A career as a dental laboratory technician offers a wide range of challenges. Since each dental patient's specific needs are different, the duties of a dental technician are comprehensive and varied. Technicians work with a variety of materials, as well as sophisticated instruments and equipment, to create dental prostheses replacements for damaged or missing tooth structure. Since each dental patient's specific needs are different, the duties of a dental laboratory technician are comprehensive and varied. Although dental technicians seldom work directly with patients, except under the direction of a licensed dentist, they are valuable members of the dental care team.
Dental technicians work with a variety of materials in replacing damaged or missing tooth structure.
These include waxes, plastics, precious and non-precious alloys, stainless steel, a variety of porcelains and composites or polymer glass combinations. Additionally, many technicians acquire skill in the use of sophisticated instruments and equipment while performing laboratory procedures. It is important for the technician to help create tooth replacements that are both esthetic and functional in order to improve a patient's appearance. Dental laboratory technology is a flexible career offering several opportunities for advancement. Experienced technicians can find well-paid positions in commercial laboratories based on their technical or communication skills, become department heads in larger laboratories, where they would have supervisory responsibilities or potentially own their own laboratory.