Dental Laboratory Technicians
Also called: Dental Ceramist, Dental Laboratory Technician (Dental Lab Tech), Dental Technician (Dental Tech), Denture Technician (Denture Tech)Construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 5.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 81% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $45,760 | $37,720 to $50,080 | 1,050 |
| Arizona | $47,930 | $41,550 to $59,570 | 950 |
| Arkansas | $49,960 | $37,760 to $50,660 | 840 |
| California | $47,410 | $39,190 to $60,750 | 4,480 |
| Colorado | $61,220 | $51,030 to $75,500 | 410 |
| Delaware | $38,500 | $38,500 to $46,150 | not published |
| Florida | $59,790 | $47,430 to $72,800 | 2,330 |
| Georgia | $49,310 | $42,820 to $63,160 | 1,460 |
| Hawaii | $45,300 | $37,860 to $49,130 | 120 |
| Idaho | $47,380 | $43,140 to $69,820 | 370 |
| Illinois | $51,380 | $48,430 to $54,890 | 2,030 |
| Indiana | $49,920 | $43,230 to $61,270 | 680 |
| Iowa | $47,520 | $38,890 to $58,170 | 380 |
| Kansas | $56,790 | $48,180 to $73,350 | 570 |
| Kentucky | $46,770 | $37,990 to $57,020 | 420 |
| Louisiana | $38,490 | $29,960 to $54,430 | 330 |
| Maine | $64,020 | $51,810 to $72,800 | 120 |
| Maryland | $47,850 | $45,820 to $63,170 | 590 |
| Massachusetts | $72,800 | $60,960 to $79,110 | 440 |
| Michigan | $49,570 | $44,690 to $62,100 | 1,180 |
| Minnesota | $56,090 | $47,670 to $61,310 | 390 |
| Mississippi | $47,770 | $30,130 to $61,040 | 140 |
| Missouri | $46,870 | $40,790 to $64,760 | 740 |
| Montana | $47,560 | $45,280 to $56,020 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $58,590 | $49,990 to $61,940 | 190 |
| Nevada | $48,190 | $36,860 to $64,780 | 200 |
| New Hampshire | $60,610 | $51,410 to $62,120 | 120 |
| New Jersey | $47,270 | $37,340 to $69,770 | 780 |
| New Mexico | $45,300 | $37,470 to $54,480 | 130 |
| New York | $52,460 | $47,080 to $61,540 | 1,890 |
| North Carolina | $49,700 | $38,990 to $61,500 | 990 |
| North Dakota | $67,580 | $57,970 to $68,380 | 60 |
| Ohio | $48,480 | $40,530 to $61,750 | 1,160 |
| Oklahoma | $48,670 | $36,190 to $63,140 | 250 |
| Oregon | $48,800 | $37,420 to $60,890 | 570 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,280 | $40,240 to $71,130 | 930 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,490 | $22,180 to $24,840 | 100 |
| Rhode Island | $45,320 | $44,580 to $62,400 | not published |
| South Carolina | $37,170 | $31,230 to $55,080 | 260 |
| South Dakota | $48,370 | $44,530 to $57,020 | 120 |
| Tennessee | $48,880 | $40,470 to $62,540 | 610 |
| Texas | $46,330 | $35,790 to $59,190 | 1,770 |
| Utah | $47,110 | $38,980 to $60,630 | 1,300 |
| Virginia | $51,900 | $44,220 to $75,160 | 1,050 |
| Washington | $56,400 | $47,830 to $67,810 | 670 |
| West Virginia | $47,740 | $37,220 to $55,350 | not published |
| Wisconsin | $47,170 | $38,390 to $59,800 | 800 |
Nationally: $49,610. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed. | Not published |
| Not much | Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth. | Not published |
| Not much | Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model. | Not published |
| Not much | Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| Not much | Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas. | Not published |
| Not much | Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Create a model of patient's mouth by pouring plaster into a dental impression and allowing plaster to set. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures. | Not published |
| Not much | Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework. | Not published |
| Not much | Shape and solder wire and metal frames or bands for dental products, using soldering irons and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill chipped or low spots in surfaces of devices, using acrylic resins. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare wax bite blocks and impression trays for use. | Not published |
| Not much | Mold wax over denture setups to form the full contours of artificial gums. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabricate medical devices | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Shape materials to create products |
Show all 17 activities
| Cut materials | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Take physical measurements of patients or clients | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for dental laboratory technicians specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,056 moves out
- 1 Dental Assistants Low +7.4% 12%
- 2 Dental Hygienists Low +8.0% 8%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 6%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 3,972 moves in
- 1 Dental Assistants Low +7.4% 22%
- 2 Dental Hygienists Low +8.0% 6%
- 3 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 13% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 18% postsecondary certificate
- 7% some college
- 2% associate's
- 2% bachelor's
- 6% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 30% some college
- 15% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians” · 825 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dental and ophthalmic laboratory technicians and medical appliance technicians”
1 program: Dental Laboratory Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 5 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Dental Laboratory Technicians” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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