What does a dental laboratory technician do?
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 laboratory technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dental laboratory technician resumes:
- Manage CAD/CAM system for the fabrication of all-ceramic dental restorations.
- Manage operations of dental laboratory as lead technician, working directly with patients and dentists in an in-house dental laboratory.
- Experience with articulators, grinders, and polishers.
- Used wax, plastic models, plaster models, articulators, grinders and polishers.
- Perform basic nursing care, emergency and CPR procedures, take and record vital signs; collect specimens.
- Used professional customize creativity, and excellent manual dexterity.
- Compile and update the MSDS file.
- Wax and finish full metal and PFM crown and bridge
- Used CAD/CAM software to digitally build dental crowns and bridges.
- Create orthodontic appliances and splints to help straighten and protect teeth.
- 2005Fashion porcelain teeth for use in dental repair and cosmetic applications.
- Devest all types of martials which include Emax and different types of alloys.
- Conduct periodic internal reviews or audits to ensure that OSHA compliance procedures are followed.
- Complete a safety program that bring the lab into full compliance with OSHA standards.
- Complete CPR, triage, equipment handling training and ssist other personnel as needed.
Dental laboratory technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 23% of Dental Laboratory Technicians are proficient in Dentures, Patients, and Prosthetics. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Detail oriented, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Dental Laboratory Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Dentures, 23%
Created dentures and metal prosthesis following measurements.
- Patients, 17%
Maintained/improved patients' oral health by fabricating fixed prostheses according to dentist prescriptions.
- Prosthetics, 12%
Cataloged and recorded precise amounts of materials used in prosthetic creation.
- Dexterity, 9%
Analyzed and paid attention to detail as well as demonstrated excellent organization skills, manual dexterity and good eyesight.
- Cad Cam, 5%
Designed and milled Lava crowns using Cad Cam technology.
- Infection Control, 4%
Maintain infection control with all sterilization aspects.
Common skills that a dental laboratory technician uses to do their job include "dentures," "patients," and "prosthetics." You can find details on the most important dental laboratory technician responsibilities below.
Dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a dental laboratory technician to carry out their responsibilities is dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must work well with their hands to use precision instruments." Additionally, a dental laboratory technician resume shows how their duties depend on dexterity: "required excellent manual dexterity and close interaction with dentists. "
Detail oriented. Many dental laboratory technician duties rely on detail oriented. "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must follow work orders and prescriptions precisely," so a dental laboratory technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways dental laboratory technician responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "created dentures and learned how to pay attention to details. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of dental laboratory technicians is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday dental laboratory technician duties, as "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians must be able to work effectively with others." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "excelled in interpersonal skills, both oral and written while maintaining excellent customer service. "
Technical skills. A big part of what dental laboratory technicians do relies on "technical skills." You can see how essential it is to dental laboratory technician responsibilities because "dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians need to understand how different tools and materials work." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical dental laboratory technician tasks: "experience in performing technical procedures involved in the fabrication and repair of dental appliances according to dentists specific prescription. "
The three companies that hire the most dental laboratory technicians are:
- Aspen Dental310 dental laboratory technicians jobs
- National Dentex69 dental laboratory technicians jobs
- Clear Choice Health Care59 dental laboratory technicians jobs
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Compare different dental laboratory technicians
Dental laboratory technician 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a dental laboratory technician are more likely to require skills like "patients," "prosthetics," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity." On the other hand, a job as a crown and bridge technician requires skills like "repair orders," "shop drawings," "plc," and "autocad." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
On average, crown and bridge technicians reach similar levels of education than dental laboratory technicians. Crown and bridge technicians are 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Dental laboratory technician vs. Dental ceramist
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, dental laboratory technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "patients," "prosthetics," "dexterity," and "manual dexterity." Meanwhile, a dental ceramist has duties that require skills in areas such as "dental lab," "lava," "finesse," and "quality products." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Dental ceramists earn higher levels of education than dental laboratory technicians in general. They're 6.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental laboratory technician vs. Finishing technician
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from dental laboratory technician resumes include skills like "dentures," "patients," "prosthetics," and "complete dentures," whereas a finishing technician is more likely to list skills in "pallets," "safety procedures," "iso," and "production equipment. "
Finishing technicians earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $40,713. Comparatively, dental laboratory technicians have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $57,707.Most finishing technicians achieve a similar degree level compared to dental laboratory technicians. For example, they're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dental laboratory technician vs. Orthodontic technician
Types of dental laboratory technician
Updated January 8, 2025
