Dental Lab Tech or Assistant??

[therealsquat]

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[ought2sleep]

Assist. If you find a dentist that is actually willing to teach you, I think you will be surprised at all the hands on you will get. Not to mention familiarity with equipment, instruments, and I'm sure a ton of xray experience.

 

[rose786]

Both jobs are hard to come by without experience. For that reason, I would say you should apply to many places and be open to both possibilities.

 

[ADentalHopeful]

Be a dental assistant. More money. Better related to the job. Enough said.

 

[Ex_EE]

It all depends on what is stressed at your school. Some schools stress lab work and the tech would be helpful. I personally would have liked to have dental tech experience more so than assisting. For UT Houston this would have made the first year a lot easier.

 

[Mcglock]

I've spent the last year working in a lab and am very grateful for that experience. You get to see the way a lot of different dentists do things. Some are meticulous, some are sloppy. Some prep teeth immaculately, others not so much. Aside from gaining the obvious lab skills, I think its exposed me to a lot of different ways to do dentistry and given me a better idea of whats out there, which I wouldn't have gotten just working for one dentist. Also, the lab I work at hosts CE courses which I get to go to for free and has been amazing. If you can find a lab like this in your area I would highly recommend trying to get hired on there.

 

[caffeinehigh]

Either will look good on your application and will demonstrate an interest in the field. I would apply to both, and select the one that gives the best hours and pay. In the end, you're seeing an aspect of the profession from a different side either way. I can see pros and cons to either of the two.