Also called: Dental Technician, CAD/CAM Dental Tech
Designs and 3D prints crowns, aligners, dentures and night guards from digital scans of patients' mouths.
A dentist emails a 3D scan of a patient's broken tooth. You design a crown on screen, print it or mill it from ceramic, then hand-paint and glaze it so it matches the real teeth. By Friday it's in someone's mouth.
BLS figures for dental laboratory technicians.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. Certificate or associate degree in dental lab technology, or on-the-job training.
Ways in: Certification, 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Dental Laboratory Technology (2-year).
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years).
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI now designs crowns and aligners automatically, and chairside printing moves work to dental offices.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply at dental labs (ask for a model room or trainee job) or through a staffing agency; new hires are trained on the job
Classes: Biology, Art or sculpture, Drafting/CAD class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-9081.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.