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What does a dental laboratory supervisor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Dental laboratory supervisor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real dental laboratory supervisor resumes:

  • Manage daily laboratory operations including personnel, client consulting, analyses and adherence to GLP protocols.
  • Implement an in-house immunofluorescent and special chemistry department, including electrophoresis and fluorescent microscopy, resulting in lower overhead costs.
  • Implement an in-house immunofluorescent and special chemistry department, including electrophoresis and fluorescent microscopy, resulting in lower overhead costs.

Dental laboratory supervisor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 31% of Dental Laboratory Supervisors are proficient in OSHA, Dental Clinic, and Clinic Operations. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Dexterity.

We break down the percentage of Dental Laboratory Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • OSHA, 31%

    Managed 136 Hazardous Chemical Inventory/Lab OSHA Monitor.

  • Dental Clinic, 20%

    Manage day-to-day operations at two busy dental clinics.

  • Clinic Operations, 15%

    Conducted meetings pertinent to clinic operations including staff meetings and work group meetings.

  • Patient Flow, 7%

    Worked in this dental specialty coordinating assistant schedules and maintaining efficient patient flow.

  • Front Desk, 6%

    Trained staff to successfully manage front desk Preformed Practice Management Software Conversions when necessary.

  • Dental Assistants, 5%

    Led 45 staff members consisting of dental receptionists, billing clerks, dental assistants, dental hygienists and Dentists.

Most dental laboratory supervisors use their skills in "osha," "dental clinic," and "clinic operations" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential dental laboratory supervisor responsibilities here:

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a dental laboratory supervisor to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical and health services managers must convey information to their staff, other healthcare workers, and, sometimes, patients and insurance agents." Dental laboratory supervisors often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "managed front desk communications, phone calls, and scheduling for a high-volume practice. "

Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling dental laboratory supervisor duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical and health services managers hire, train, and direct staff." According to a dental laboratory supervisor resume, here's how dental laboratory supervisors can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "provided technical, theoretical, and gmp compliance leadership within work group. "

Detail oriented. Another common skill required for dental laboratory supervisor responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of dental laboratory supervisors all the time, as "medical and health services managers must pay attention to detail." An excerpt from a real dental laboratory supervisor resume shows how this skill is central to what a dental laboratory supervisor does: "processed weekly payroll including detailed commission system for associate dentist. "

Analytical skills. While "analytical skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to dental laboratory supervisor responsibilities. Much of what a dental laboratory supervisor does relies on this skill, seeing as "medical and health services managers review and evaluate healthcare metrics for ways to improve efficiency and meet goals." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of dental laboratory supervisors: "investigated, analyzed and resolved clinic complaints/concerns to improve ongoing member relations including quality of care complaints. "

See the full list of dental laboratory supervisor skills

The three companies that hire the most dental laboratory supervisors are:

Compare different dental laboratory supervisors

Dental laboratory supervisor vs. Production supervisor

Production supervisors are employees who oversee the production process, usually handling activities directly related to people management. They manage employees by ensuring that the production floor employees are doing their work well and are motivated. Production supervisors guide employees and ensure that everyone is working towards company goals. They properly communicate these goals as well as the strategies to meet the set goals. Production supervisors have a direct hand in the hiring and subsequent training of employees. They should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and leadership skills.

We looked at the average dental laboratory supervisor salary and compared it with the wages of a production supervisor. Generally speaking, production supervisors are paid $3,552 higher than dental laboratory supervisors per year.Even though dental laboratory supervisors and production supervisors are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require osha, customer service, and direct reports in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, dental laboratory supervisor responsibilities require skills like "dental clinic," "clinic operations," "patient flow," and "front desk." Meanwhile a typical production supervisor has skills in areas such as "lean manufacturing," "safety procedures," "production schedules," and "quality standards." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, production supervisors reach lower levels of education than dental laboratory supervisors. Production supervisors are 7.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 5.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Dental laboratory supervisor vs. 3rd shift supervisor

A 3rd shift supervisor is responsible for monitoring the operations and staff performance of a specific shift. 3rd shift supervisors strategize on effective business techniques to maximize staff's productivity and improve customers' experience. They also analyze sales reports, resolve discrepancies, and identify business opportunities that would generate more resources for revenues and increase the company's profitability. A 3rd shift supervisor addresses customers' inquiries and concerns, as well as resolving their complaints about services timely and accurately.

A career as a 3rd shift supervisor brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a dental laboratory supervisor. In fact, 3rd shift supervisors salary is $26,907 lower than the salary of dental laboratory supervisors per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Dental laboratory supervisors and 3rd shift supervisors both require similar skills like "osha," "customer service," and "direct reports" to carry out their responsibilities.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that dental laboratory supervisor responsibilities requires skills like "dental clinic," "clinic operations," "patient flow," and "front desk." But a 3rd shift supervisor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "basic math," "pallet jack," "cleanliness," and "safety procedures."

In general, 3rd shift supervisors achieve lower levels of education than dental laboratory supervisors. They're 10.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 5.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Dental laboratory supervisor vs. Quality control supervisor

A quality control supervisor specializes in carrying out and implementing systems and procedures that ensure product quality within an organization. They are primarily responsible for devising priorities and standards, managing schedules to abide by the production timeline, monitoring activities, coordinating with production and quality control personnel, assessing employee performance, and thoroughly discussing new systems for all staff. There are also instances when a quality control supervisor must perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and assessments, responding to calls and correspondence, even disseminating notices.

An average quality control supervisor eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of dental laboratory supervisors. The difference in salaries amounts to quality control supervisors earning a $4,091 higher average salary than dental laboratory supervisors.

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 laboratory supervisor is likely to be skilled in "osha," "dental clinic," "clinic operations," and "patient flow," while a typical quality control supervisor is skilled in "safety procedures," "product quality," "food safety," and "lab equipment."

When it comes to education, quality control supervisors tend to earn lower degree levels compared to dental laboratory supervisors. In fact, they're 7.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 4.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Dental laboratory supervisor vs. Processing supervisor

A processing supervisor is responsible for overseeing the overall operational processes of a department and ensuring that the team members adhere to the highest quality standards and efficiency. Processing supervisors strategize efficient techniques to maximize the productivity and performance of the staff to deliver customer satisfaction and increase the company's brand reputation to the public. They also coordinate with clients, respond to inquiries and concerns, and resolve any complications related to the process and project management procedures.

Processing supervisors average a lower salary than the annual salary of dental laboratory supervisors. The difference is about $6,826 per year.According to resumes from dental laboratory supervisors and processing supervisors, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "osha," "customer service," and "direct reports. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between dental laboratory supervisors and processing supervisors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a dental laboratory supervisor might have more use for skills like "dental clinic," "clinic operations," "patient flow," and "front desk." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of processing supervisors require skills like "sterile processing," "patients," "quality standards," and "spd. "

Processing supervisors reach lower levels of education compared to dental laboratory supervisors, in general. The difference is that they're 6.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of dental laboratory supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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