Dental Laboratory Technicians

Median salary

$49,610

Average salary

$54,290

Employment

34,410

Projected growth

4.7% decline

Annual openings

3,900

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Dental Laboratory Technicians Do

Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Administration and Managementimportance 3.8/5
Designimportance 3.8/5
English Languageimportance 3.6/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.6/5
Production and Processingimportance 3.5/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.5/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.4/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Time Pressure4.8/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.8/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
Exposed to Contaminants4.5/5
Spend Time Sitting4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Upholsterers95% skill match
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic94% skill match
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film93% skill match
Furniture Finishers93% skill match
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall93% skill match
Fence Erectors93% skill match
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers92% skill match
Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators92% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.9/5
Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
Instructingimportance 2.8/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Bookkeeping software
Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
Computer imaging software
Database management software
Dental product design software
Dental product manufacturing software
Easy Solutions Easy Lab
Email software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Achievement Orientation
Integrity
Perseverance
Innovation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeMedium
ConventionalMedium
SocialLow
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where dental laboratory technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).