Dental technician - overview

As a dental technician, or dental technologist, you’ll use your design skills and dentistry knowledge to create and repair dental devices. Learn more about what it’s like to work in this role, what qualifications you’ll need and how your career could progress.

Learn what the role involves below.

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What does a dental technician do?

Dental technicians help improve people’s teeth. Whether based in a laboratory or hospital, you’ll create devices for patients from a dentist's prescription. Working both on your own and as part of a team, you’ll be designing and making things like bridges, dentures, crowns and implants.

By designing devices on a computer, then making them by hand, you’ll be skilled in working both digitally and physically. It’s a really rewarding role, as the devices you make could be used to help a patient’s ability to eat, speak or improve their appearance.

What will your days involve?

Daily tasks might include:

  • Designing dental devices using software such as CAD/CAM
  • Making and modifying devices to fit patient needs
  • Shaping materials such as gold, plastic and porcelain
  • Making metal braces, crowns, bridges, plastic dentures or implants
  • Replacing missing facial tissues because of disease or injury, by making maxillofacial prostheses
  • Creating accurate models from impressions taken by the dentist
  • Fixing broken devices
  • Keeping lab records up to date

FAQs

What could you earn as a dental technician?

The average salary for a dental technician in the UK is £29,120.

Does a dental technician role involve travel in the UK or overseas?

As a dental technician, you’ll usually be based in one location. This means travel for work is rare.

Can you work from home as a dental technician?

Working from home is uncommon as this role is likely to be based in a lab or hospital.

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