Dental Laboratory Technicians

What the job really is

Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.

At a glance

• Sector: Production
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9081
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.
• Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
• Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth.
• Place tooth models on an 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.
• Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
• Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses.
• Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
• Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures.
• Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
• Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications.
• Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework.

Tools and technology

Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Acrylic cutters, Adjustable articulators, Air compressors, Air scribes, Amalgam dispensers

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Medical Appliance Technicians
• Dental Assistants
• Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
• Medical Equipment Repairers
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Calibration Technologists and Technicians
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Dental Laboratory Technicians — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.