Dental Mechanics Career Guide: Courses, Syllabus, Admission, Training fee, Salary and Scope

admin July 23, 2020July 23, 2020 0 Comments

You must have visited a Dentist in your life, but have you ever heard of Dental mechanic or Dental technician.

Many of us are unaware of the job and role of Dental mechanics. That is why this career option, although being a good one, remains in the shadows. The truth is a Dentist is dependent on a Dental mechanic for his work to be run smoothly.

Have you ever wondered where do braces and artificial pairs of teeth come from? How are these designed and manufactured?

It is the work of a Dental mechanic to design and develop dental structures. They also assist surgeons and dentists as assistants. They always work behind the curtain, but it is a good career option for a science student to pursue a course in this field.

That is why we have collected all the information regarding Dental mechanics courses, top colleges, fees, syllabus, and job prospects in one place. This will help you to decide in the right direction by clearing all your doubts.

Stay tuned with the rest of the article for the admission process and eligibility of a course in Dental Mechanics.

Table of Contents

What is Dental mechanics?

Dental mechanics are also called as Dental technologist. They are responsible to design safe and comfortable dental structures like braces, artificial pairs of teeth, bridges, crowns, and other dentures. They also give a helping hand to the Dental surgeon in surgeries. Dentists are dependent on Dental mechanic to provide them with better dentures so that patients can have quality dentures which are both comfortable and safe to use.

The job role of a Dental mechanic is more on the technological part of the Dentistry field.

The specialized areas of Dental mechanic are as follows:

Fixed prosthesis – construction of crowns, bridges, and implants
Removable prosthesis – it consists of dentures and removable partial dentures
Orthodontics and auxiliaries – includes orthodontic appliances and mouth guards.

Having talked about Dental mechanics in general, let’s now see the courses one has to enroll in order to become a Dental mechanic.

Skills required to be a Dental Mechanic

Manual Dexterity – it simply means that while working as a Dental mechanic, one has to be very cautious of his hands. You need to keep them steady for long hours while designing Dentures.
One has to be very focused while working as a minor mistake can lead to significant failures. Also, you have to pay attention to every small detail of the dentures. If you lose focus even for a minute, then all your long hours of hard work may go in vain.
One should have excellent time management skills to complete given tasks in time efficiently.
You should be able to find problems with solutions that you may encounter while designing Dentures. Aspirants are expected to have critical thinking abilities.
Listening skills are required as well because you need to listen carefully to understand work details.

While working as a Dental mechanic, one must have some interpersonal skills to succeed as a professional Dental mechanic. The skills are:

One should have strong communication and organization skills.
He should be able to follow up with the customer.
He/she should be ready to carry out physical work, too, in case of emergencies and surgery.
You should have outstanding customer service etiquette skills.
He should be able to handle customers on the telephone with proper manners.
A hardworking professional is always respected in this field.
You must have a work ethic to follow.
You should always be motivated to work better.
You should conduct your duties with full responsibility as a professional.

Dental Mechanics Courses

There are doubts as to how to become a Dental Mechanic. The first thing is to obtain a degree in Dental technology from a recognized college or university. Only then can one take up a job as a Dental mechanic in a dental firm.

There are various courses like Diploma programs, certificate courses, and Bachelors courses in Dental mechanics. For the best job possibilities, it is always recommended to go for a Bachelors degree. This is because it is a more detailed course which will elaborately teach you about Dental technology. Also, after passing, you get a Graduation degree in Dental mechanics, which is a great advantage to your career.

Diploma and certificate courses in Dental mechanics

The time period of the course is 6 months to 1 year. One can take admission after passing class 10th. For a certificate course class, 12th passing certificate is necessary. The programs are:

Diploma in Dental Mechanics
Certificate course in Dental technology

Bachelors course in Dental Mechanics

It is an undergraduate course in dental mechanics. The duration of the course is 3 years. Students are trained on both practical and theoretical grounds of dentistry. To be eligible to apply for a bachelor’s course, one must have a class 12th passing certificate from a recognized board or university. The program under this category is:

B.D.Tech – Bachelor of Dental technology

Masters course in Dental Mechanics

Masters course is a more kind of specialized program in Dental technology. It is for a duration of 2 years. Only those aspirants who have a Graduation degree in Dental mechanics or a similar course can attend the Master’s program.

M.D.Tech – Masters of Dental Technology

What are the eligibility criteria for admission to a course in Dental Mechanics?

The essential eligibility criteria for Dental Mechanic are the same throughout India, but it may differ in some cases. The common eligibility criteria for admission to Dental mechanic courses are:

One should have a passing certificate of class 12th and class 10th from a recognized university or board.
One has to be from a science background. Biology must be one of the main subjects in class 12th and class 10th eligibility.
Students who want to apply for Diploma courses can take admission after class 10th. In this case, they must possess a passing certificate of class 10th from a recognized board or university.
There is no provision of entrance test for Diploma and Certificate courses.
For certificate course, one has to qualify class 12th from a recognized board or university.
For admission to B.D.Tech and M.D.Tech in Dental Mechanics programs, one must qualify the national level entrance examination. Colleges take admission based on marks scored in the entrance examination.
To get access to one of India’s top colleges, you must score a good percentage in the entrance test. Only then can you get your name on the merit list.

Admission Process

Admission to courses in dental mechanics is based on the marks of the entrance exam or marks scored in class 10th and 12th. To guide you better with the process of admission procedure and online form submission, we have explained the complete process step by step. Follow the points below to avoid any problems during admission to the course.

The marks of class 10th are significant for admission in Diploma courses in Dental mechanics. There is no entrance test for Diploma courses. The merit list in the top colleges is made based on the marks scored in the class 10th.
Certificate courses are also open to all and don’t require any entrance test or interview.
The admission to Bachelors’s courses in this field requires one to pass the entrance examination. Some universities or colleges take their entrance test for admission.
One needs to qualify the cut off set by colleges to be eligible for admission.
You should always apply to the colleges through their official website. Applying to colleges from other unauthorized websites could lead to fraud.
Colleges update prospectus and release admission forms online every year on their college website.
Before applying to the course, you should first read the prospectus for admission charges, course fees, and syllabus.
Click the online admission form submission link.
Fill all the details correctly and submit documents if asked any.
In the case of the entrance exam, the exam centre is asked while filling the form. So decide on it according to your convenience.
You will be directed to pay the registration fee online.
The registration charges can be paid online through Net banking or other online payment methods.
Once the payment is completed and form is submitted successfully, you will get confirmation with the admission number on your registered mobile and e-mail.
Get the print of the submitted form and registration fee payment receipt for future reference.
In the case of the entrance examination, the dates regarding admit card, entrance test, and cut off are all notified on the respective website.
You need to download the admit card in the stipulated time given to appear in the entrance test.
Cut off marks are also released on the official college website.

Only those students who score highest marks make it to the final merit list of the college.

Dental Mechanics Course Fee

The fee for the course in Dental Mechanics in India is around Rs. 1,00,000 to Rs. 12,00,000 for entire course. However, the fee also includes other charges like Hostel, mess, semester exam, and admission fee. You should always confirm the detailed charges with the respective college or university.

Syllabus

In the course of dental mechanics, students are trained not only in the basics of dental technology but also given practical experience in the laboratories.

Some of the subjects taught during the course are:

Applied Anatomy and Histology
Dental Public Health
Applied Anatomy
General Epidemiology
Epidemiology of Oral Diseases and Conditions
Applied General and Oral Physiology and Biochemistry
Public Health Practice and Administration System in India
Applied Pathology
Public Health Education
Payment for Dental care
Microbiology
Ethics and Jurisprudence
Evaluation of Quality of Dental Care
Oral Pathology
Nutrition in Public Health
Preventive Dentistry
Oral Histology
Behavioural Sciences
Practice Management
Physical and Social Anthropology
Health Care Delivery System
Planning and Evaluation
Applied Pharmacology
Research Methodology and Biostatistics
Forensic medicine and Pathology

Best Colleges for Dental Mechanics

Government Dental College & Hospital, Mumbai.
Government Dental College, Bangalore.
Government Dental College, Thiruvananthapuram.
Dr Ahmed Dental College & Hospital, Kolkata.
Punjab Government Dental College & Hospital, Amritsar.
SCB Medical College, Dental Wing, Odisha.
Dental College, Kozhikode.
Government Dental College & Hospital, Ahmedabad.

Job profiles

After completing the course, one can get hired as Dental mechanic in the following sectors:

Public health.
Dental hospitals
Armed forces.
Clinics.
Dental Ceramic agencies.

Dental Mechanics Salary in India

As a Dental mechanic, the average salary in India lies in the range of Rs. 4,00,000 to Rs. 20,00,000 per annum.

Pros of Dental Mechanic

As a Dental mechanic, you have the opportunity to help people through your work.
It is a very creative job which is good for people who are creative.
Although as a Dental mechanic you are mostly involved in designing dentures but one also gets the chance to assist dentists.
After gaining much experience in the field one can open their own Dental firm as well.
There is not much competition in this field.

Cons of Dental mechanic

It is expected that the job of Dental mechanic will see a downfall of 3% in the coming years.
One can expect a low salary at the starting of his career as a Dental mechanic.
It is a very tiring job as you have to work tirelessly standing wearing all kinds of protective gears.

If you are from the Biology background, then a career in Dental mechanics can become an excellent opportunity for the future. It is a treasure hidden behind the scenes of the Dental world.