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Role hub · Dental Laboratory Technicians

Dental Laboratory Technician: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of dental laboratory technicians earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$49,610
Hourly
$23.85
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Dental Laboratory Technicians construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances. The median pay is $49,610 a year ($23.85 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (52% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$49,610
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
34,410
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 1-2 of 5
very little to some preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
52% of workers
Key facts

Dental Laboratory Technicians at a glance

  • Dental laboratory technicians in the United States earned a median annual wage of $49,610 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for dental laboratory technicians in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of dental laboratory technicians in the United States to decline 5.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,600 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 34,410 people were employed as dental laboratory technicians in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Dental Laboratory Technicians

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The work

What dental laboratory technicians do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.
  2. Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
  3. Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth.
  4. Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model.
  5. Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines.
  6. Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
  7. Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all dental laboratory technician jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Miscellaneous manufacturing79.7% of all jobs in this occupation · -5.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $53,900
  2. Ambulatory healthcare services16.8% of all jobs in this occupation · -8.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $54,220
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals1.4% of all jobs in this occupation · -5.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $73,470
  4. Educational services; state, local, and private0.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $55,750

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreTime ManagementcoreCritical ThinkingcoreOperations MonitoringJudgment and Decision MakingComplex Problem SolvingActive ListeningSpeakingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: Administration and Management, Design, English Language, Medicine and Dentistry, Production and Processing, Education and Training.

Tools and technology

Software dental laboratory technicians use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD softwareComputer aided design CAD software
  • Computer imaging softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Dental product design softwareComputer aided design CAD software
  • Dental product manufacturing softwareComputer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Graphics softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Intuit QuickBooksAccounting softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WindowsOperating system softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology

Also called: Ceramist, Crown and Bridge Dental Laboratory Technician (Crown and Bridge Dental Lab Tech), Dental Ceramist, Dental Laboratory Technician (Dental Lab Tech), Dental Technician (Dental Tech), Denture Technician (Denture Tech).

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.