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The differences between dental laboratory technicians and finishing technicians 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 finishing technician. Additionally, a dental laboratory technician has an average salary of $55,271, which is higher than the $35,050 average annual salary of a finishing technician.
The top three skills for a dental laboratory technician include dentures, patients and prosthetics. The most important skills for a finishing technician are hand tools, grinders, and pallets.
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,271 | $35,050 |
| Hourly rate | $26.57 | $16.85 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 60,024 | 43,972 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| 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.
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.
Dental laboratory technicians and finishing technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Average salary | $55,271 | $35,050 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $86,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | Baton Rouge, LA |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Montana |
| Best paying company | DCS | Promega |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a dental laboratory technician and a finishing technician in terms of educational background:
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between dental laboratory technicians' and finishing technicians' demographics:
| Dental Laboratory Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| 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, 8.4% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 8.4% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |