Working at a dental lab?

[BabyShades]

Did anyone here work at a dental lab before entering dental school? I am not talking about dental tech or anything, but mainly at the front office.

I am debating if I should apply to the job or not?

What did you learn from there?

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[BabyShades]

Why would you not apply for the job? Any exposure to the dental field before entering school will be a huge leg up for you when school gets into swing. I am currently working at a dental lab. I started at an entry level position, not front office though. Over the last year I have been able to work myself into a dental lab tech position where I wax crowns and veneers, and work on the porcelain restorations. I have learned a ton from it, and I know it will be a huge benefit for me when I go to dental school. Even just being around the work going on at a lab will teach you things you probably won't learn in dental school, or will help you understand your lab work once you do start school. If the lab you are applying to is anything like mine, then if you show a lot of interest in actually working on the restorations, they will probably be willing to start teaching you.

Oh man! My friend went on my account earlier and asked the question. Idunno why she didn't ask me because I actually work at the dental lab. You are actually pretty fortunate to be working at a dental lab and getting yourself into a dental lab tech position.

Don't you need a license for that?

 

[mkhan27]

As far as I understand it, a dental lab only has to have one person who is a Certified Dental Lab Technician (CDT) in order to run. Our owner is the only one in our lab who is a CDT. Even people at our lab who have been dental lab ceramists for 25+ years don't have any type of license, even though they are some of the best in the business. And yes, I do feel pretty lucky to have been able to progress and learn so much over the last year. My advice would be to tell your friend to do it.

Did they ask you to have any experience in this field before getting the job or did they make you take any courses or certification seminar/programs??? I am interested maybe I'll start looking around soon!

 

[doc toothache]

That would certainly explain the crappy margins coming from the labs.

 

[doc toothache]

No, the position I was hired for was entry level. I had no prior experience. I showed interest in learning more, and they were happy to teach me. My lab paid for several morphology courses, as well as a few courses on materials that we work with. They were not mandatory, the lab just wanted us to gain more knowledge. You should definitely look into it. And doc toothache, not all labs are created equal, as I'm sure you know. You get what you pay for.

The quality of the products may have less to do with the price and more to do with whomever the labs managed to drag off the street.