Career Options: Dental Laboratory Technician/Assistant
The concept of the Dental Laboratory Technician/Dental Assistant is a relatively new one. It grew into maturity as scientific methods of dentistry advanced and the idea of preventing and correcting dental problems grew. The tasks of a Dental Laboratory Technician/Dental Assistant are technical and time-consuming. The dentist himself would not be able to carry this burden alone. Thus, due to necessity, this profession was born.
What is the Job Description of a Dental Laboratory Technician?
The Dental Laboratory Technician constructs and repairs oral prosthetics such as crowns, bridges, and dentures used to improve patient appearance and overall oral functionality with respect to speech and ability to chew.
What tasks are performed by the Dental Laboratory Technician?
The Dental Laboratory Technician makes models of the mouth and teeth from impressions of the patient's mouth, which are taken by the dentist or dental prosthetist. These models are then used to build a wax replica of part or all of the mouth and/or teeth on the model. After the replica is encased in a mold material, the wax is melted away and substituted with plastic, ceramic or metal materials to make the replacement appliance. This appliance is then polished and finished prior to its being placed in the patient's mouth.
Making appliances for patients with cleft palates, braces and plates for correcting irregular teeth, as well as mouth guards, are also within the Dental Laboratory Technicians expertise.
What is the Job Description of a Dental Assistant?
The Dental Assistant is expected to have a broad working knowledge of the dental office. Their duties include seating of the patient, chairside assistance, tray preparation, room and instrument sterilization, dental charting, and any other duties extended to them by the doctor within the limits of liability.
What tasks are performed by the Dental Assistant?
Dental assistants perform a variety of patient care, office, and laboratory duties. They work chairside as dentists examine and treat patients. They make patients as comfortable as possible in the dental chair, prepare them for treatment, and obtain their dental records.
Assistants hand instruments and materials to dentists and keep patients' mouths dry and clear by using suction or other devices. Assistants also sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment, prepare trays of instruments for dental procedures, and instruct patients on postoperative and general oral health care.
Some dental assistants prepare materials for impressions and restorations as directed by a dentist. They also may remove sutures, apply topical anesthetics to gums or cavity-preventive agents to teeth, remove excess cement used in the filling process, and place rubber dams on the teeth to isolate them for individual treatment.
Editorial Provided by Joyce Bryant MDT, Founder and Director of Quality Dental School Technology.
