Dental Laboratory Technicians Career, Salary and Skills
Dental Laboratory Technicians have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $49,610 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 34,410. Wage data is published for 189 locations.
Occupation description
Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.
O*NET code
51-9081.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$49,610
Hourly median
$23.85
Employment
34,410
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
$36,660
10th
$40,420
25th
$49,610
Median
$62,070
75th
$76,940
90th
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.38 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.12 | 2.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Active Listening | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.00 | 2.88 |
Typical tasks
- Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers.
- Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth.
- Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model.
- Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines.
- Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers.
- Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses.
- Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
- Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.
Technology
- Bookkeeping software
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
- Computer imaging software
- Database management software
- Dental product design software
- Dental product manufacturing software
- Easy Solutions Easy Lab
- Email software
- Graphics software
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Inventrix Labtrac
- Jenmar International DL-Plus
- LabMagic
- Laboratory Systems Group Lab Manager
Dental Laboratory Technicians salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in CAMedian $47,410 · Employment 4,480
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $46,460 · Employment 2,710
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in FLMedian $59,790 · Employment 2,330
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in ILMedian $51,380 · Employment 2,030
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in NYMedian $52,460 · Employment 1,890
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in TXMedian $46,330 · Employment 1,770
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in GAMedian $49,310 · Employment 1,460
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $51,380 · Employment 1,440
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in New York, NYMedian $58,160 · Employment 1,400
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in UTMedian $47,110 · Employment 1,300
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in MIMedian $49,570 · Employment 1,180
- Dental Laboratory Technicians Salary in OHMedian $48,480 · Employment 1,160
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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.