Dental technician vs dental ceramist

The differences between dental technicians and dental ceramists 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 technician and a dental ceramist. Additionally, a dental ceramist has an average salary of $74,175, which is higher than the $68,232 average annual salary of a dental technician.

The top three skills for a dental technician include patients, dentures and dental care. The most important skills for a dental ceramist are cad cam, CAD/CAM, and PFM.

Dental technician vs dental ceramist overview

	Dental Technician	Dental Ceramist
Yearly salary	$68,232	$74,175
Hourly rate	$32.80	$35.66
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	45,536	21,711
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 39%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Dental technician vs dental ceramist salary

Dental technicians and dental ceramists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dental Technician	Dental Ceramist
Average salary	$68,232	$74,175
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $115,000	Between $38,000 And $142,000
Highest paying City	Columbia, MD	Andover, MA
Highest paying state	Maryland	New Jersey
Best paying company	Private Practice	DCS
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between dental technician and dental ceramist education

There are a few differences between a dental technician and a dental ceramist in terms of educational background:

	Dental Technician	Dental Ceramist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 39%
Most common major	Dental Assisting	Dental Assisting
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Dental technician vs dental ceramist demographics

Here are the differences between dental technicians' and dental ceramists' demographics:

	Dental Technician	Dental Ceramist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4%	Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 9.3% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between dental technician and dental ceramist duties and responsibilities

Dental technician example responsibilities.

Utilize 3-D scanning and printing software and hardware to create zirconia dental appliances.
Take impressions and seat Invisalign aligners.
Wax and/ or finish implants and substructures.
Specialize in Invisalign but also apply braces when necessary.
Fit and finish of FMC and PFM crowns and frameworks.
Draft bridge superstructures, substructures and design precast concrete and structural steel bridges.

Dental ceramist example responsibilities.

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.

Dental technician vs dental ceramist skills

Common dental technician skills

Patients, 38%
Dentures, 17%
Dental Care, 17%
Prosthetics, 12%
Dental Lab, 3%
Cad Cam, 2%

Common dental ceramist skills

Cad Cam, 30%
CAD/CAM, 30%
PFM, 21%
Dentures, 15%
Dental Lab, 4%