Task statements

  • Examine patients to diagnose oral health conditions and diseases.
  • Fit prostheses to patients, making any necessary adjustments and modifications.
  • Replace missing teeth and associated oral structures with permanent fixtures, such as implant-supported prostheses, crowns and bridges, or removable fixtures, such as dentures.
  • Measure and take impressions of patients' jaws and teeth to determine the shape and size of dental prostheses, using face bows, dental articulators, recording devices, and other materials.
  • Collaborate with general dentists, specialists, and other health professionals to develop solutions to dental and oral health concerns.
  • Design and fabricate dental prostheses, or supervise dental technicians and laboratory bench workers who construct the devices.
  • Restore function and aesthetics to traumatic injury survivors, or to individuals with diseases or congenital disabilities.
  • Repair, reline, or rebase dentures.
  • Use bonding technology on the surface of the teeth to change tooth shape or to close gaps.
  • Treat facial pain and jaw joint problems.
  • Place veneers onto teeth to conceal defects.
  • Bleach discolored teeth to brighten and whiten them.

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.