What the role does
A CAD/CAM designer works in a dental laboratory, turning digital scans of a patient's teeth into files for crowns, bridges, veneers, night guards, dentures, and implant restorations. The work happens on a computer using design software paired with an intraoral scanner or a lab scanner that captures physical impressions. The designer checks margins, adjusts contacts and occlusion on screen, and sends finished files to a milling unit, 3D printer, or an outside milling center. Some labs also have the designer nest cases for milling, track case flow, or communicate back to the dentist's office about a scan that needs a redo. This is bench and screen work, not chairside work — the designer does not treat patients.
Ideal qualifications
Labs generally want someone who can read a prescription and translate it into a design that fits and functions, which means comfort with anatomy, occlusion, and material limits (zirconia, e.max, PMMA, and others each behave differently in the mill). Prior dental lab experience — wax-up, model work, or chairside assisting — helps even without direct CAD/CAM hours, because it builds the eye for margins and bite. Familiarity with common design software (exocad and 3Shape are the two most widely used platforms in U.S. labs) is a practical plus and something many job posts ask about directly. Attention to detail matters more than speed at first; speed comes with case volume.
Licensing and certification in Florida
CAD/CAM designer is not a licensed role in Florida. It sits in the dental laboratory side of the field, not the clinical side, so Chapter 466 of the Florida Statutes and the Board of Dentistry's rules in Chapter 64B5 — which govern dentists and dental hygienists — do not apply here, and neither do the expanded-functions rules that apply to some dental assistants. There is no state license or state certificate required to design dental restorations in a lab. Some designers hold a voluntary credential such as Certified Dental Technician (CDT) through the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology, which some employers prefer but Florida does not require.
Pay in the Miami metro
Pay varies; the posts below show current offers. Lab pay in South Florida depends heavily on case complexity, software platform, and whether the employer is a large commercial lab or a smaller in-house design shop, and there is no reliable published wage breakout specific to this design role for the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach metro.
Schedule and setting
Most CAD/CAM designer jobs run standard weekday shifts, roughly 8 to 10 hours, five days a week, inside a lab rather than a dental office. Labs that serve same-day crown practices sometimes run earlier or later shifts to hit same-day turnaround, and a smaller number of positions are remote or hybrid if the lab supports off-site design work over a secure file transfer. Overtime shows up around holiday rushes or when a lab takes on new accounts. The work is seated, indoor, and screen-heavy, with occasional trips to the mill or printer floor to check output.
Interview questions
- Which design software have you used, and how many years on each?
- Walk me through how you'd handle a scan with an open margin or a short prep.
- How do you check and adjust occlusion on a digital design before sending it to mill?
- What materials have you designed for, and what changes about your approach between them?
- How do you handle a case that comes back from the dentist for a remake?
- What's your average daily case count, and how do you prioritize a rush case?
Career path
Most designers start with hands-on lab work — pouring models, trimming, or wax-up — before moving into digital design, though some enter directly after a CAD/CAM-focused training program. From there, growth usually means handling more complex cases (implant-supported full arch, combination cases), training junior designers, or moving into a lab management or quality-control role. A smaller number move toward sales or technical support roles with a software or milling equipment vendor, using their design background to train dental offices on scanner and software use.
Where to train locally
Miami Dade College and Broward College both offer dental laboratory technology coursework that covers the fundamentals designers build on — model work, occlusion, and material science — though CAD/CAM software training specifically often comes through short vendor-led courses, on-the-job training at a lab, or continuing-education tracks rather than a full degree program. FIU and Nova Southeastern's dental programs are clinically focused but sometimes host or point toward lab-technology continuing education open to non-clinical staff. Checking current course listings directly with each school is the reliable way to confirm what's running this term.
Working through Miami Dentist
If you're hiring a CAD/CAM designer for a South Florida lab, post a job and reach candidates already searching this board. If you're looking for design work, search openings or go straight to a county page for Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach listings.