Dental Laboratory Technician

Duties

• Collaborates with Oral Surgeon - Prosthodontist - or other Dentists to design and fabricate complex dental or intra-oral maxillofacial appliances
• Functions may include but not limited to:
• pouring primary and final impressions
• trimming/fabricating custom trays
• fabricating bite rims
• mounting casts on articulators
• setting teeth for trial dentures/partials
• investigating/flasking
• blocking out
• processing and finishing dentures/ partials
• fabrication of night guards/bite splints
• fabrication of provisional prostheses
• repairing broken prostheses
• adding teeth to existing prostheses
• pouring - pinning - and sectioning dies required for crown and bridgework
• fabrication of fluoride trays
• fabrication stints
• fabrication transitional partials
• managing implant fabrication process for fixed and removable appliances
• fabrication of wrought wire clasps
• fabrication of reinforcement wires/bars
• fabrication of crown and bridgework
• casting
• soldering
• stacking
• contouring porcelain
• staining
• finishing
• polishing in metal - acrylic - and porcelain
• Tracks and monitors of laboratory cases while they proceed through the different fabrication steps within the laboratory which may also involve shipping and receiving fixed/removable prosthesis for fabrication
• Independently performs all necessary steps for the fabrication of dental and other intraoral prosthodontic appliances
• Provides education - training - and/or instruction to the dental assistants - dental resident program dentists and staff dentists using teaching models of various dental appliances and oral presentations regarding laboratory procedures - capabilities - and requirements
• Conducts research and material testing for new and replacement efficiency and usefulness of new equipment
• Applies thorough knowledge of tooth morphology - normal and abnormal oral anatomy - and the principles of occlusion and will know how to integrate this knowledge into the design - functional and esthetic requirements of the prosthodontic products fashioned

Qualifications

• Specialized experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience - equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-8) in the Federal Service - that has given you the particular knowledge - skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Dental Laboratory Technician - and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.
• Experience should include use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials - plasters - stones - hydrocolloids - waxes - metals - acrylics - porcelain - and similar materials; use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools - dental lathes - engines - and hand pieces - furnaces - casting machines - presses - flasks - and related equipment; use of precision instruments such as articulators - surveyors - and microanalyzers; and construction of dental prosthetic appliances.
• At this grade level - qualifying specialized experience also includes: experience constructing porcelain or acrylic fixed or semi-fixed bridge restorations - full or removable partial dentures - or orthodontic appliances - or dental splints and obturators - when the construction of the appliance is complicated because of the unusual nature or intricacy of the design required to overcome acute abnormalities; applying a thorough technical knowledge of both normal and abnormal oral anatomy and dentition as these affect the design - fabrication - function - and esthetics of the dental prosthesis being constructed.
• Educational qualifications: Successful completion of two (2) full years of graduate education or a master's degree that is directly related to the work of the Dental Laboratory Technician position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge - skills - and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.
• Combination of successfully completed graduate education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience - as described above.