Dental Lab Technician

Summary

The Dental Laboratory is an experienced technician. By applying an in-Depth knowledge of a full range of Dental Laboratory Services and Functions, and exhibiting the seasoned judgement normally expected by this journeyman specialist, he/she performs the following lab functions of that involve normal situations in the mouth.

Duties

• Waxes, invests, boils out, cures and deflasks acrylic bases for partial and complete dentures. Blocks out master casts, waxes complete dentures for try-in, according to dentist prescription, for checking final tooth arrangement appearance and speech function in the patients mouth by the prescribing dentist. Shapes wax to contours desired in the final dentures, and to the thickness required to maintain facial contours, insure comfort and provide proper fit. This includes presenting a finished Maxillary denture with a nearly uniform thickness of 2.5mm. Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues. Removes excess wax, smoothes and polishes surfaces, exercising extreme care at all stages of bbricat1on not to disturb the position of the artificial teeth. Through knowledge of dental laboratory materials, and skill in their use. Them must be able to use laboratory tools and equipment such as dental laboratory drills and lathes and surveying instruments with skill and precision. Reproduces dentures with high degree of precision and accuracy; carefully recording the relationship of teeth and ridge; removing the teeth from the dentures, repositioning and waxing teeth for processing. Removes excess acrylic from dentures, grinds and selects methods to simulate contours of natural tissue. Polish denture carefully to remove all scratches. Preserve anatomical borders developed by the dentist by skillfully applying specialized tools to the denture in finishing. Knowledge of instruments. materials, and standardized dental procedures used in the fabrication of fixed and removable implants retained dentures and crowns. Familiar with the process and procedures in modern digital laboratory techniques such as, but not limited to, digital impressions, cad/cam milling, digital designs for stents, frameworks, and crowns. Works with higher level laboratory technicians for cases involving acute abnormalities of the mouth and in the design and fabrication of dental splints or obturators. Manage and utilize dental laboratory database for data tracking of workload and case input/out. Maintains records of workload for various reporting purposes in a timely and accurate manner. Perform additional administrative duties and clerical assignment by the Chief of Dental services. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Dental Lab Technician/PD06324A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/24/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement-SF-50 Submitted: 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. For a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7 For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-8. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). 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. To meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS-7 grade level, you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: Ability to utilize digital dentistry and be familiar with the process and procedures in the modern digital laboratory techniques. Ability to provide advices in the design and unique prostheses for the best outcomes. Ability to design and construct teaching models of different prosthetic appliances Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues. Removes excess wax, smooths and polishes surfaces, exercising extreme care at all stages of bbricat1on not to disturb the position of the artificial teeth. OR GRADUATE EDUCATION: Successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR COMBINATION: Possess equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. To meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS-8 grade level, you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: Blocks out master casts, waxes complete dentures for try-in, according to dentist prescription, for checking final tooth arrangement appearance and speech function in the patients mouth by the prescribing dentist. Shapes wax to contours desired in the final dentures, and to the thickness required to maintain facial contours, insure comfort and provide proper fit. This includes presenting a finished Maxillary denture with a nearly uniform thickness of 2.5mm. Carves and contours wax to duplicate the appearance of natural oral tissues. Removes excess wax, smooths and polishes surfaces, exercising extreme care at all stages of bbricat1on not to disturb the position of the artificial teeth. OR GRADUATE EDUCATION: Successfully completed 2 full years of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR COMBINATION: Possess equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. To meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-6 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: Construct wrought wire buccal arm clasps to reduce tension on teeth and prolong their life. Reproduces dentures with high degree of precision and accuracy. Fabricates crown, inlays and fixed partial dentures from gold alloys, porcelain or acrylic materials, alone or in combination, according to the requirements of the case. Selects appropriate porcelain or acrylic facings of proper shade, size and shape. Articulates casts, adapts wax to die and carve pattern to proper anatomical contour and occlusion. Work closely with oral surgeons, prosthodontists, and other dental, medical, and laboratory specialists in the design and fabrication of intraoral maxillofacial appliances and restorations. OR GRADUATE EDUCATION-Documentation Submitted: Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a degree that is directly related to the work of the Dental Laboratory Technician position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR COMBINATION: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an appropriate combination of specialized experience and education. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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: The work is mostly sedentary with occasional standing and lifting of up to 50 pounds. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13028919. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/24/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.