A Look Inside Ten Home-Based Laboratories: 'I've Really Got It Made'

Michael LaRocque

Started out by graduating from US Navy's Dental technician class "A" school which was a 16 week school that taught dental assisting, dental hygiene first aid and xrays. My first two jobs in labs I got...See more fired. First as a driver in 1970 I had my license revoked and could no longer drive and second, while attending a community college to get a 2 year degree in lab technology I was working in a local lab part time. One day I told a fellow employee that I wanted to own my own lab. The owners overheard me and the next day I got fired. Kind of discouraging to say the least. I got back into lab work in the summer of 1976 working the plaster bench at a C&B lab for minimum wage. When the owner said he needed help in his one man denture dept. I said sure thing and I have been making dentures ever since. I worked at several labs in Northern Va. and in the Shenandoah Valley before buying out an existing lab in Warrenton, Va. in 1981.In 1989 I decided to move the operation home and have been here since then. Probably the best move ever. It is nice to be able to walk downstairs to go to work. I'll probably never retire but then what would I do with myself.