Working as a dental technician is a recognized training occupation in accordance with the Crafts Code in Germany. The training lasts three years and six months . The dental technician manufactures dentures, which are crowns, bridges, partial and full dentures as well as inlay fillings and braces. If one wishes to learn this trade, there should be an interest in the manufacture of orthodontic appliances, as well as modeling and the maintenance of appliances and tools.
Good school grades in the following subjects are important
Good grades should be obtained in the subjects physics (heat is used to deform materials or harden a material), mathematics (the material requirements and mixing ratios of different substances have to be calculated), handicrafts and technology (the dental technician has to work very precisely, manual dexterity is required for this).
In education
In the first year of training you learn how processing instructions are used correctly and which tools are used for what. In the second year you will learn how to assess brackets and support elements, how fixed dentures are made and how instruments are used and handled. The third and fourth years then cover how dentures are made, how to build multi-unit bridges, grinding tooth surfaces and fitting them to the patient.
training in a company
Here the trainees are taught how to read and use technical documents, how to use materials and how to produce a fixed denture. In the third and fourth year of training, you then manufacture orthodontic devices yourself and learn how to process special materials.
At the vocational school
The topics in the vocational school range from a description of how the human jaw moves, to the dentition and its diseases, planning and manufacturing prostheses, to evaluating fillings and the manufacture of bridges and crowns. Working documents must also be created and evaluated. The training takes place in a medical technology company, in an orthopedic or dental clinic. Conditions for training is immediate participation in which a denture is modeled. Also, the use of computer controlled equipment and the smelting of precious metal alloys is one of the most important points to learn first. A very high level of concentration is important for this activity, as the dentures, as well as bridges, crowns and the like, must have a 100% precise fit .
The training allowance
The remuneration is between 405 euros and 505 euros from the first to the third year of training. In the fourth and last year, the salary increases to 555 euros . At the end of the training there is a journeyman's examination , which is taken in front of the competent Chamber of Commerce. For admission, all training certificates and the certificate of the intermediate examination should be able to be presented. In the practical part of this exam, a dental bridge and a crown must be made. The written part consists of questions on dental technology as well as on economics and social studies. The duration of the exam is 6 hours. After successfully completing the exam, the dental technician can apply to a dental laboratory or dental clinic. However, if he would like to hold a managerial position, this is possible through further training to become a master craftsman .
(Image source: Federal Employment Agency)
