Dental Laboratory Technician

Veterans Health Administration • Jackson, MS

11h • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located at the VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. The Dental Laboratory Technician collaborates with providers to design and fabricate fixed and removable intra-oral prostheses and other dental appliances. Approximately 60% of the position is spent designing and fabricating dental appliances, including complex intraoral maxillofacial cases, and approximately 40% is spent educating staff providers, dental residents, and patients. This is an onsite position and is not virtual; the employee must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location.

The technician supports dental care for veterans, whose needs may be complex because of multiple diagnoses, war-related trauma, or other significant dental abnormalities. The role includes independently completing laboratory procedures for complex cases, advising on unique prostheses for trauma and cancer patients, constructing routine dental appliances, consulting with patients about prosthesis esthetics, and training dental personnel and learners in laboratory materials, equipment, and techniques.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., subject to change based on agency needs. Recruitment and relocation incentives are not authorized. The position requires a one-year probationary period and participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program. Physical demands include prolonged standing, sitting, and bending. The work is performed in a clinic and laboratory setting, with some exposure to patients in dental treatment rooms and potential infection hazards when handling impressions or other items.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• Meet at least one qualification pathway: one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower federal grade level; one and one-half years of directly related graduate education; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Specialized experience must include use of dental laboratory materials such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, or porcelain; laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, or flasks; precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, or microanalyzers; and construction of dental prosthetic appliances.
• Submit a transcript if education is used to meet any part of the qualification requirements.
• Complete the required application steps and online assessment.
• Complete a background/security investigation and onboarding requirements.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a one-year probationary period.
• Live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with providers to design and fabricate complex dental and intra-oral appliances.
• Fabricate complex removable and fixed oral-maxillofacial appliances, including fixed, semi-fixed, and removable implant cases and completely guided implant surgical stents.
• Construct partial and complete dentures for cases requiring unusually close tolerances and resolution of difficult retention, balance, and tension-related problems.
• Advise on the design of unique prostheses for trauma and cancer patients with mutilated or missing oral tissue, and independently complete laboratory procedures for these complex cases.
• Construct routine full and partial dentures, dental splints, obturators, models for fixed prostheses, and other laboratory products supporting staff dentists' treatment needs.
• Fabricate flexible complex partials such as Dura-Flex from start to finish, including set-up, wax-up, processing, and finishing.
• Consult with patients about complaints regarding the esthetics of existing prostheses.
• Train dental hygienists, dental assistants, volunteers, dental students, and dental residents in the use of materials, equipment, and techniques involved in dental laboratory duties.
• Educate staff providers, dental residents, and patients.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed