In these instances, skills are learned on the job. For positions requiring experience, dental assisting programs are offered at trade schools, technical institutes, and community and junior colleges. Technicians create appliances using wax, plaster, ceramics and metal, using models made from impressions taken by a dentist of a patient's mouth or teeth. There are more than 60,000 active dental laboratory technicians in the US today. The basic educational requirement for dental laboratory technicians is a high school diploma.
Many dental technicians learn their craft on the job.