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The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics
shows that the employment opportunities for dental lab technicians will continue to grow between now and 2016.
Dental lab technician job description
dental lab technicians make dental prosthetics including
bridges, crowns, dentures and other cosmetic prostheses.
dental lab technicians are very involved in the process of
creating dental prosthetics. The dentist makes an
impression of a patient’s mouth and then the technician
creates a mold of the impression by pouring plaster into
the impression. Next they examine the model, noticing the
bite line and the gum line. The technician builds
and shapes a wax model of the patients teeth.
This wax model is used to shape the metal framework
that becomes part of the final product.
Dental lab technician programs
On the job training is offered for dental lab technicians,
but prospective employees who have had formal training
are most likely to be hired. There are community college
and vocational technical schools that offer programs for
dental lab technicians. Some programs are two-years and
result in an associate’s degree but some programs are
four-years and result in a bachelor’s degree.
Dental lab technician certification
Certification is voluntary in all but three states
in the United States. Kentucky, South Carolina and
Texas require that dental laboratories employ at
least one certified dental lab technician in order to
operate. And in Florida laboratories must have at
least one dental lab technician that completes 18 hours
of continuing education every two years.
Many people volunteer to get certified.
There are five specific certification areas:
Orthodontic appliances, crowns and bridges,
complete dentures, partial dentures or ceramics.
In order to qualify for Certified Dentist Technician
status people must meet the educational requirements.
This can be met by two different methods. Technicians
can either have completed five years of experience
as a dental laboratory technician or they could have
graduated from a dental lab technician education program.
Technicians must also pass two written exams and one
practical exam in order to become certified.
If a practising dental technican only do work
in one of the specialized areas than they can get
a certificate of competency in that area.
Technicians are able to do this by taking a written
and practical exam in just one subject.
Dental lab technician salary and job opportunities
The median annual salary for dental lab technicians
was $33,480 and the median hourly wage was $16.10
in 2007.There is also room for promotions. dental lab technicians can eventually become supervisors or
managers. Experienced dentist technicians can also
take jobs with dental suppliers in areas of product
development, marketing and sales.
Growth of the field
The dental lab technician field is supposed to grow
14 percent by 2018. In 2008 there were 46,000 people
employed as dental lab technicians. It is projected that
there will be 52,400 people employed as dental lab technicians by 2018. The reason for this continual
job growth is the aging population. The demand for
cosmetic prostheses is increasing with the aging
public and more people are in need of dental products
like bridges and crowns. However, technological
advancements could eventually limit job growth in this field.
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