Dental Laboratory Technicians
Also called: Bridge Technician, CAD Tech (Computer-Aided Design Technician), CAM Tech (Computer-Aided Manufacturing Technician), Ceramist, Certified Dental Technologist (CDT), Crown and Bridge Dental Laboratory Technician (Crown and Bridge Dental Lab Tech), Crown and Bridge Technician (Crown and Bridge Tech), Crown Ceramist
Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.
What dental laboratory technicians do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses.
- Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
- Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures.
- Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas.
- Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications.
- Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Dental Laboratory Technicians salary
The median annual wage for dental laboratory technicians is $49,610 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $36,660 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $76,940. The mean annual wage is $54,290.
The mean hourly wage of $26.00 is 3.6× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Dental Laboratory Technicians (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $49,610 → in 3 years $53,300 → in 5 years $55,900 → in 10 years $63,000 (10-year range $54,200–$73,100). The model assumes pay growth of +2.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Dental Laboratory Technicians
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Dental Laboratory Technicians? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Dental Laboratory Technicians
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Dental Laboratory Technicians United States | 歯科技工士 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $49,610 | ¥4.59M ≈ $29,166 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $63,000 | ¥6.29M |
| Outlook score | 38 | 60 |
| AI replacement risk | 53% Moderate | 29% Low |
| Workers | 34K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Dental Laboratory Technicians
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become dental laboratory technicians
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as dental laboratory technicians
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.