一部分是艺术家，一部分是工程师 牙科化验技术员 make people look 和 feel better by perfecting 微笑 和 improving teeth.
它们是许多改善PG电子游戏日常生活的牙科设备的幕后推手, 包括口腔正畸学, 王冠和桥梁, 甚至是假牙. In short, 牙科化验技术员 are a critical part of the dental care team.
如果你喜欢设计和完善小物件, 用你的双手工作, 和 working independently - 和 if you don't necessarily want to engage with new patients all day long - then you might want to sink your teeth into a potential career as a dental laboratory technician.
牙科实验室技师结合艺术, 科学, 和 技术 in designing 和 creating the devices that improve patients' dental health, 微笑, 甚至他们的生活.1
Such dental devices include crowns, bridges, ceramics, dentures, implants, 和 orthodontics. 每一种都需要不同的专业知识, which makes for a career with a lot of variety 和 interesting challenges.
Two types of dental specialties in particular rely heavily on the work of 牙科化验技术员. 一种是恢复性牙科, 哪一种专注于替换因蛀牙而失去的牙齿, 事故, 或疾病. The other is orthodontics, which involves moving 和 stabilizing teeth for optimum function.
美国牙科协会说, "[Dental laboratory technicians] help to provide a valued health care service, 积极影响患者口腔健康和自我形象."2
具体地说, 牙科实验室技术人员经常与牙医密切合作, 牙齿矫正医师, 和其他技术人员, 但他们与病人的接触有限. 他们在幕后工作, using impressions or molds of a patient's teeth or computer imaging software in order to get a perfect fit for the devices they create. 他们使用塑料等材料, 蜡, 和 ceramics to build the devices prescribed by the dentist or orthodontist.
Dental laboratory technicians may work in a large lab setting with many other technicians or in a private dental practice as the only laboratory technician on staff. 在一个大实验室里, 技术人员可能只负责过程的某一部分, 如抛光或测试设备. 在一个小的练习环境中, a technician would be responsible for seeing a project through from start to finish.3
Most 牙科化验技术员 learn their skills over time 和 with practice. 他们必须具有高中文凭或同等学历. 一些社区大学和职业学校提供 牙科培训计划.4
They may also begin as assistants working in a lab with more experienced technicians, 通过实践和在职培训来学习他们的技能. 因为工作条件因地而异, the time involved can also vary; it may take 3 to 4 years of working with trained 牙科化验技术员 to become one.
2014年，牙科实验室技术人员做了一个 平均年薪为33,430美元. 收入最高的10%的人收入超过57美元,520, 而收入最低的10%的人的收入刚刚超过20美元,000.6
老龄化的婴儿潮一代, an increasing public interest in creating good 微笑 for social media, 以及牙科技术的快速发展, employment of 牙科化验技术员 is expected to grow between 2014 和 2024.7
This career also offers independence, as technicians don't usually have a lot of supervision. 它也为创造力提供了机会, 由于牙科技师必须经常与艺术家的触摸工作, 创造功能性的设备来美化病人的笑容.
整体, a career as a dental laboratory technician may be a great way to help people using creativity, 技术, 和科学. If you are interested in healthcare but would prefer to be behind the scenes, then consider taking a bite out of this potentially rewarding career path.
Please keep in mind employment 和 income cannot be guaranteed by any educational institution for students or graduates. 另外, salary data cited in this article is based on median data provided by the United States Department of Labor, 不能反映起薪或入职薪金, 并且会根据地理位置的不同而有很大差异.
1http://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm
2http://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/careers-in-dentistry/dental-team-careers/dental-laboratory-Technology
3http://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm#tab-2
4http://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm#tab-4
5http://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm#tab-4
6http://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm#tab-5
7http://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/dental-and-ophthalmic-laboratory-technicians-and-medical-appliance-technicians.htm#tab-6
