value of dental lab tech experience

[WhoooaaaBUNDY]

How beneficial would it be for me to take a serious paycut (down to $9.50/hr) and work as a dental lab tech in a plaster room working with dentures all day. I was offerred the position, but would only be willing to take it if I thought it would really look good on an application or offer some directly applicable skills for school or a career in dentistry. Any thoughts, or anyone else working a similar job?

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[Nendo21]

How beneficial would it be for me to take a serious paycut (down to $9.50/hr) and work as a dental lab tech in a plaster room working with dentures all day. I was offerred the position, but would only be willing to take it if I thought it would really look good on an application or offer some directly applicable skills for school or a career in dentistry. Any thoughts, or anyone else working a similar job?

i think an assisting job would be much better but lab work isnt bad either what kinda of job do you have now?? or instead you could keep your current job and do an unordinary number of shadowing hrs.

 

[calbear82]

How beneficial would it be for me to take a serious paycut (down to $9.50/hr) and work as a dental lab tech in a plaster room working with dentures all day. I was offerred the position, but would only be willing to take it if I thought it would really look good on an application or offer some directly applicable skills for school or a career in dentistry. Any thoughts, or anyone else working a similar job?

I worked as a dental lab tech for 1+ semesters during my last year as an undergrad. I thought the experience was worthwhile even though I was only paid 7 bucks an hour 🙁 Many of my other predent friends also worked in the same lab. I think it looks good on your resume/application and offers you the opportunity to get some exposure to some lab techniques. But overall, I think you don't learn that much working in a dental lab. You will learn the same stuff in dental school and it doesn't take very long to learn it. Also, it was a stressful job because there were lots of deadlines 🙁 I would go for it if you want to learn what goes on in a dental lab and to get some experience making models. I think it would be an ideal short-term job. After awhile it's just the same thing over and over again and you don't learn anything new.

 

[calbear82]

i think an assisting job would be much better but lab work isnt bad either what kinda of job do you have now?? or instead you could keep your current job and do an unordinary number of shadowing hrs.

I agree with your comment. Assisting is much better and more fun! I actually quit my lab job in order to free up time to assist. 🙂

 

[LSN]

I agree with your comment. Assisting is much better and more fun! I actually quit my lab job in order to free up time to assist. 🙂

When you guys say assisting job, do you mean chairside assistant/back office work? Because to be a dental assistant, don't you need your RDA?

Also, how did you guys go about finding a job in a dental lab? I need some side cash BIG TIME, and its been so hard to find a part-time job since I am a full-time student.

Thanks! 👍

 

[calbear82]

When you guys say assisting job, do you mean chairside assistant/back office work? Because to be a dental assistant, don't you need your RDA?

Also, how did you guys go about finding a job in a dental lab? I need some side cash BIG TIME, and its been so hard to find a part-time job since I am a full-time student.

Thanks! 👍

Yeah, I'm refering to chairside assistant/back office work. You do need a RDA to be a dental assistant, but for basic assisting, like suctioning and cleanup work, some dentists will just train you. It really depends on the dentist. Very often you start out with office work and gradually move up to chairside assisting. I actually found my lab job through my school's predent club. You can use craigslist to find some dental assistant openings. One of my friends recently found one.

 

[WhoooaaaBUNDY]

I would much rather be a dental assistant. How hard of a process is it to get certified as an assistant and/or to take x-rays? Can it be done as a night class at a community college or something? I've applied for a bunch of assistant jobs that claim they didn't require certification, but I mysteriously never seem to hear back.

 

[DDSdude]

How beneficial would it be for me to take a serious paycut (down to $9.50/hr) and work as a dental lab tech in a plaster room working with dentures all day. I was offerred the position, but would only be willing to take it if I thought it would really look good on an application or offer some directly applicable skills for school or a career in dentistry. Any thoughts, or anyone else working a similar job?

Depends on the school. I agree most schools if not all do prefer you have assisting or observing time in an office. I also know of schools who love to see lab work as well. Lab work gives you hands on, since much of your schooling will be in a lab and it seems there is a good size learning curve when you are in pre-clinic lab in d-school. It will also do wonders for dexterity and schools realize that. You can't go wrong with doing a little bit of both.

 

[Nendo21]

Depends on the school. I agree most schools if not all do prefer you have assisting or observing time in an office. I also know of schools who love to see lab work as well. Lab work gives you hands on, since much of your schooling will be in a lab and it seems there is a good size learning curve when you are in pre-clinic lab in d-school. It will also do wonders for dexterity and schools realize that. You can't go wrong with doing a little bit of both.

i am a trained assistand have been for 5 years... i do just about everything a schooled assistant does you start out a bit slow but when you learn your duties it not a big deal anymore, in order to do that of course you gotta start with finding yourself a dentist who's willing to teach you, also the pay is not as good as a certified assistants i get like 13 bucks while a certified assistant gets 16-20 or so...but whats great is that i worked in his lab as well as chairside maybe i didn't learn how to make dentures( thats what labs are for anyway) but i did make molds, did some waxing as well as front desk work with insurances and stuff...to me lab work is not nearly as valuable as work in the actual dental practise... 😎

 

[WhoooaaaBUNDY]

Thanks for the ideas ...

I think I'll take the lab position, and keep applying for uncert'ed assistant jobs. That way I'll get a few months of lab experience, and hopefully get into an assistant job before too long. Hopefully the fiancee' will look past the current income and not throw me out, heh.