Dental Laboratory Technician

Summary Incumbent functions in the Dental Laboratory as a fully qualified and experienced technician. His/her advice is sought on a regular and recurring basis by the staff dentists. Amendment: Closing Date has been amended from 10/5/2026 to 10/9/2026. Responsibilities Major Duties: Performs total fabrication of both fixed or semi-fixed restorations, full or removable partial dentures, orthodontic appliances and/or dental splints and obturators. Constructs wrought wire buccal arm clasps. Constructs acrylic esthetic replacements for gingival tissue removed during Perio Surgery. Researches the best materials for use in laboratory procedures involving implants, magnet dentures, permanent soft-liners and light cured materials. Designs and constructs teaching models of different prosthetic appliances. Waxes, invests, boils out, cures and deflasks acrylic bases for partial and complete dentures. Blocks out master casts, waxes complete dentures for try-in. Shapes wax to contours desired in the final dentures, and to the thickness required to maintain facial contours. Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues. Removes excess wax, smoothes and polishes surfaces. Reproduces dentures. Removes excess acrylic from dentures, grinds and selects methods to simulate contours of natural tissue. Polishes dentures. Preserves anatomical borders developed by the Dentist. Bends wrought wire clasps and bars. Tempers and shapes metal with various types of pliers into various component parts which are assembled, incased in a heat resistant investment and fused together in position with gold solder. Finishes, polishes, heats, treats and fits metal onto the master case. Submits articulated casts for partial denture framework fabrication in the Central Dental Laboratory, Dallas, Texas, and upon receipt of the cast framework, adds saddle areas with the teeth and processes partial denture as previously outlined. Fabricates crown, inlays and fixed partial dentures from gold alloys, porcelain or acrylic materials, alone or in combination, according to case requirements. Selects appropriate porcelain or acrylic facings of proper shade, size and shape. Articulates casts, adapts wax to die and carves patterns to proper anatomical contour and occlusion. Provides cutout space for veneer on facial surface where required, selects and adapts porcelain facings. Casts gold attachments and pieces and pontics; aligns and solder bridges; processes acrylic crowns and veneers; grinds and polish castings; avoids loss of margin adaptation. Constructs fixed components of implants in gold, and/or porcelain. Constructs and fabricates bite raisers, cleft palate obturators, fracture splints, immediate dentures, surgical template, and orthodontic appliances. Provides on-the-job training. Orders and stocks laboratory supplies. Performs preventive maintenance on all laboratory equipment. Maintains records of workload for various reporting purposes in a timely and accurate manner. Follows manufacturers recommendations and Reusable Medical Equipment (RME), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regarding Dental equipment (critical, semi critical, non-critical items). Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Dental Laboratory Technician/PD00937A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/09/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement: Specialized Experience Examples of qualifying specialized experience include: Use of dental laboratory material such as impression materials, plasters, stones, hydrocolloids, waxes, metals, acrylics, porcelain, and similar materials. Use of laboratory equipment such as hand tools, dental lathes, engines, and hand pieces, furnaces, casting machines, presses, flasks, and related equipment. Use of precision instruments such as articulators, surveyors, and microanalyzers. Construction of dental prosthetic appliances. or Education and Training: For GS-6 and above: Successful completion of a full 4-year apprenticeship program consisting of at least 2000 hours a year. The successful completion of training courses in dental laboratory work in the Armed Forces or other Federal agencies will be allowed appropriate credit for specialized experience on a month-for-month basis up through GS-5. Licensed professional dentists will be considered qualified for any grade level if they have, in the aggregate, the required experience in dental laboratory procedures. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performs total fabrication of both fixed or semi-fixed restorations, full or removable partial dentures, orthodontic appliances and/or dental splints and obturators; Constructs wrought wire buccal arm clasps; Constructs acrylic esthetic replacements for gingival tissue removed during Perio Surgery; Researches materials for use in laboratory procedures involving implants, magnet dentures, permanent soft-liners and light cured materials; Provides on-the-job training and basic dental laboratory instruction; Designs and constructs teaching models of different prosthetic appliances; Waxes, invests, boils out, cures and deflasks acrylic bases for partial and complete dentures; Blocks out master casts, waxes complete dentures for try-in; Shapes wax to contours desired in the final dentures, and to the thickness required to maintain facial contours; Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues; Removes excess wax, smoothes and polishes surfaces; Reproduces dentures; Removes excess acrylic from dentures, grinds and selects methods to simulate contours of natural tissue; Polishes dentures; Preserves anatomical borders developed by the Dentist; Bends wrought wire clasps and bars to conform to the case design outlined upon the surveyor's cast; Tempers and shapes metal with various types of pliers into various component parts which are assembled, incased in a heat resistant investment and fused together in position with gold solder; Finishes, polishes, heats, treats and fits metal onto the master case; Submits articulated casts for partial denture framework fabrication in the Central Dental Laboratory, Dallas, Texas, and upon receipt of the cast framework, adds saddle areas with the teeth and processes partial denture as previously outlined; Fabricates crown, inlays and fixed partial dentures from gold alloys, porcelain or acrylic materials, alone or in combination, according to case requirements; Articulates casts, adapts wax to die and carves patterns to proper anatomical contour and occlusion; Provides cutout space for veneer on facial surface where required, selects and adapts porcelain facings; Casts gold attachments and pieces and pontics; aligns and solder bridges; processes acrylic crowns and veneers; grinds and polish castings; avoiding loss of margin adaptation; Constructs fixed components of implants in gold, and/or porcelain; Constructs and fabricates bite raisers, cleft palate obturators, fracture splints, immediate dentures, surgical template, and orthodontic appliances; Orders and stocks laboratory supplies; Performs preventive maintenance on laboratory equipment; Follows manufacturers recommendations and Reusable Medical Equipment (RME), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regarding Dental equipment (critical, semi critical, non-critical items). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one and a half years of graduate education (27 semester hours) (Transcript required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate level education beyond the first year (18 semester hours). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Thinking Applies Technology to Tasks Medicine and Dentistry Quality Assurance Technical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Physical activity requires bending, utilizing arms and the movement of hands and fingers in a very precise manual dexterity demands of dental technology. Lift 50#, visual acuity is also very important because of the exacting requirements of the work, especially in color discrimination. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.