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Dental Technician
Dental technicians construct and repair dentures (false
teeth) and other dental appliances, including crowns and
bridges.
Dental technicians may perform the following tasks:
- make models of the mouth and teeth from impressions of
the patient's mouth (taken by the dental prosthetist or
dentist)
- build up wax replicas of part or all of the mouth and/or
teeth on the model
- encase the wax in a mould material and melt away the wax
- replace the wax with either plastic, metal or ceramic
materials to make the replacement appliance
- polish and finish the appliance prior to its being
placed in the patient's mouth
- make appliances for patients with cleft palates, braces
and plates for correcting irregular teeth and mouth guards.
Dental technicians work in dental laboratories on their own
or in small groups. They use a wide range of materials and
techniques in their work, including plaster casting,
electro-spot welding, metal casting, metal polishing, wax
modelling, ceramics, wire bending, electroplating and
sandblasting. The use of small CAD/CAM units is increasing in
the design and manufacture of some dental products.
Dental technology may be divided into the following areas:
- General prostheses: the largest field in dental
technology, in which partial or full dentures (metal and
non-metal) are constructed to replace the partial or total
loss of natural teeth
- Crown and bridge: used in the restoration of the
natural teeth and fixed in the patient's mouth
- Implantology: in this area implants are placed
directly into the patient's jawbone and prostheses are made
to fit these implants. This system can be used for single,
multiple or complete restorations
- Maxillo-facial: prostheses are made to replace
missing facial and body tissues due to injury, disease or
developmental abnormality
- Orthodontics: the manufacture of fixed or
removable appliances for the correction of dental
irregularities in the mouths of children and young adults.
Dental technicians work closely with dentists and dental
prosthetists and usually have no direct contact with patients
unless they undertake further study to qualify as a
Dental Prosthetist who works independently and in
public clinics, to provide complete and partial dentures and
mouthguards to the public, consulting directly with clients
about their dental prosthetic needs.
Required Skills - Dental Technician
- good communication skills
- good hand-eye coordination and able to do precise and
detailed work
- an eye for form and design
- able to concentrate
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