The Med Shed
What NHS career would suit you?

Dental Technician

THE WORKING DAY

Dental technicians (or dental technologists as they are often referred to) make the dentures, crowns, bridges and dental braces that improve patients’ appearance, speech and ability to chew.

Much of your work will be done by hand to fine-tune each piece to exact specifications. You will also work with specialised equipment in the laboratory. Each patient is unique so no two pieces are the same and absolute precision is essential to make sure the device is comfortable and effective.

You will use a wide range of materials to design and construct appliances and work in four specialist areas:

  • prosthodontic technicians design and make dentures
  • conservation technicians specialise in crown and bridge work
  • orthodontic technicians make braces to correct tooth positions
  • maxillofacial technicians’ work is based in hospital oral surgery, ophthalmic, cancer and burns units, helping to reconstruct the faces of patients damaged by accident or disease

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE ME?

You will need:

  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • knowledge of medicine and dentistry
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • design skills and knowledge
  • the ability to analyse quality or performance
  • the ability to work well with others
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

WHAT'S NEXT?

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role

To work as a dental technician/dental technologist, you must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). GDC-recognised courses lead to qualifications such as a BTEC National Diploma in Dental Technology where you will normally need at least four GCSEs at grade 4-7 or A-C, a foundation degree where you will normally need to be employed in a trainee dental technician role or apprenticeship or a BSc (Hons) degree in dental technology where A-levels or equivalent qualifications are usually required. You can take the BTEC National Diploma or foundation degree course on a full-time basis or by obtaining a post as a trainee dental technician and taking the course part time. BSc (Hons) degrees are usually full-time at a university/dental school.

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GET IN TOUCH

We'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to talk to us about apprenticeships and traineeships, email hyp-tr.apprentices@nhs.net

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