Most of us have experienced a dentist’s office, but few of us have ever stepped foot in a dental laboratory, and many don’t want to. Still, a behind the scenes look at what a dental laboratory does is an interesting way to inform both patients and their families as to just what goes on in there.
Sitting in the dentist’s chair with odd contraptions in your mouth isn’t exactly comfortable, but necessary when being fitted for braces, plates, crowns, bridges and other dental fixtures. Your dentist doesn’t necessarily make these items from the molds that have been created in the dentist’s office. These special items are typically made in a dental laboratory, either on the dental office premises or in a separate building altogether. Did you know that a dental laboratory can make a bridge that will replace teeth and that a crown can be made of metal, porcelain, resin, gold and other precious metals? Have you ever wondered how a dental lab creates dentures for people? Dentures made in a dental lab can be partials or full, depending on the need of every individual patient. These dentures are made of artificial teeth. An inlay is created outside the mouth, designed to fit into a space left by cavities or chips and is then cemented into your tooth and can be constructed of gold, porcelain or resin.
Implants are also created in a dental laboratory, later to be surgically implanted into the jaw. After healing is completed, an artificial tooth is attached to the implant. A dental laboratory can make what’s called an ‘onlay’, which is also sometimes known as a partial crown. This item is cemented over and tooth, but under repair. A dental laboratory technician can make an onlay to precisely fit and cover damaged areas of teeth. A dental laboratory can also make dental veneers, which are shells made of porcelain or resin that are permanently bonded to teeth to cover or close badly stained or irregularly shaped teeth.
As you can see, the technicians in a dental laboratory are kept busy designing, shaping and creating new dental fixtures for just about every dental need required. These technicians are specially trained and educated in dentistry, even though they don’t often venture to the local dentist office. Dental laboratory technicians must receive specialized schooling and education to work in a dental laboratory.
Dental fixtures made in a dental laboratory aren’t cheap, but perhaps it’s easier to understand why they’re so expensive when you stop to think about the training and education that goes into the skills that are necessary to create the products that make life easier and less painful. A dental laboratory technician has the ability to create something from nothing, a little understood and unappreciated aspect of the dentistry field. The next time you find yourself sitting in the dentist’s chair with a mouthful of goop, try to think about the dental laboratory that will create something out of that goop to make your life easier.