Help Wanted In-house removable technician in WA state

[Jon the denture dentist]

We are looking for a removable technician for our well established practice. We keep a steady pace and have an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. We currently process our dentures using the Ivocap system or traditional press pack depending on the case. We do not have any outside accounts and I am told that I am easy to work with . Our current technician had to move out of state to take care of an ill family member but says he would love to talk to anybody interested in the position to let them know what the job entails and what the working conditions are like. We offer a competitive wage, medical benefits, paid holidays and a bonus program.

Our practice is located in Wenatchee Washington. We enjoy four seasons and are surrounded by rivers, mountains and lakes. If you are interested in the position or know of someone that is please let me know. I appreciate it!

 

[Affinity]

Best of luck, shouldnt be too hard, people are leaving Seattle like water off a shaking dog.

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

Best of luck, shouldnt be too hard, people are leaving Seattle like water off a shaking dog.

Thanks, just trying to spread the word. Any suggestions on how to go about advertising the position? I have it listed on Indeed.com, craigslist, LMT, and this message board. It has actually been slim pickings as of late, so I appreciate any recommendations.

 

[Affinity]

Well I was being positive in saying it shouldnt be hard.. It might be difficult to find someone well versed in running an entire lab.. @kcdt was looking for something new possibly..

If I were you I would see if the trade school in portland would let you post a classified ad.
http://catalog.pcc.edu/programsanddisciplines/dentallaboratorytechnology/

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

Thanks for your help!

It really has become difficult to find experienced denture technicians. We have a great practice and a great team, we're just looking for the right teammate. Quality removables are becoming a lost art and we hope to find someone to help keep the quality alive by sharing their wisdom and experience. I hope that if someone is considering a transition that they'll at least give us a call and see what we have to offer.

Thanks again

 

[grantoz]

the secret is to pay them a lot of money and be really really nice to them. and tell all you your colleges if they keep screwing all the techs down to the last dollar and then send overseas to get it even cheeper they will have no one to do their work just like your experiencing. its great that you are doing the right thing and i really respect that but unfortunately this isnt happening enough and your suffering the consequences which is a shame. good luck with finding the right guy for you.

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

Thanks for the feedback. Our practice is fairly small, we have grown to a total of 6 employees. As a small business owner, I have tried to be fair. I am sure many on this thread can relate to the stresses of running a small business these days. In WA state the minimum wage is about $11 an hour and will be going up a dollar an hour for the next four years or so. So even the more basic, entry level jobs in our practice cost a bit more. With our last two technicians we paid them $37 an hour, plus bonuses, paid holidays, paid vacation days and covered 75% of their health insurance premium. I know that it may be less than what many of you are making or wanting but for our situation it is what we considered fair given the type of practice. We can't throw around the benefits and wages that some of the bigger corporate denture factories do but we try to stay competitive and offer a better working environment.

I am just throwing this out there to see what your opinions are on what's fair and what's a low ball offer. I do not want to disrespect or offend any of you. I do appreciate your knowledge and expertise, as I mentioned before it is becoming more and more difficult to find what you have to offer.

Our practice cannot thrive on sending our lab work overseas. We are unique in that we work side by side with the artist that is making the prosthesis and patients appreciate that.

Thanks for your feedback! Fire away!

 

[grantoz]

so you are loosing staff to better paid jobs really that tells you the problem also techos find it hard when they have the dentist and staff constantly hovering with is it done yet ,here is another one we have to have it now as they are going overseas approach nurses can be half your problem in this type of set up as they quite often overstep the line of whats their job .they do it on the phone all the time so having them next to you is hard.

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

Actually we haven't lost anyone to a better paying job, in fact the last tech took a pay cut to join our team. The previous tech retired and the one that left recently moved out of state to take care of a terminally ill family member. On his way out he was emotional and said that he wouldn't be able to find another set up/situation like this one. I know that there are pros and cons of working in an in house lab but people hovering over your shoulder is not a problem for our practice. The techs tell the front desk what they need for time and we communicate well if there are any changes on either end of the process. I don't want to paint a picture of all rainbows and butterflies but we have worked hard to make it a great low stress place to work while staying busy and productive. The last two techs have gladly offered to talk to anyone interested in our position to give their side of the story with regards to the information that I have shared.

Like anything, our position is not perfect but its a great healthy place to work.

Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts

 

[grantoz]

jon dont get pissed at my comments remember you are not the only dentist that reads this site and thread .im making certain points for all to view and think about your not the 1st on this site to ask these kind of questions we have had the very respectful like yourself to the complete opposite virtually calling us clowns and monkeys.also remember we are not at your surgery so we dont know how things really work there, so we ask a few hard questions and give a bit of lip if you stay we know your are a goodin. so far your doing fine.

 

[Juko]

Just go digital and have your assistant do the work.

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

Haha, I really believe that technology has revolutionized dentistry but I don't believe that a computer will ever replicate what a great tech can do. I do think that it can replicate subpar work but not the real deal. A couple years ago we participated in the Beta test for a digital denture company, I was not impressed. I did like the concept of their impression trays but the dentures looked weird, were over extended and had a weird filmy slime to them that I was told would prevent staining.

I re-read my post from earlier, it may have come across as me being pissed about a comment, that's the difficulty in conveying an opinion via text, words can be taken out of context. I feel quite the opposite about this forum, I feel lucky to have found a resource like this. I like to get on Dentaltown and troubleshoot things but there are only a few techs that speak up there, so you guys are awesome for letting me chime in.

I am currently hosting a working interview for a young tech (24),he has no formal training, learned looking over his dad's shoulder and then on the job in a commercial lab. I have seen a major difference in his ability to troubleshoot the "not so routine" cases. I think that is whats becoming more difficult to find, the tech that performs well on 95-99% of the cases not just the 60-75% of cases that are routine. (I made up those numbers) What do you think has happened? Is it opportunities for dental tech education, quality of education, length of education, lack of respect for removable in general from the industry? In either case, what you guys do needs to be shared so that those dental cripples out there don't have to settle for digital dentures and subpar work. Subpar is quickly becoming the norm, unfortunately, and we're trying to find someone for our practice to help us fight the norm.

Thanks guys and gals

 

[wwcanoer]

I graduated from a 2 year accredited Dental Tech school way long ago (1975) that also required an AA degree. I went back to visit about 4 years ago, and it was down to a 1 school yr program no AA degree, and is now no longer offered. From then to now, I believe 2/3 of the schools are shut down.

I feel there are two issues with graduates: a) you graduate with the very basics and theory, b) entry level wages are/were terrible. It takes a few years, I would say at least 5 yrs, to become able to master one phase decently and even then most labs are set up so that a tech only does one part, not start to finish. Then finally, hopefully, start earning something one can live on. (I was in-house for 34 yrs, and an average of 6 wks of paid vacation & 4 day work week kept me there)

Denture work isn't "glamorous", so little interest to go that route, and the "big" money isn't there either.

Too much is going Cad/Cam IMO. I think us old folk got into this work cause we liked creating something with our hands which isn't the same. And making teeth is dirty work. But dang did I love polishing gold!

Good luck, I hope you find someone as from what you've share with us, you really care about providing a quality service for your patients.

C

 

[Wade Bognuda]

the secret is to pay them a lot of money and be really really nice to them


Ya think??? That's the part most employers don't seem to grasp. That's why the removable tech artisan's are self employed. They make way more money than working for wages and NO drama, lies etc.

 

[Wade Bognuda]

Why is it a master ceramist can make 100K plus yet a comparable removable tech MAY make 50K or so and even that is a stretch? Yet there is a shortage of removable techs? I became a removable tech in 1982 because I was told there is a shortage and a huge demand for removable techs. I wonder why?

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

the secret is to pay them a lot of money and be really really nice to them


Ya think??? That's the part most employers don't seem to grasp. That's why the removable tech artisan's are self employed. They make way more money than working for wages and NO drama, lies etc.


I totally get that but from my short experience in the field a lot of your would be accounts are more concerned with the lab bill than the quality of the product. Before I owned my own practice, as an associate we would send our stuff out to Glidewell and other big labs, they would deduct our lab bills from our checks so I did not complain about using a cheaper lab.

It wasn’t until I owned the practice and was working with removables on a daily basis that I really grew to appreciate the fact that quality work makes my life easier and ultimately it makes my patient’s life better. We are looking for the technician that may be tired of the game of trying to keep multiple accounts happy and run a business. Someone that wants to leave the rat race and settle in with our team and produce high quality product on someone else’s dime.

 

[grantoz]

the other thing jon you could do is get a young techo and train them ,send them to courses drag them into the surgery bit of pain at the begining big reward at the end. i have suggested this a couple of times with know success but thats what i do when i need a skill that we dont have in the lab i train people create jobs!

 

[CatamountRob]

Why is it a master ceramist can make 100K plus yet a comparable removable tech MAY make 50K or so and even that is a stretch? Yet there is a shortage of removable techs? I became a removable tech in 1982 because I was told there is a shortage and a huge demand for removable techs. I wonder why?

Because the master ceramist is worth twice as much?
Just taking a shot I the dark here...

 

[Jon the denture dentist]

We have one younger guy that trained under our previous tech for about four years before she retired. He does a great job but has also gone on to become a licensed denturist so we are trying to have him working with patients more which takes him away from the lab.

We also want somebody that has seen most everything before. I agree courses help but they can’t replace a wealth of knowledge to pull from when things start to go wrong.

Do you have any good recommendations for removable continuing ed? Does anyone offer an over the shoulder kind of set up in their lab?
As a side note, we will fly any seriously interested technicians out to Wenatchee for a working interview. I will cover the hotel and give you something for your time as well. So if anyone is seriously considering a change or if you know of anyone considering a change please let me know.

Thanks

 

[capickettcdt]

Jumping in here! I've known Dr. Jon for several years (since he was a 1st year). He's one of the Best. A lot of us worry about the future of Dentistry with what is coming out of School, but his philosophy is sound, his practice is placed well and his ethics are solid not only in his practice but in his personal life. If you are looking for that next spot, don't pass this one up.