Dental Laboratory Technicians
Health ScienceO*NET 51-9081.00United States
Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.
- Median annual earnings
- $49,256
- Projected change
- +0.6%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 37.37K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
65% of the workforce
Growing to 37.61K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What dental laboratory technicians do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses.
- Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $34,937
- 25th percentile
- $39,485
- 50th percentile
- $49,256
- 75th percentile
- $63,372
- 90th percentile
- $82,135
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $49,256 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+0.6%average or slower
202537,372 jobs
2035 projected37,614 jobs
242 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 65%
- Certificate
- 18.2%
- Some college
- 7.4%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 5.7%
- Associate degree
- 1.9%
- Bachelor's degree
- 1.9%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Dental Laboratory Technicians1,133 postings
- 02Sterilization Technicians651 postings
- 03Dental Technicians180 postings
- 04Orthodontic Technicians164 postings
- 05Dental Ceramists118 postings
- 06Sterile Technicians108 postings
- 07Digital Technicians101 postings
- 08Military Assistants101 postings
- 09Sterilization Assistants99 postings
- 10Denture Technicians98 postings
- 11Hygiene Assistants78 postings
- 12Removal Technicians66 postings
- 13Registered Dental Assistants61 postings
- 14Laboratory Processors51 postings
- 15Dental Assistants49 postings
- 16Dental Treatment Coordinators35 postings
- 17CAD/CAM Technicians33 postings
- 18Dispensary Managers30 postings
- 19Service Technicians30 postings
- 20Dental Hygiene Assistants28 postings
Top employers
- 01Affordable Care154 postings
- 02Aspen Dental150 postings
- 03DOCS Health130 postings
- 04Bay View Dental Lab69 postings
- 05National Dentex Corporation67 postings
- 06Dental Depot28 postings
- 07Heartland Dental27 postings
- 08Henry Schein22 postings
- 09Clearchoice LTD20 postings
- 10United States Department of Veterans Affairs19 postings
- 11Patterson Companies17 postings
- 12Ottawa Dental Laboratory16 postings
- 13Dha Group15 postings
- 14Gentle Dental15 postings
- 15Alfa Dental Management14 postings
- 16Glidewell Dental14 postings
- 17ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers13 postings
- 18D4C Dental Brands13 postings
- 19San Ysidro Health Center13 postings
- 20Choptank Community Health System12 postings
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