What You'll Do

  • Fit prostheses to patients, making any necessary adjustments and modifications.
  • Design and fabricate dental prostheses, or supervise dental technicians and laboratory bench workers who construct the devices.
  • Measure and take impressions of patients' jaws and teeth to determine the shape and size of dental prostheses, using face bows, dental articulators, recording devices, and other materials.
  • Collaborate with general dentists, specialists, and other health professionals to develop solutions to dental and oral health concerns.
  • Repair, reline, or rebase dentures.
  • Restore function and aesthetics to traumatic injury survivors, or to individuals with diseases or congenital disabilities.
  • Use bonding technology on the surface of the teeth to change tooth shape or to close gaps.
  • Treat facial pain and jaw joint problems.
  • Place veneers onto teeth to conceal defects.
  • Bleach discolored teeth to brighten and whiten them.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.75/5
Reading Comprehension 3.62/5
Monitoring 3.62/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.62/5
Writing 3.38/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.38/5
Time Management 3.25/5
Instructing 3.12/5
Service Orientation 3.12/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness, Integrity, Achievement Orientation

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Problem Sensitivity 4.12/5
Near Vision 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Finger Dexterity 3.88/5
Written Comprehension 3.75/5

Technologies & Tools

Apple iOS Consult-PRO Henry Schein DentalVision Professional Henry Schein Dentrix Henry Schein Easy Dental Image management software Kea Software impDAT Kodak Dental Systems Kodak PRACTICEWORKS Practice management software PMS Materialise Dental SimPLANT Materialise Dental SurgiGuide Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft Perio charting software Planet DDS Denticon Practice-Web Dental

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.69/5)
  • Cautiousness (High importance: 4.67/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.47/5)
  • Achievement Orientation (High importance: 4.45/5)

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) Dental Science Dr (Dental Science Doctor) Denturist Maxillofacial Prosthetics Dentist Maxillofacial Prosthodontist Oral Maxillofacial Prosthodontist Prosthetic Dentist Prosthodontist Reconstructive Dentist Removable Prosthodontist Restorative Dentist

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.