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Dental Lab Technician Careers: Job Duties, Education & Certification

Dental Lab Technician Overview

What you’ll do: As a dental lab technician, you’ll fill orders from dentists for a variety of dental appliances. You’ll work with sophisticated equipment and a broad range of materials to create tooth replacements that are realistic and aesthetically pleasing, as well as functional.

Where you’ll work: Commercial dental laboratories, private dental offices, hospitals (including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ hospitals), dental schools, dental manufacturers and suppliers, private practice

Degree you’ll need: 2-year dental lab technician program leading to an associate’s degree or certificate

Median annual salary: $47,690

What Is a Dental Lab Technician?

A dental lab technician plays a crucial role in creating dental appliances like crowns, bridges, and dentures. They utilize impressions or molds of patients’ teeth to fabricate these custom-made dental devices. While working closely with dentists, dental lab technicians have limited direct contact with patients, focusing primarily on the precise craftsmanship and technical skills required for producing high-quality dental restorations. Often mistakenly confused with dental hygienists, they are however distinct, each skilled in their separate and specialized trade.

Dental Technician Job Description

Using a dentists’ detailed written directions, and molds of a patient’s teeth or oral soft tissues, you’ll make the following items:

Full dentures for patients who are missing all of their teeth
Removable partial dentures or fixed bridges for those who are missing only one or a few teeth
Crowns, which cover the tooth and are designed to restore its original size and shape
Veneers, which are bonded to the tooth surface to improve the appearance of discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned teeth
Orthodontic appliances and splints used to help straighten and protect teeth

Dental lab technicians can also specialize in one of five areas: orthodontic appliances, crowns and bridges, complete dentures, partial dentures and ceramics.

Median Annual Dental Lab Technician Salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Occupational Employment Statistics reports the median annual salary for dental lab technicians as $47,690.

They list the following median annual salaries by state:

Dental Laboratory Technicians

National data

Median Salary: $47,690

Projected job growth: -4.5%

10th Percentile: $33,940

25th Percentile: $38,250

75th Percentile: $60,880

90th Percentile: $77,460

Projected job growth: -4.5%

State data

State	Median Salary	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
Alabama	$36,810	$28,130	$57,910
Arizona	$51,030	$35,540	$64,700
Arkansas	$44,590	$34,500	$67,280
California	$48,670	$38,220	$99,800
Colorado	$58,160	$37,980	$74,520
Connecticut	$47,610	$32,070	$65,050
Delaware	$35,510	$35,510	$71,570
District of Columbia	$103,370	$80,100	$103,380
Florida	$49,030	$33,260	$79,470
Georgia	$46,370	$31,100	$67,230
Hawaii	$36,300	$31,200	$57,520
Idaho	$55,080	$31,550	$93,790
Illinois	$49,380	$38,870	$74,590
Indiana	$44,450	$30,390	$53,790
Iowa	$48,850	$34,850	$71,690
Kansas	$49,910	$36,730	$72,860
Kentucky	$38,770	$30,880	$67,130
Louisiana	$34,290	$20,730	$65,840
Maine	$54,680	$48,080	$79,870
Maryland	$49,190	$38,210	$97,870
Massachusetts	$61,220	$41,860	$113,530
Michigan	$46,160	$34,550	$74,420
Minnesota	$49,710	$35,100	$65,100
Mississippi	$45,460	$29,570	$70,430
Missouri	$47,660	$35,260	$67,980
Montana	$47,670	$31,950	$85,150
Nebraska	$46,860	$36,970	$77,940
Nevada	$61,240	$35,940	$86,160
New Hampshire	$50,520	$38,800	$63,570
New Jersey	$49,360	$31,950	$71,340
New Mexico	$41,480	$33,650	$70,880
New York	$48,440	$37,890	$73,790
North Carolina	$46,670	$34,000	$74,860
North Dakota	$50,720	$34,890	$77,660
Ohio	$46,910	$32,420	$90,060
Oklahoma	$50,310	$32,920	$72,490
Oregon	$47,090	$34,950	$68,840
Pennsylvania	$50,470	$34,080	$78,010
Rhode Island	$48,830	$35,030	$64,500
South Carolina	$40,830	$28,240	$77,310
South Dakota	$46,590	$37,670	$76,610
Tennessee	$41,840	$31,200	$74,820
Texas	$39,050	$30,580	$77,930
Utah	$47,280	$32,800	$77,980
Vermont	$53,240	$39,270	$81,260
Virginia	$48,840	$35,170	$95,330
Washington	$56,760	$38,690	$77,150
West Virginia	$40,260	$31,950	$66,620
Wisconsin	$46,940	$30,290	$66,600

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2023 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries may vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

Schooling

Although each program has unique entry requirements, a high school diploma or GED is a standard prerequisite for applying to an accredited dental lab technology program.

Some dental technicians begin careers without a college degree, but you’ll find it’s easiest to start your career by pursuing formal training through an accredited program. There are 2-year dental lab technician programs leading to an associate’s degree or certificate; a few 4-year bachelor’s programs are also available. These programs are offered at community colleges, vocational schools, technical colleges, universities and dental schools.

In addition to formal training, you’ll find the following skills will serve you well in your dental technician career:

Ability to do precision work with your hands
Ability to work independently
Attention to detail and aesthetics

Dental Lab Tech Certification

There is no license required for dental lab technicians, but optional certification is available. Certification recognizes a dental lab technician’s knowledge and technical skills. It involves passing an exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology. In order to take the certification exam, you must have completed an accredited dental laboratory technology program and have had two years of professional experience, or, if you’ve been trained on the job or through a non-accredited program, you can take the exam after five years of work experience as a dental lab technician. Upon passing the exam, you become a Certified Dental Technician (CDT).