Career profile · 51-9081
Dental Laboratory Technicians
Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.
What the work can involve
- Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.
- Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
- Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth.
- Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model.
- Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines.
- Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves some prior preparation and on-the-job learning. Check the specific employer, occupational credential and state requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Administration and Management
- Design
- English Language
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Production and Processing
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Thinking Creatively
- Getting Information
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Processing Information
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 24.3%08/2022 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 86.0%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Every day | 50.9%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 54.3%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Continually or almost continually | 62.5%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 49.2%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 85.9%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 87.5%08/2022 · sample 22 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 82.6%08/2022 · sample 21 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 74.9%08/2022 · sample 22 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Accounting software: Bookkeeping software, Intuit QuickBooks
- Calendar and scheduling software: Scheduling software
- Computer aided design CAD software: Computer aided design and drafting CADD software, Dental product design software
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software: Dental product manufacturing software
- Data base user interface and query software: Database management software, Easy Solutions Easy Lab, Inventrix Labtrac, Jenmar International DL-Plus
- Electronic mail software: Email software, Microsoft Outlook
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Computer imaging software, Graphics software
- Internet browser software: Web browser software
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for dental laboratory technicians
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 46 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $45,760 | $22.00 | 1,050 |
| Arizona | $47,930 | $23.04 | 950 |
| Arkansas | $49,960 | $24.02 | 840 |
| California | $47,410 | $22.80 | 4,480 |
| Colorado | $61,220 | $29.44 | 410 |
| Delaware | $38,500 | $18.51 | Not published |
| Florida | $59,790 | $28.74 | 2,330 |
| Georgia | $49,310 | $23.71 | 1,460 |
| Hawaii | $45,300 | $21.78 | 120 |
| Idaho | $47,380 | $22.78 | 370 |
| Illinois | $51,380 | $24.70 | 2,030 |
| Indiana | $49,920 | $24.00 | 680 |
| Iowa | $47,520 | $22.85 | 380 |
| Kansas | $56,790 | $27.31 | 570 |
| Kentucky | $46,770 | $22.48 | 420 |
| Louisiana | $38,490 | $18.50 | 330 |
| Maine | $64,020 | $30.78 | 120 |
| Maryland | $47,850 | $23.00 | 590 |
| Massachusetts | $72,800 | $35.00 | 440 |
| Michigan | $49,570 | $23.83 | 1,180 |
| Minnesota | $56,090 | $26.97 | 390 |
| Mississippi | $47,770 | $22.97 | 140 |
| Missouri | $46,870 | $22.53 | 740 |
| Montana | $47,560 | $22.87 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $58,590 | $28.17 | 190 |
| Nevada | $48,190 | $23.17 | 200 |
| New Hampshire | $60,610 | $29.14 | 120 |
| New Jersey | $47,270 | $22.73 | 780 |
| New Mexico | $45,300 | $21.78 | 130 |
| New York | $52,460 | $25.22 | 1,890 |
| North Carolina | $49,700 | $23.90 | 990 |
| North Dakota | $67,580 | $32.49 | 60 |
| Ohio | $48,480 | $23.31 | 1,160 |
| Oklahoma | $48,670 | $23.40 | 250 |
| Oregon | $48,800 | $23.46 | 570 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,280 | $23.69 | 930 |
| Rhode Island | $45,320 | $21.79 | Not published |
| South Carolina | $37,170 | $17.87 | 260 |
| South Dakota | $48,370 | $23.25 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $48,880 | $23.50 | 610 |
| Texas | $46,330 | $22.28 | 1,770 |
| Utah | $47,110 | $22.65 | 1,300 |
| Virginia | $51,900 | $24.95 | 1,050 |
| Washington | $56,400 | $27.12 | 670 |
| West Virginia | $47,740 | $22.95 | Not published |
| Wisconsin | $47,170 | $22.68 | 800 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 152 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 51-9081.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.