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The differences between dental 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 technician and a finishing technician. Additionally, a dental technician has an average salary of $68,232, which is higher than the $35,050 average annual salary of a finishing technician.
The top three skills for a dental technician include patients, dentures and dental care. The most important skills for a finishing technician are hand tools, grinders, and pallets.
| Dental Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $68,232 | $35,050 |
| Hourly rate | $32.80 | $16.85 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 45,536 | 43,972 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 28% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Dental Technicians manufacture dental prosthetics, such as crowns, bridges, and dentures in accordance with the dentist's specifications. They are also responsible for replacing, repairing, or modifying full or partial dentures.
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 technicians and finishing technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dental Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Average salary | $68,232 | $35,050 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $115,000 | Between $27,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Columbia, MD | Baton Rouge, LA |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | Montana |
| Best paying company | Private Practice | Promega |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a dental technician and a finishing technician in terms of educational background:
| Dental Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 28% | High School Diploma, 39% |
| Most common major | Dental Assisting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between dental technicians' and finishing technicians' demographics:
| Dental Technician | Finishing Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| 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, 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% |