Dental laboratory technicians create crowns, bridges, dentures, and other dental prosthetics. This is usually done by taking a prescription from a dentist accompanied with either a digital impression or physical mold of the patient’s mouth. The dental laboratory technician uses this information to create a model of the patient’s mouth that is used to create the dental prosthetic.
The extent to which an individual dental laboratory technician participates in creating a dental prosthetic varies. Some are solely responsible for the prosthetic from start to finish, while other labs will divide the tasks to separate dental laboratory technicians. Dental laboratory technicians can specialize in one of the following areas: orthodontic appliances, crowns and bridges, complete dentures, partial dentures, or ceramics.
Many dental laboratory technicians receive on-the-job training. There are dental laboratory technician programs that offer an associate’s degree. It is also recommended that potential dental laboratory technicians take courses in math, science, metal and wood shop, art, drafting, and computers. Be sure to look into the courses being offered in many locations.