How To Become A Dental Laboratory Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a dental laboratory technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Dental Laboratory Technicians are vital in helping patients regain their teeth. You will use additional or digital impressions or molds of a patient's teeth to make crowns, dentures, bridges, and other dental appliances. Dental Laboratory Technicians work with dentists but have little contact with patients. A Dental Laboratory Technician designs corrective devices for the replacement of natural teeth. A Dental Laboratory Technician works with the dentist to plan, design, and fabricate dental prostheses for patients.

To be a Dental Laboratory Technician, you need to gain education and training through a two-year program at a community college, technical, or vocational school. Some Dental Laboratory Technicians graduate from a dental school or university. Dental Laboratory Technicians will always be in demand, and their starting salary is $62,000 annually.

ScoreDental Laboratory TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $55,271

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.4

Growth Rate 2%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.55%

Asian 9.48%

Black or African American 8.81%

Hispanic or Latino 19.80%

Unknown 3.86%

White 57.50%

Gender

female 52.97%

male 47.03%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.2

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.1

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a dental laboratory technician

Explore dental laboratory technician education requirements

Most common dental laboratory technician degrees

Associate

38.6 %

Bachelor's

24.2 %

High School Diploma

19.7 %

Start to develop specific dental laboratory technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Dentures	23.03%
Patients	16.62%
Prosthetics	11.76%
Dexterity	8.57%
Cad Cam	5.09%

Complete relevant dental laboratory technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New dental laboratory technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a dental laboratory technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real dental laboratory technician resumes.

Gain additional dental laboratory technician certifications

Dental laboratory technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific dental laboratory technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for dental laboratory technicians include Dental Assistant (RDA) and Certified Dental Technician.

More About Certifications

Research dental laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Manage CAD/CAM system for the fabrication of all-ceramic dental restorations.
Manage operations of dental laboratory as lead technician, working directly with patients and dentists in an in-house dental laboratory.
Experience with articulators, grinders, and polishers.
Used wax, plastic models, plaster models, articulators, grinders and polishers.

Prepare your dental laboratory technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your dental laboratory technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a dental laboratory technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Dental Laboratory Technician Resume templates

Build a professional Dental Laboratory Technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Dental Laboratory Technician resume.

Apply for dental laboratory technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a dental laboratory technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average dental laboratory technician salary

The average Dental Laboratory Technician salary in the United States is $55,271 per year or $27 per hour. Dental laboratory technician salaries range between $35,000 and $86,000 per year.

Average Dental Laboratory Technician Salary

$55,271 Yearly

$26.57 hourly

How do dental laboratory technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Dental Laboratory Technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Many many many things. The flexible schedules, the happy patients, the relationships you create with your patients and the lifelong bonds you make. You get to see the Joy and happiness flow off of them when their braces come off. It's so rewarding

Cons

Literally nothing