Dental Lab Technician Interview Questions
What to ask, and what a strong answer actually sounds like.
A lab technician interview is where a generalist résumé and a genuinely deep specialist start to look very different. Ask past the terminology to how they'd actually handle a case, a remake, and a deadline — that's where the gap shows up.
Before the interview
Before the interview, ask the candidate to bring or describe finished cases from the specialty your caseload actually needs — a portfolio tells you more than a résumé line.
If they claim CDT certification, plan to verify it directly with the NBC rather than taking the certificate at its word.
Decide in advance whether you're hiring for an in-house seat or a commercial-lab role, and how much of the caseload runs through a digital workflow — the questions below assume you already know which one you're interviewing for.
Bench skill and specialty judgement
Walk me through fabricating a case in [your caseload's specialty] — from the scan or impression to the finished piece.
What to listen for: A sequence with real decision points — material selection, where they check margins and occlusion, and where a case would get flagged for a remake rather than shipped anyway. A candidate who only names steps without decision points is describing a process they've watched, not one they own.
How do you decide between a lithium-disilicate, zirconia, or PFM restoration for a given case?
What to listen for: Reference to the clinical situation — bite force, esthetic zone, prep design — not just "whatever the dentist ordered." The strongest answers mention they'd flag a mismatch back to the practice rather than build to a spec they think is wrong.
A case comes back from the practice as a remake. Walk me through what you check first.
What to listen for: A diagnostic instinct — checking their own margins and contacts before assuming the impression or scan was the problem. Listen for whether they'd escalate a pattern of remakes rather than treating each one as isolated.
CAD/CAM and digital workflow
What CAD design software and mill or printer have you actually worked with, and how much of your recent caseload went through a digital workflow versus hand fabrication?
What to listen for: Specific software and hardware names, and a real percentage or rough split — not a general claim of being "comfortable with digital." If your lab runs a particular system, this is where a mismatch surfaces early.
When would you choose to hand-finish a piece rather than rely on the mill or printer's output as-is?
What to listen for: An answer that treats digital tools as a starting point, not a finished product — margin adjustment, contact refinement, shade layering by hand. A candidate who says the machine output never needs adjustment either hasn't done much of it or isn't checking closely enough.
Deadlines and quality control
How many cases do you typically turn around in a week, and what happens when you're behind?
What to listen for: A concrete number you can compare to your own volume, and an honest answer about trade-offs under pressure — what gets flagged to the practice versus rushed. Anyone who says deadlines never slip is usually not being candid.
Tell me about a specialty area you don't have much depth in.
What to listen for: Actual candor about a gap — most technicians build deep skill in one or two of the field's specialty areas, not all of them. A candidate who claims equal strength everywhere is a candidate you haven't stress-tested yet.
Worth a second look
None of these is disqualifying on its own. Each is worth a follow-up question.
- Can't name the specific CAD software, mill, or printer they've used, only that they're "good with digital."
- Describes every case as a success — no remakes, no flagged mismatches, ever.
- Vague about which specialty their CDT certification, if claimed, actually covers.
- No questions about your caseload, turnaround expectations, or whether the seat is in-house or at a commercial lab.
- Talks about speed before quality control when asked about deadlines.
After the interview
Verify any claimed CDT certification directly with the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology before extending an offer — it's the field's only recognized third-party credential, and there's no license to fall back on for confirmation.
If a state or laboratory-registration rule applies to your setting, confirm it before the start date rather than assuming either way — that hasn't been verified across every state here.
See what a dental lab technician does for what's been checked so far.
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