Dental Laboratory Technician
Dental Laboratory Technician
Dental laboratory technology is the art, science and technology of designing and manufacturing corrective devices for and replacements of natural teeth. A dental laboratory technician communicates and collaborates with the dentist to plan, design and fabricate dental prostheses for individual patients.
The dentist is responsible for providing dental laboratory with a prescription detailing final treatment choice and for placement of restoration or corrective device in the patient’s mouth. The dental technician aids the dentist in material choices and case design and is responsible for fabrication of the final prostheses or corrective devices.
By fabricating esthetic dental prostheses that work well and by improving the patient’s smile, the dental laboratory technician influences not only patient’s physical and dental health but also improves his or her confidence and self-esteem.
Fully Dedicated to Your Dental Health
By fabricating esthetic dental prostheses that work well and by improving the patient’s smile, the dental laboratory technician influences not only patient’s physical and dental health but also improves his or her confidence and self-esteem.
Two types of dental specialties rely heavily on the skills of a dental laboratory technician:
- Restorative dentistry or prosthodontics is used when the patient loses a part or the entire tooth/teeth due to the decay, disease, illness or accident, and the tooth/teeth must be replaced to maintain normal fit, form and function.
- Orthodontics is provided when the tooth/teeth must be moved or stabilized to optimize function, esthetics or to prevent painful dysfunction.
Dental laboratory technology specialties include:
- Crown and bridge
- Ceramics
- Dentures
- Partial dentures
- Implants
- Orthodontics
The profession of dental laboratory technology is:
- An art because each restoration is unique to each patient. The restoration must imitate or improve the beauty and the function of the patient’s natural dentition and be in harmony with the rest of the system. The technician’s greatest challenge is to create a restoration that looks and feels completely natural in the patient’s mouth.
- A science that is advancing rapidly. In order to fabricate the fixed or removable dental prostheses, dental technicians must have a keen knowledge and understanding of tooth anatomy, masticatory functions and the materials and processes utilized in the creation of such devices. A variety of high-tech materials, such as zirconia, ceramics (i.e. lithium disilicate, feldspatic porcelains), plastics (i.e. PMMA, acrylics, composite resins) and metal alloys (i.e. metal substructures, implants, attachments, wires) are utilized in dental laboratories.
- Driven by technology today more than ever. In the past decade, technology has taken over dentistry. In fact, the biggest dental advancements came from the field of dental laboratory technology in the form of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies. Today, CAD/CAM is utilized as an integral part of the laboratory’s everyday practice. With these technological advances and those to come, there is a very high demand for dental designers who can design and assist in manufacturing of CAD/CAM restorations. Because of these advances, aspiring dental lab technicians should take courses in computer skills and programming.