Profession dental technician

Dental prosthesis technicians construct and repair full or partial dentures or dental appliances.

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Personality Type

• Social / Realistic

Tasks dental technician

• Make, alter and repair appliances for patients with cleft palates, braces and plates for correcting irregular teeth and mouth guards.
• Create models of patient's mouth by pouring plaster into dental impression and allowing plaster to set.
• Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic paste, and pour materials into moulds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatus.
• Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools.
• Remove excess metal or porcelain, and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks using polishing machines.
• Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake porcelain onto metal framework.
• Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications.
• Evaluate functionality of tooth model by positioning the model on apparatus that mimics bite and patient's jaw movement.
• Polish and finish appliance prior to it being placed in patient's mouth.
• Consult the work process file(s).

Related professions dental

• Dental assistant
• Dental hygienist
• Dentist

Skills

• Follow clinical guidelines

  Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.

• Manufacture dental prostheses

  Design and fabricate dental prosthesis or appliances such as space maintainers, crowns, veneers, bridges, and dentures, retainers, and labial and lingual arch wires.

• Accept own accountability

  Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.

• Ensure safety of healthcare users

  Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

• Test dental appliances for compliance

  Examine dental appliances to make sure that they comply with specifications, using articulators and micrometres to test for accuracy of occlusion.

• Work in a multicultural environment in health care

  Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.

• Polish dental prostheses

  Use finishing burrs and grinding equipment to grind, smooth, and polish dental prostheses.

• Maintain laboratory dental tools

  Maintain laboratory tools and equipment such as lathes, trimmers, grinders, articulators, and cleaning devices.

• Comply with legislation related to health care

  Comply with the regional and national legislation that is relevant to one`s work and apply it in practice.

• Manage infection control in the facility

  Implement a set of measures to prevent and control infections, formulating and establishing health and safety procedures and policies.

• Select materials for orthodontic appliances

  Determine the appropriate materials for removable or permanent orthodontic appliances, paying attention to design and function as specified by prescription.

• Examine dental models and impressions

  Examine models and impressions of the patients` teeth in order to determine the design of dental products to be constructed.

• Manipulate dental material

  Manipulate materials used in dental procedures such as waxes, plastics, precious and non-precious alloys, stainless steel, porcelains and composites or polymer glass.

• Promote inclusion

  Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.

• Communicate effectively in healthcare

  Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.

• Work in multidisciplinary health teams

  Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare related professions.

• Respond to changing situations in health care

  Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.

• Repair denture prostheses

  Use the appropriate soldering and welding techniques to modify or repair components of removable and fixed denture prostheses.

• Contribute to continuity of health care

  Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.

• Listen actively

  Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Apply organisational techniques

  Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.

• Follow dentists' instructions

  Work directly with dentists by following their detailed instuctions.

• Use e-health and mobile health technologies

  Use mobile health technologies and e-health (online applications and services) in order to enhance the provided healthcare.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB