What Do Dental Laboratory Technicians Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Dental Laboratory Technicians construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances. They also read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.

Other tasks include:

• Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
• Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
• Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatus.
• Create a model of patient’s mouth by pouring plaster into a dental impression and allowing plaster to set.
• Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
• Place tooth models on apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient’s jaw to evaluate functionality of model.

We asked Dental Laboratory Technicians how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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62% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 65% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Dental Laboratory Technicians read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed. They test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.

A typical day for a Dental Laboratory Technician will also include:

• Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
• Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth.
• Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists’ specifications.
• Place tooth models on apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient’s jaw to evaluate functionality of model.
• Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines.

We asked some Dental Laboratory Technicians a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	40% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	41% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	80% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	31% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	59% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Dental Laboratory Technicians also fill chipped or low spots in surfaces of devices, using acrylic resins. They may also rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Dental Laboratory Technicians Prepare wax bite blocks and impression trays for use. They might also Create a model of patient’s mouth by pouring plaster into a dental impression and allowing plaster to set.

In addition, they Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Shape and solder wire and metal frames or bands for dental products, using soldering irons and hand tools.

To some Dental Laboratory Technicians, it is also their responsibility to Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Dental Laboratory Technician, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm

http://www.ada.org/en/coda

https://nadl.org/home-page.cfm

http://www.ncope.org/