Quite a mouthful

Dental technicians follow the instructions of a dentist in order to make, repair or alter removable dentures, braces, crowns and bridges. Technicians with enough experience and the right qualifications operate their own dental laboratories.
Dental technology is always changing and what you do depends on the laboratory where you work. In a larger lab, you might start out in the plaster department and then graduate to other tasks. Generally, you specialize in some specific part of a larger project. In a smaller lab, you have a chance to do many different types of work at the same time.
Dental technicians are usually paid by the hour, but senior people tend to be paid an annual salary.

Do you have what it takes?

You will enjoy this job if you like working with your hands on detailed and delicate items. If you are well coordinated, have some mechanical ability, and are both creative and artistic, you should do very well.
Employers in this field look for people who pay attention to detail and who work quickly. You need an ability to concentrate, to follow precise instructions, and to work on your own without constant supervision.
You also have to get along with others. Labs don't usually have a lot of space and often more than one person works on the same device.

What you need

• a high school diploma with some science courses
• college programs vary from two to three years in length, depending on the province
• after a diploma, some provinces require that you work for one to two years before taking the exam for registration as a Dental Technician.
• after registration, membership in a professional organization is optional

Dental laboratories occasionally hire people without experience, and some hire people who are fluent in English provided they show that they can do the job. For college admission you may be required to carve a block of wax to certain dimensions and shape to test your dexterity; you may also be asked to do some sketching or to bend wires into particular forms.
If you want to become registered as a Dental Technician and run your own lab, you need to study dental technology at a college, and you will have to pass a provincial exam. Some provinces will let you take the exam for registration if you are a grade 12 graduate with four years experience in a dental laboratory, but completion of a college program for dental technicians is preferred.

Other Related Courses

• orthodontic technicians
• dental ceramist
• denture setter
• dental technician, crown and bridge
• prosthetist-orthodontist
• film development technician