Dental Lab Technician Procedures

Dental lab technicians are essential to the field of dentistry. The job combines both science and art as dental lab technicians create an exact replica of a patient's missing teeth. Procedures that technicians perform are wide-ranging, depending on what the patient requires. Using a variety of tools and materials, dental lab technicians create dental prosthetics that must be functional, comfortable, realistic looking and aesthetically pleasing.

The Role of Dental Lab Technicians

• A dental lab technician is responsible for making full or partial dentures, repairing bridges, making crowns, creating veneers, or designing braces or splints to straighten or protect teeth. Any type of tooth replacement mechanism that is needed for a patient is made in a laboratory by a dental lab technician.

Dental Lab Technician Procedures

• The work of a dental lab technician begins with impressions of a patient's gumline and teeth from different angles accompanied by detailed instructions from the dentist or orthodontist. The impressions that dental lab technicians work with could be in the form of actual molds or digital images.

  From the impressions, dental lab technicians create a model of the patient's mouth. Plaster is used to make the model, which is then fitted to an apparatus that recreates the movement and bite of the patient's jaw. From this model, the dental lab technician can begin sculpting the dental prosthetic according to specifications provided by the dentist or orthodontist.

  A wax tooth model is created so the metal framework of the device can be cast. Porcelain is applied in layers to create the shape and color of the teeth. The dental piece is placed in a porcelain furnace so the porcelain bakes onto the metal frame. Any grinding or adjustment in shape and color is done before a sealed finish is added.

Where Procedures Are Done

• Many dentists have dental lab technicians in their office and procedures are done on-site. However, most dental lab technicians work in commercial laboratories that fill prescriptions from dentists. In many commercial dental labs, dental lab technicians specialize in a certain type of dental prosthesis, such as dentures or braces.

  Dental lab technicians also work in hospitals, in research settings, or for dental manufacturers and suppliers. Others work in their own private practice, teach in dental schools, or work in sales for dental prosthetic equipment, instruments and materials.

Tools of a Dental Lab Technician

• Dental lab technicians utilize a variety of hand tools and computer-aided equipment to craft artificial teeth and dental prosthetics. A typical workbench is outfitted with wax spatulas and carvers, grinding and polishing equipment, Bunsen burners and milling equipment.

Dental Materials Used in Procedures

• In order to make dentures, bridges, crowns, veneers, braces, or other dental pieces, a dental lab technician uses many different types of materials. These include plastics, precious and non-precious alloys, porcelain, waxes, polymer glass and stainless steel. One or more combinations of these materials may be used to create a particular dental prosthetic.

  Dental lab technicians use their knowledge in dental materials science, fabrication procedures and oral anatomy to determine which materials are the best choice for the device they are making.