Dental Technician Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Dental Technician? Can you tell me what a dental technician actually does?And what qualifications one needs or may need when entering into this proffesion..

Answer: Dental technicians (or dental technologists as they are often referred to) make the dentures, crowns, bridges and dental braces that improve patients appearance, speech and their ability to chew. Working to dentists or doctors prescriptions, technicians/technologists use a wide range of materials, including gold, porcelain and plastic, to design and construct appliances to meet each patients needs. There are four specialist areas. Prosthodontic technicians design and make dentures. Conservation technicians specialise in crown and bridge work. Orthodontic technicians make braces to correct tooth positions. Maxillo-facial technicians (sometimes also known as maxillofacial prosthetists) work is based in hospital oral surgery, ophthalmic, cancer and burns units, helping to reconstruct the faces of patients damaged by accident or disease. The entry requirements: There are no minimum qualifications needed to work as a dental technician or technologist at present, although this may change. The formal qualification is a BTEC National Diploma in Dental Technology, for entry to which you will normally be required to have at least four GCSEs at grade C or above or the equivalent. The courses: You can take the BTEC National Diploma course by obtaining a post as a trainee dental technician and taking a part-time college course. Some colleges offer full-time training. The diploma allows you to work in a hospital, commercial dental laboratories offer opportunities in a range of specialist areas.

Question: How do you become a dental technician? I am currently a nail technician but i know they also use a type of acrylic and so was wondering how long a course would be and if it was just a college course or if i would have to go to university? Also what sort of hours is it in a dental lab and what sort of pay? Thank you dx

Answer: A dental technician is part of the dental team who fabricates dental appliances dentures, crown and bridgework, removable prothesis and implants. The technician will be skilled in working with gold, precious metals, dental porcelain, acrylics, and, recently CAD/CAM, in order to custom manufacture devices that will exactly fit a patient. Dental technology is changing rapidly, with new materials and techniques gaining clinical acceptance. Dental technicians are educated to degree level at a post secondary facility. The profession attracts artistic, detail oriented individuals who have a flair for this unique combination of science, art, and digital dexterity.

Question: I am interested in going to school to become a Dental Technician. Is that a good field to go into? I live in Michigan and there is only one school here that I know offers this program. I do not know of any other schools here that offer Dental Technician program. And I just wanted to know is this field going to be in demand for the future?

Answer: This site http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos238.htm will give you great insight into the outlook for the field as well as the requirements, duties and general rate of pay you might expect to see.

Question: How to find dental technician employment before enroling TAFE in sydney 2010? i want to become a dental technician but never work in dental industry, i just got no working experience relate to it, and i wonder how other people find the employment before starting TAFE. how about other TAFE in other state, same requirment or practical skill will be provided in TAFE?

Answer: I think the best option will be to place an Ad for employment interest on "craigslist" for your region.

Question: Can you all please list what type of extra skills do i need to be a dental technician? I plan on going to chabot college in hayward ca this summer to be a technician for the dental industry.

Answer: You need general office skills, and you need medical terminology.

Question: What do i have to study to become a Dental Technician? I want to later on ...own my own lab....do i have to go to dental school for this????...is it a well paid job???...what r the best schools in florida to become a dental technician???

Answer: generally dental schools provide these courses, depending on the college its generally a 3yr diploma course, not sure about schools in florida though, you could ask your dentist for the number of a technician and call them, i'm sure they wouldnt mind advising you!

Question: Where in Houston, Texas, can I find a dental technician school? I am interested in becoming a dental technician (not dental assistant), but I am having a hard time finding a school in Houston, Texas that will teach me. Can anyone help me please? =(

Answer: Perhaps the county vo-tech school or even community college (perhaps non-credit course) would have such a program. Please forgo those private $$ career schools. One may learn about dental lab technology while in school for dental assistant if unable to find that specific program. For general career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search 'medical, dental and opthalmic laboratory technicians' or such.

Question: How easy is it for a Dental Technician to be self-employed? I am seriously looking for a career where I can work for myself and Dental Technology is one of the careers I am thinking of. I intend to step into it by studying the course at a college for 2 years at least. Please, is the career an easy route into self-employment? Is it expensive to set up a modern dental Lab? What do you see as a problem in getting a dental lab up and running? How does one establish contact with potential customers? Please tell me all you know about the chance of self-employment which Dental Technology offers. Thanks in advance

Answer: Depending what country you are in but in the UK you can work in a dental lab on a self emp's basis or work from a surgery where you basically take on all their dunture and crown work but work from the surgery. It costs a lot for the equipment though if you went down that route.

Question: Requesting advice from anyone who knows what the process is to becoming a U.S Navy Dental Technician? 1. Can I guarantee that position in the HS field when I join? 2. Can I get stationed overseas (preferable). 3. Ive graduated Dental Tech school in the Civilian sector will this help?

Answer: 1: No. you go in as an HM (IF you can get that at all) and then hope you can get the C school for Dental Tech.. DT is no longer a separate rating. 2: Yes 3: not really. it will not help you get a slot in C school but it might give you an edge once in C school.

Question: Is a Dental technician a good career option? I'm 17 and leaving college and hoping to start university doing dental technology in september, is this a good career choice though? And whats the pay like ?

Answer: when people run out of money, they cut dow on their clothes shopping, their psychologists, and other stuff they don't really need. But not dentists. And dentists need dental technicians. So ys, it's a good career choice, in the aspect that you will have a job. As for salary, that I do not know. Hey, do you not have guidance councillors or something in school? I bet they'll provide you with much more information.