Dental Lab Technician Job Description Template
Copy it, edit the bracketed parts, and check the credential and setting lines before you post.
Most lab technician job descriptions fail on the same two things: they don't say whether the seat is in-house or at a commercial lab, and they don't name the specialty or digital tools the caseload actually needs. Both are fixable in about ten minutes, and both change who applies.
At a glance
national middle 50% — see pay by metro for a closer figure
Salary to quote
$40,420–$62,070
name it — the day looks very different either way
Setting
In-house or commercial lab
not a legal requirement — a skill signal, if you want one
Credential line
CDT (voluntary)
What to include
The setting, up front. Whether the seat sits inside your practice's own lab or at a commercial laboratory serving several practices changes the day-to-day work more than almost anything else on the page — say which one it is.
The specialty and the digital tools. Name the actual caseload — ceramics, crown & bridge, removable prosthetics, implants, orthodontic appliances — and whether the bench work is CAD/CAM and digital-scan based or still substantially hand-fabricated.
See CAD/CAM and digital workflow skills in a dental lab for what that shift actually changed at the bench.
A pay range. Ranges are increasingly required by law and, separately, listings without one get fewer applicants.
Quote from what to budget rather than a single guessed figure.
The credential line, precisely. "CDT preferred" or "CDT in [SPECIALTY] preferred" if you want one — but say plainly that it isn't a legal requirement to do the job, since the CDT is a voluntary certification, not a license.
The template
Paste this and replace the bracketed parts. The setting and specialty lines are the ones most templates leave vague.
[PRACTICE / LAB NAME] — Dental Lab Technician ([IN-HOUSE / COMMERCIAL LAB], [FULL-TIME / PART-TIME]) Pay: $[X]–$[Y] per [hour / year], depending on experience Setting: [IN-HOUSE SEAT AT A DENTAL PRACTICE / COMMERCIAL DENTAL LABORATORY] Location: [CITY, STATE] About the role We are hiring a dental lab technician to [BUILD OUT OUR IN-HOUSE LAB / JOIN OUR COMMERCIAL LABORATORY TEAM]. Our caseload is primarily [SPECIALTY: CERAMICS / CROWN & BRIDGE / REMOVABLE PROSTHETICS / IMPLANTS / ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES], and [DESCRIBE DIGITAL WORKFLOW: INTRAORAL SCANNER / CAD SOFTWARE / MILL / 3D PRINTER, OR HAND-FABRICATION]. What you'd do - Fabricate [SPECIALTY CASE TYPES] from a physical impression or digital scan - [DIGITAL WORKFLOW TASKS — CAD DESIGN, MILLING, 3D PRINTING, IF APPLICABLE] - Hand-finish shade, contour, and occlusion to the dentist's prescription - Check margins, contacts, and fit before a case ships or is seated - [ADD OR REMOVE per your caseload and setting] What we're looking for - [YEARS] experience in [SPECIALTY], or completion of a dental laboratory technology program - CDT certification in [SPECIALTY] [PREFERRED / NOT REQUIRED] - Comfort with [CAD SOFTWARE / SCANNER SYSTEM], if your lab runs a digital workflow What we offer - $[X]–$[Y] per [hour / year] - [BENEFITS: health, PTO, CE allowance toward CDT recertification] - [EQUIPMENT: CAD software, mill, 3D printer, or bench setup] To apply: [HOW TO APPLY]
The credential line is where templates overreach
Most dental lab technicians are not individually licensed the way hygienists and, in many states, assistants are, and CDT certification is voluntary rather than a legal requirement.
But whether your specific state attaches any rules of its own — to individual technicians or to the laboratory itself — hasn't been verified across every state here.
Before posting, check your state dental board directly rather than copying a template's assumption either way.
See what a dental lab technician does and the CDT exam breakdown for what's been checked so far.
After you post
Verify any claimed CDT certification directly with the NBC before extending an offer — there's no national license or registry to check instead.
If a candidate doesn't hold it, ask for a portfolio of finished cases in the specialty you need; certification is voluntary, so its absence isn't disqualifying on its own.
Confirm the setting matches what you posted — a candidate expecting a commercial lab's variety of cases may not be the right fit for a single in-house seat, and vice versa.
Ready to post it?
Your listing goes in front of dental lab technicians actively looking, and you can edit it after it's live.