Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between dental laboratory technicians and dental assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a dental laboratory technician and a dental assistant. Additionally, a dental laboratory technician has an average salary of $55,271, which is higher than the $37,730 average annual salary of a dental assistant.
The top three skills for a dental laboratory technician include dentures, patients and prosthetics. The most important skills for a dental assistant are patients, patient care, and CPR.
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Dental Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $55,271 | $37,730 |
| Hourly rate | $26.57 | $18.14 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 60,024 | 69,835 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 23% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A dental laboratory technician replaces total or partial natural teeth loss by constructing partial and complete dentures. They restore the natural teeth by fabricating bridges and crowns. These professionals produce removable and fixed devices that assist in correcting dental irregularities. Besides keeping detailed reports, logs, forms, and records to note down actions, dental laboratory technicians also re-design, evaluate, and study processes to enhance care quality. Moreover, dental laboratory technicians keep equipment and supply inventories in working conditions. Also, they follow the right procedures and discretion at all times.
Dental assistants provide patient care, have the ability to take x-rays, blood pressure readings, and help dentists perform treatments and procedures. They also keep patients' dental records, schedule appointments, prepare and maintain materials and equipment. They may conduct tests that are not much complicated and would not require the supervision of a dentist or dental surgeon. They also may administer and dispense medications to patients under the doctor's orders. Most dental assistants work in dentists' offices as full time in dental practice, but they can specialize and get employment in orthodontic or periodontist offices and other practices.
Dental laboratory technicians and dental assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Dental Assistant | |
| Average salary | $55,271 | $37,730 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $86,000 | Between $28,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | Saint Paul, MN |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Alaska |
| Best paying company | DCS | Alameda Health System |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a dental laboratory technician and a dental assistant in terms of educational background:
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Dental Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Associate Degree, 23% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Dental Assisting |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | - |
Here are the differences between dental laboratory technicians' and dental assistants' demographics:
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Dental Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% | Male, 11.5% Female, 88.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 24.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 4% |