Dental Technician
A dental technician fabricates and repairs dental prostheses, orthodontic appliances, and restorations in a laboratory setting, working from impressions and specifications provided by dentists. They use specialised equipment and materials to construct dentures, crowns, bridges, implant components, and braces to precise anatomical and functional standards.
What this job is
A dental technician fabricates and repairs dental prostheses, orthodontic appliances, and restorations in a laboratory setting, working from impressions and specifications provided by dentists. They use specialised equipment and materials to construct dentures, crowns, bridges, implant components, and braces to precise anatomical and functional standards. The role requires knowledge of dental anatomy, materials science, and laboratory techniques to produce devices that restore oral function and appearance.
Are employers advertising this role?
Falling, down 22.9% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Cast dental impressions in plaster or stone to create working models for prosthesis fabrication. Construct complete and partial dentures using acrylic resin and denture base materials following dentist specifications. Fabricate dental crowns and bridges using porcelain, ceramic, or composite materials on prepared tooth replicas. Design and construct orthodontic appliances including braces, wires, and retainers according to treatment plans. Produce implant-supported restorations including abutments, crowns, and prosthetic teeth on implant analogues. Operate and maintain dental laboratory equipment including dental lathes, milling machines, furnaces, and articulator systems. Adjust and polish finished prostheses to ensure proper fit, occlusion, and aesthetic appearance before delivery. Repair and reline dentures and other prostheses to restore function and extend service life.
Who does this now
About 2,700 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2)
Registration or licensing may be required.
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation had trouble finding suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Jobs and Skills Australia defines an occupation-ready qualification as:
Completing this qualification will provide the skills and knowledge to undertake this occupation. Further training and experience may be required to meet specific industry requirements including licensing and registration.
Jobs and Skills Australia, Training Occupation Pathways dataset, March 2026, version 1.0
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
The work is repetitive and detail-focused, which suits some people but drives others crazy. CAD-CAM milling machines are slowly replacing hand-fabrication, so job security depends on staying current with technology.
Where the jobs are
Regional areas have fewer labs, so opportunities shrink outside cities. Labs need to be near dentist practices and specialists, so they follow population density.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 4112, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Advise customers on hearing aidscore
- Advise on rehabilitation exercisescore
- Attention to Detailcore
- Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
- Health Terminology Literacycore
- Maintain records of clients' prescriptionscore
- Order supplies for audiology servicescore
- Perform technical tasks with great carecore
- Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Produce impressions for ear mouldscore
- Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
- Record Managementcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Repair hearing aidscore
- Team Collaborationcore
- Time Management and Prioritisationcore
- Types of audiological equipmentcore
- Use of specialised instruments in otorhinolaryngologycore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Workflow Prioritisationcore
- Acoustics
- Adapt hearing tests
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Adhere to organisational guidelines
- Adjust hearing aids
- Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
- Communication related to hearing impairment
- Digital Literacy
- Empathise with the healthcare user
- Geriatrics
- Health, safety and hygiene legislation
- Hearing aids
- Hearing loss
- Human ear
- Hygiene in a health care setting
- Incident Reporting
- Invoicing and Billing Administration
- Maintain laboratory equipment
- Physiology of hearing
- Process Improvement Identification
- Stakeholder Communication
- Use e-health and mobile health technologies
- Written Communication
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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