Dental technician

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A dental technician is a highly skilled member of the dental team who fabricates dental appliances dentures, crown and bridgework, removable prothesis and implants.

The technician will be skilled in working with gold, precious metals, dental porcelain, acrylics, and, recently CAD/CAM, in order to custom manufacture devices that will exactly fit a patient. Dental technology is changing rapidly, with new materials and techniques gaining clinical acceptance.

The insert picture shows a three unit porcelain fused to metal bridge (PFM) made by a dental technician. Many of today's restorations are metal free and offer good strength with cosmetic esthetics. In some jurisdictions a dental technician is a designated health professional due to the intrinsic risk of harm when a dental appliance is fabricated incorrectly. Dentists are no longer taught how to fabricate dental appliances to any great extent and depend on the skill and knowledge the dental technician brings with regard to materials used, evaluation of clinical design and to the fabrication process.

Dental technicians are educated to degree level at a post secondary facility. The profession attracts artistic, detail oriented individuals who have a flair for this unique combination of science, art, and digital dexterity.