Dental Laboratory Technicians

High School

Your first step in becoming a dental laboratory technician is to receive your high school diploma. Useful high school courses include biology, chemistry, shop (wood or metal working), mechanical drawing, art, and ceramics. Any other course or activity that allows you to learn about metallurgy or the chemistry of plastics would be very helpful.

Postsecondary Training

Although there is a growing trend among technicians to get an associate's degree, most technicians today still enter the field by completing three to four years of on-the-job training. These technicians work as trainees under the supervision of experienced technicians in a dental laboratory. Trainees start by doing simple jobs, such as mixing plaster and pouring it into molds. As they gradually gain experience, they are assigned more complex tasks.

Increasing numbers of technicians enroll in a formal training program that leads to an associate's degree in applied science. The American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation (http://www.ada.org/en/coda/find-a-program) has accredited 13 training programs in the United States. A typical two-year curriculum might include courses in denture construction, processing and repairing dentures, tooth construction, waxing and casting inlays, and constructing crowns. In addition, the student may be expected to take courses such as biochemistry, English, business mathematics, and American government. A few bachelor's degree programs in dental technology are also available.

Although newly graduated technicians still need several years of work experience to refine their practical skills, these graduates benefit from a program combining academic courses with laboratory instruction. Exposure to a wide range of skills and materials pays off in the long run for most graduates. Employers often prefer to hire new employees with this type of formal academic training.

Other Education or Training

The National Association of Dental Laboratories offer on-demand continuing education (CE) videos on its Web site. Recent videos includes Advanced Aesthetics and Lab Communication, Simplified Anterior Esthetics, and Client Relations & Laboratory Management. The American Dental Association, state and local organizations, and dental products manufacturers also provide CE opportunities.