If you are into bright smiles and pretty teeth, you may want to compare Dental Lab Technician Schools and start a career as a dental assistant.
Barry Manilow’s old song, “Can’t Smile Without You” implies that it is difficult to work out a smile when our loved ones are not around. But I think you would agree with the fact that it is more challenging to smile when you have no teeth!
With the number people needing dentures growing each day, a job in the dental laboratory is highly in demand. Pays well and opens other work opportunities, you can start a career in the field by going to a dental lab technician school.
A dental lab technician is responsible for making dentures, crowns and other orthodontic appliances as ordered by a dentist. If you decide to work as one in the future, you should know that dental lab techs work with materials such as wax, plastic, porcelain and polymer glass combinations, to name a few.
With dentures being manually made by techs, attending a dental lab technician school will definitely refine your hand skills and train you to become more attentive to detail.
You can start your way up in the dental lab field by attending a 2-year accredited program to get an Associate degree. After this, you can get a bachelor’s degree by finishing a 4-year program. The bachelor program is commonly being offered in community colleges, universities, dental schools and tech colleges. With tertiary education being expensive, you can also opt to enter the field without a college degree, only a high school diploma. However, it is highly encouraged to take formal education in a dental lab technician school to have more job opportunities.
In California, the estimated salary for an entrant in the dental field ranges at $27, 000 to $43,000 a year. Of course, this depends on your job location, employment setting and specialization.
You have the choice to specialize in any of these five areas: orthodontic appliances, crowns and bridges, complete dentures, partial dentures and ceramics. Having more specialization and working experience naturally gives you the advantage of getting a higher salary.
After achieving an Associate degree, you can choose work in dental laboratories, offices, schools, manufacturers—even in hospitals. If you want to be your own boss, you have the option of private practice.
Certification is not required but if you want to be a certified dental technician, you can take the National Board of Certification’s exam after two years of professional experience with education from an accredited dental lab technician school. If you took informal education, you can take the exam after five years of experience.
Being a dental lab technician is perhaps one of the few jobs that pays well and literally makes people smile. In deciding which career road to take, it is highly recommended that you enrol in a dental lab technician school. Sure, having informal training is less costly, but then again, having a structured education is priceless.