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How exposed to AI is a Dental Laboratory Technician?

Of the 17 tasks O*NET lists for dental laboratory technicians, 0 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 16 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
CeramistCrown and Bridge Dental Laboratory Technician (Crown and Bridge Dental Lab Tech)Dental CeramistDental Laboratory Technician (Dental Lab Tech)Dental Technician (Dental Tech)Denture Technician (Denture Tech)Metal FinisherOrthodontic Laboratory Technician (Ortho Lab Tech)Porcelain Technician (Porcelain Tech)Waxer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
17
tasks rated for this occupation
8%
hold a degree, from a survey of 24
34k
people do this job in the US
79 of 107
least protected in production

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Only with software built on top

1
  • Place tooth models on an apparatus that mimics bite and movement of patient's jaw to evaluate functionality of model

Cannot be sped up

16
  • Read prescriptions or specifications and examine models or impressions to determine the design of dental products to be constructed
  • Test appliances for conformance to specifications and accuracy of occlusion, using articulators and micrometers
  • Fabricate, alter, or repair dental devices, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, inlays, or appliances for straightening teeth
  • Remove excess metal or porcelain and polish surfaces of prostheses or frameworks, using polishing machines
  • Train or supervise other dental technicians or dental laboratory bench workers
  • Melt metals or mix plaster, porcelain, or acrylic pastes and pour materials into molds or over frameworks to form dental prostheses or apparatuses
  • Prepare metal surfaces for bonding with porcelain to create artificial teeth, using small hand tools
  • Rebuild or replace linings, wire sections, or missing teeth to repair dentures
  • Apply porcelain paste or wax over prosthesis frameworks or setups, using brushes and spatulas
  • Build and shape wax teeth, using small hand instruments and information from observations or dentists' specifications
  • Load newly constructed teeth into porcelain furnaces to bake the porcelain onto the metal framework
  • Mold wax over denture setups to form the full contours of artificial gums
  • Create a model of patient's mouth by pouring plaster into a dental impression and allowing plaster to set
  • Prepare wax bite blocks and impression trays for use
  • Shape and solder wire and metal frames or bands for dental products, using soldering irons and hand tools
  • Fill chipped or low spots in surfaces of devices, using acrylic resins
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.