Dental Lab Technician

A dental lab technician is the behind the scenes professional who is involved in a majority of patient needs when it comes to restorative dentistry like veneers and orthodontic dentistry like braces. Dental lab technicians are very skilled and need to have great attention to even the smallest detail as their main goals are to make sure that the orthodontic appliance is correctly straightening teeth and that any tooth replacement or addition like crowns and inlays fit each patient’s unique mouth orientation and function. With this information it is easy to see that a dental lab technician’s primary role is to fulfill corrective needs as assessed by a dentist.

They work with various materials including wax, porcelain, plastics, alloys, stainless steel, and many others and they also have to use several techniques such as polishing, baking porcelain, melting metals, mixing plasters, and soldering. There are five main areas that dental lab technicians work with and those are complete dentures, partial and removable partial dentures, crowns and bridges, dental ceramics, and orthodontic appliances. Each area has unique tasks that the dental lab technician must perform but the focus of work goes into creating a plaster model from impressions of the patient’s teeth and mouth and figuring out how to create the dentist’s prescription. This requires looking at the model and checking the existing structure of teeth, gumline, and jawlines.

Dental Lab Technician Training

No formal education is needed to become a dental technician as it is a career that can be learned on the job but some companies may prefer some type of formal education. There are around 24 dental lab technician schools that are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and there are a few programs that are not accredited. Dental lab technician training programs are offered through community colleges, universities, and technical institutes and generally take two years to complete towards a diploma, certificate, or associate’s degree. Check out the dental lab technician schools page for a listing of schools and curriculum that is offered.

Certified Dental Lab Technician

Although certification is not necessary, dental lab technician certification is awarded by passing the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology examination. The examination consists of a 160 multiple-choice questions comprehensive examination, an 80 multiple-choice questions specialty written examination, and a specialty practical. Passing the examination grants the title of Certified Dental Technician, CDT.

There are prerequisites for taking the examination and experience and training are at the top. For applicants who are not participants in the NBC’s Recognized Graduate (RG) program, 5 years of documented training or experience is needed. For those that have graduated from a CODA accredited dental lab technology program, only 2 years of practical experience is needed after graduation. Students who are interested in certification can become a recognized graduate by attending a program recognized by the NBC and passing a comprehensive exam which counts towards the CDT exam. The recognized graduate exam can be taken while enrolled in school but is not awarded until graduation. Recognized graduates from CODA accredited dental technician programs can take the CDT exam without further practical experience and those from non-accredited programs must attain 3 additional years of experience. Continuing education is required to renew the certification every year.