Dental prosthetics is a technical skill that is acquired by years of theoretical study and years of practice. A technician who masters these skills is called as a dental technician or a dental laboratory technician.
They are skilled craftsmen much like the goldsmiths and the ironsmiths of yore, who will work on our dental defects and build the prosthetic solution that the dentist has recommended. The tools of these modern day smiths or the dental technicians are crowns, bridges and his tools are orthodontic appliances.
So let us explore this exciting new world of dental technician and analyze the inside story.
Educational requirements for a dental technician
The trend till about the previous decade for dental technician was that most of them received training while on the job and did not pursue any particular course to gain the knowledge or the experience. But there have been significant changes in the past few years and technicians with formal training are being preferred over the non-qualified technicians.
In the USA, more than thirty dental laboratory courses or programs are conducted under the aegis of the American Dental Association, the umbrella organization for all things related to dentistry.
Certification for dental technicians is offered by the National Association of Dental Laboratories.
Are there specialization opportunities?
The hallmarks of a good dental technician is that he should be have manual dexterity, keen observation skills to recognize color variations good grasp of the shapes almost on the lines of a artist. If these skills are inherent in the technician then he could apply for greater specializations and could eventual manage a dental laboratory facility independently.
What is the scope of dental technicians?
The United States Statistical Society predicts that by 2016 there will be optimal demand for skilled certified dental technicians.
What is the kind of remuneration they could get?
In 2007, the dental technician earned an average salary of about forty thousand dollars annually and an hourly average of about fifteen dollars. These figures are greatly revised over the past few years and are more lucrative. The salary packages vary from state to state in the US and ranges anywhere from forty thousand dollars annually to about seventy thousand dollars and upwards for the experienced.
A Dental technician is a skilled artisan who can create the most beautiful pair of teeth next only to God! This is a career option one should most definitely pursue seriously.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the article. I thought it was good.
very nice post. Thanks for posting
Nice post. Thanks for taking the time to share your view with us.
Regards S.R.K
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