Dental Laboratory Technician

Dental Laboratory Technician

Work Activities/Work Locations

Certified Dental Technicians (CDT) or Dental Laboratory Technicians (DLABT),make dental restorations (metal and ceramic crowns and bridges), and other dental prosthetics.
They work with hand tools, molding equipment and other machinery to manufacture replicas of teeth and other prosthetics.
Dental Technicians have a high degree of manual dexterity and good vision because their work is highly detailed and delicate.
Some technicians may perform all the tasks to create crowns, bridges, dentures, and other prosthetics while others may specialize in a certain area.
These technicians work with porcelain, metal, plastic, wires, composites, and dental wax to create these molds of patient’s teeth.
They use hand instruments such as drills, laths, furnaces, vacuum mixers, and investing tools to fabricate prostheses.
Dental Technicians work in private dental laboratories, Dentist’s offices, hospitals, or dental suppliers.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Dental Technicians enjoy good working conditions and good salaries.
One must have good hand/eye coordination, manual dexterity, and an ability to work independently.

Education: 1 year

Patient Interaction: Low

Physical Activity: Low

Salary: $67,744

Job Growth: Medium

Dentist (DDS/DMD)

Certified Dental Technician (CDT)

Dental Laboratory Technician (DLABT)

Dental Hygienist (DH)

Getting Started

High School Courses

Helpful high school courses would include biology, chemistry, art, Metal & Wood, and drafting.
Shadowing a Dental Technician is recommended.

Education and Training

Some employers will train a person without formal training in a program; today that is very rare except in very rural settings.
Formal training in Dental Laboratory Technology is available through technical colleges or community and junior colleges.
Formal training programs can vary greatly both in length and the level of skill they import.
Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) offers a 2-semester, 16-credit technical diploma program. The curriculum includes dental terminology, dental anatomy and occlusion. Students acquire laboratory skills through hands-on experience in a dental lab.

Educational Institutions

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Method of Entry

A high school diploma or GED is required.
Most have graduated from an accredited program in Dental Laboratory Technology offered at technical colleges.
There is no license required for Dental Lab Technicians, but OPTIONAL Certification is available. Certification recognizes a Dental Technician’s knowledge and technical skills and is often a criterion for employment. It involves passing an exam administered by the National Board for Certification (NBC)in Dental Laboratory Technology.
Students enrolled in recognized Dental Technical programs are eligible to sit for the Recognized Graduate (RG) exam. Once a student passes the RG exam AND graduates from the program, he or she is acknowledged by the NBC as a Recognized Graduate. Recognized Graduates then have four years to take and pass the other exams required to be Certified.
The candidate for Certification must successfully complete three examinations, taken in any order, within a four-year period: a written comprehensive, a specialty practical, and a specialty written. Current Recognized Graduates may waive the written comprehensive exam. The five specialties to choose from are: complete dentures; partial dentures; crown and bridge; ceramics; and orthodontics.
All Dental Technicians who possess the required education and/or experience, have a working knowledge of the English language, and have not been found guilty of practicing dentistry illegally are eligible to become Certified Dental Technicians.
In order to take the Certification exam, one must have completed an accredited dental laboratory technology program AND have had two year of professional experience, OR, if you have been trained on the job or through a non-accredited program, you can take the exam after five years of work experience as a dental lab technician.

Professional Organizations

Alliance of the American Dental Association
211 E. Chicago Avenue, Suite 730
Chicago, IL, 60611-2616
800/621-8099, Ext. 2865
www.allianceada.org/

American Dental Assistants Association
140 N. Bloomingdale Road
Bloomingdale, IL, 60108-1017
630/994-4247 or 877/874-3785
www.dentalassistant.org

American Dental Association (ADA)
211 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL, 60611-2678
312/440-2500
www.ada.org

American Dental Hygienists’ Association
444 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3400
Chicago, IL, 60611
312/440-8900
www.adha.org

Dane County Dental Society
PO Box 6407
Madison, WI, 53716
(608) 222-8344
www.danecountydental.org/

Dental Record
6737 W. Washington Street, Suite 2360
West Allis, WI, 53214
(800) 243-4675
www.dentalrecord.com/

Greater Milwaukee Dental Association
www.gmda.org/

National Association of Dental Laboratories
325 John Knox Rd, #L103
Tallahassee, FL, 32303
800/950-1150 or 850/205-5626
www.nadl.org/

National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology
325 John Knox Rd, #L103
Tallahassee, FL, 32303
800/684-5310 or 850/205-5627
www.nbccert.org/

Wisconsin Dental Association
6737 W. Washington St., Suite 2360
West Allis, WI, 53214
414/276-4520
www.wda.org

Wisconsin Oral Health Coalition
6737 W. Washington St., Suite 1111
West Allis, WI, 53214
(414) 337-4560

www.chawisconsin.org/oral-health.php?pg=30

Career Outlook

Number Employed in 2014 (Wisconsin): 50
Number Employed in 2014 (U.S.): 38,700
Expected Employment in 2024 (U.S.): 42,900
Percent Employment Growth (2014-2024): 11%
Expected Annual Openings: 1,350
Median Salary in 2014 (Wisconsin): $67,744

Salary information is located at Career One Stop

Wisconsin AHEC Health Careers Information Center provides the most current salary information available from CareerOneStop. CareerOneStop will have a lapse between when the information is gathered and when it is released.

Dental laboratory technicians usually work a total of 40 hours a week.

Along with certification come more advancement opportunities as well and higher earnings.
Experienced technicians may teach or may take jobs with dental suppliers in such areas as product development, marketing, and sales.
In large dental laboratories, technicians may become department supervisors, laboratory managers, or laboratory owners.
For many technicians, opening one’s own laboratory is the way toward advancement and higher earnings.
Another possible career might include being a dental ceramicist.