Dental Technicians
NES supports dental technicians by providing information on pre-registration training Continuing Professional Development courses
A dental technician is an essential member of the dental team and carries out all aspects of technical dentistry to complement the clinical work undertaken by the dentist. The dental technician participates in the complete dental service receivedby the patient.
The role of the dental technician
Dental technicians carry out the work prescribed by the dentist, which will generally come under one of three different types of dental technology. Individual technicians may specialise in any of these three dental technology disciplines, or in some cases will be proficient and work in all three.
These are:
• Prosthodontics - Dentures
This area of dental technology requires the dental technician to design and construct full and partial dentures to replace missing natural teeth.
• Conservation - Crown & Bridgework
This specialism within dental technology is usually referred to as crown and bridgework. The dentist will prescribe such work when the tooth or teeth have suffered severe external damage, but the supporting tissues remain healthy.
• Orthodontics
An orthodontic technician produces removable appliances, commonly known as 'braces', these are used to make adjustments to the positioning of teeth in the mouth. The technician will construct the removable appliance using wires which when tightened will provide sufficient force to slowly move the teeth to the required position to improve appearance and jaw function.
Continuing Professional Development
Courses are continually updated and can be found and booked on the NES Portal.
Dental Technicians
Contact your Regional Lead DCP Tutor for information on Dental Technician training in Scotland Click here for contact details
