Working in dental technology brings you variety and creativity; you work in a laboratory where you may bake crowns or perhaps work on dentures (full dentures). In this article you can read everything about the profession of dental technician.
The departments
In dental technology there are various departments where one can work, but in a small company it may be the case that all work is done by employees. The departments that we could distinguish include:
- Plaster – casting models in plaster, fixing them for an articulator (device that can be used to imitate chewing movements)
- Crown and bridge work – manufacturing crowns and bridges
- Porcelain – color and possibly shape the crowns and bridges
- Prosthetic work – manufacturing prosthetics (dentures).
- Digital – the digital design of crowns, bridges, frames (support for, for example, a prosthesis) and so on
Where does a dental technician work?
Most dental technicians work in a dental laboratory, but they may also work at a dental practice. There is therefore close cooperation between dental technicians, dentists, dental assistants and patients. It may also happen that the patient visits the dental laboratory.
Manual work
Working in dental technology used to be and still is a lot of manual work, but developments in digital software have been very rapid lately. In the future, which could take another 20 years, dental technology may become almost completely digital, but some manual work will always remain behind. Please keep in mind that if you want to take the course, for example, you both enjoy working creatively with your hands, but you also need to be able to use computers.
The properties
If you want to work in dental technology, it is useful if you have the following qualities:
- creativity
- patience
- technical
- problem solving skills
- social
In dental technology, things can vary greatly in terms of busyness; one moment you may have to work overtime and the next you may have to try to spend the day doing cleaning work, for example. November and December are usually the busiest months.
Course
You do not always need to have training to work in dental technology, some especially larger companies can often use people who want to take on the smaller but important tasks. You do not always have to develop further, but it is important that you are really interested in the profession, it is important that you learn something about the anatomy of the jaw and that you are open to it, so that you know why you are doing what.
If you want to obtain a diploma in dental technology, this is very possible at the Dutch Health Tec Academy in Utrecht. You will follow a part-time course here, which means that you will work 4 days and go to school 1 day. People learn it mainly through repetition, watching and trying.
In two years you will have acquired general basic knowledge and have done some prosthesis as well as crown and bridge work, after which you can specialize in one of the directions. In total, if you complete everything in one go, it will take you 4 years.
Facts from the collective labor agreement
- With a contract for an indefinite period there is a trial period of 2 months
- In the event of dismissal you have a notice period of one month, which must be done in writing
- a normal working week consists of 38 days
- Employees born after December 31, 1951 are entitled to 25 days of vacation, of which 15 days must be taken consecutively
- the salary can be between 1500 and 3000 euros per month, this can differ depending on the education and the number of years of experience
All of the above guidelines are included in the collective labor agreement and apply unless otherwise stated in the contract.