionally, they're 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental ceramist vs. Orthodontic technician
A 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. Besides creating, they may also repair or re-adjust dentures and assist patients' by answering inquiries, explaining the extent of procedures, and offering other products and services. Furthermore, a denture technician can usually be found at dental offices, clinics, and even hospitals.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that dental ceramist responsibilities requires skills like "cad cam," "cad/cam," "pfm," and "dentures." But an orthodontic technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "scheduling appointments," "patient care," and "oral hygiene."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Orthodontic technicians tend to reach lower levels of education than dental ceramists. In fact, they're 6.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental ceramist vs. Finishing technician
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a dental ceramist is likely to be skilled in "cad cam," "cad/cam," "pfm," and "dentures," while a typical finishing technician is skilled in "grinders," "pallets," "dexterity," and "safety procedures."
Most finishing technicians achieve a lower degree level compared to dental ceramists. For example, they're 6.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental ceramist vs. Denture technician
Updated January 8, 2025
