Dental Lab Technician

Those with a healthy mouth can talk and eat without feeling aches and pains in their teeth. Diseases like gum disease and tooth decay can cause a person pain and, eventually, to lose their teeth.

A dental laboratory technician creates full or partial dentures that restores a person's mouth to its normal functioning. This professional also knows how to fabricate, alter, and repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, and appliances for straightening teeth.

Those wanting to help patients maintain their smiles and preserve their dental health can learn more in the Dental Laboratory Technology program at Durham Tech, the only accredited program in North Carolina. This curriculum covers complete and partial denture techniques, crown and bridge techniques, ceramics, and orthodontic techniques. Students gain practical experience during the latter part of their studies, when they are introduced to actual lab work through rotations to off-campus lab sites. Graduates qualify to work with dentists, commercial dental laboratories, schools of dentistry, and Veterans Administration hospitals.