According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed. | 97% |
| Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers. | 94% |
| Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth. | 93% |
| Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools. | 92% |
| Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures. | 92% |
| Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model. | 92% |
| Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas. | 91% |
| Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines. | 89% |
| Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications. | 89% |
| Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework. | 89% |
| Mold wax over denture setups to form the full contours of artificial gums. | 86% |
| Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers. | 86% |
| Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses. | 86% |
| Create a model of patient's mouth by pouring plaster into a dental impression and allowing plaster to set. | 86% |
| Prepare wax bite blocks and impression trays for use. | 84% |
| Shape and solder wire and metal frames or bands for dental products, using soldering irons and hand tools. | 83% |
| Fill chipped or low spots in surfaces of devices, using acrylic resins. | 77% |
