Find the Best Dental Lab to Provide High Quality and Safe Dental Lab Products

Although there are thousands of foreign and U.S. dental laboratories not all of them provide their dentists with high quality dental lab products and services. The infamous dental case, reported by the NADL, concerning an Ohio Woman in 2008 that after a chemical analysis of her 3-unit dental bridge found “unsafe levels of lead in the porcelain on the restoration” made from China is all to well known in the dental community, but still concerns many dental professionals today. The materials being used and quality of dental restorations from foreign and U.S. dental laboratories is still a major concern for the dental lab industry, dental professionals, and their patients. 

Provided in this article is a brief overview of the concerns that the dental community and the United States Government have with low quality, and potentially unsafe imported and domestic dental lab products. Discussed next are considerations when choosing a dental laboratory, so new and experienced dentists can ensure their dental practice is an ongoing success and ultimately provide the best dental health care services to their patients.

Imported dental restorations (and those fabricated domestically) are medical devices that must meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements. Foreign laboratories, like U.S. Laboratories, are required to register their establishment, list medical devices, report medical device defects, and manufacturing in accordance with the quality system regulations. Although foreign and domestic dental labs are required to comply with these regulations, the FDA cannot regulate the contents of all imported and domestic dental lab products for assured safety. The FDA told NADL back in 2007, that it was concerned with safety management of the “increase in dental restorations coming in from foreign dental laboratories” and, more recently, the FDA revealed an all-time high of 38% of dental restorations being imported from foreign labs.

U.S. States including Texas, Missouri, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Minnesota and Oklahoma are the only states that require some existing administrative or governmental laws regulating dental laboratories and/or technicians. Only 10 states require some regulations: material and point of origin disclosure, lab registration, at least one CDT for each lab or continuing education certification. Having only 10 out of 50 states that require regulations of dental labs and products, such as certification and material origin disclosure, is alarming when the public’s health is at risk. It should be a right for a patient to know what is being sold to them and where it is coming from, especially when it comes to medical devices that must be biocompatible with the oral cavity.

Infection control and material safety in dental lab products are the main concerns when dental labs can go unregulated without the requirement of a license and/or certified dental technicians. In one such case in Springfield, Ohio, a man arrested over unrelated incidents at his home, police found an unsanitary dental lab in his basement. The “basement lab” was broadcasted by a local news station in Ohio, Local 12 News, and the man responsible for the alarmingly unsanitary dental lab told the news station that he learn dental work while he was in prison, taking a one year certificate course. In order to be a certified dental lab technician, a lab technician must have 5 years of experience along with certified courses; however, there are no laws in Ohio that required a dental lab and/or dental technician to be certified. Therefore the reported “basement lab” in Ohio, even though unacceptable, was not illegal because of the lack of laws and regulations. In over 40 states in the U.S., anyone can operate a “dental laboratory” without a required license.

The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) and American Dental Association (ADA) have supported material disclosure to dentists and their patients. They also support stricter FDA regulations for dental labs and dental products for all 50 states, not just for only 10 states.

In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Government officials collaborated with the National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) to address concerns about the regulation of imported dental lab products and the lack of FDA regulation for U.S. dental labs. FDA’s representatives told “NADL that there was concern about the government’s ability to adequately track the material safety of import dental restorations being used by U.S. consumers.” So the NADL concluded they would develop a framework of “best practices and guidelines for the dental laboratory industry” to help the FDA improve import safety for dental restorations to ultimately protect the dental health of U.S. dental patients. Since then very little has been done on the legislative side of all 50 states to improve regulation of dental products and labs, hence currently only 10 states are minimally regulated.

In a 2008 ADA member survey, 45% of their dental patients requested material content information for a dental restoration or inquired about the materials that may comprise a restoration. Surprisingly, a 2009 ADA member survey showed that 65% of dentists believed that dental labs and technicians in their state are licensed. 

"Such common-sense regulations are critical because in many cases, the dental technician--not the prescribing dentist--makes the selection of dental materials that will be used for a particular patient's restoration," said Bennett Napier, CAE co-executive director of the National Association of Dental Laboratories. "Without having some requirement for the person or manufacturer creating the device to have the appropriate knowledge and training, the issue of material selection and/or safety is left to chance."

The bottom line is dentist’s need to be able to reassure their patients of the type of documentation they can provide about the origins of their dental restorations and what type of quality they are paying for. Furthermore, dental practices and dental patients need to be aware and educated about the differences and opportunities available when choosing dental restorations from a foreign or domestic dental lab.

Low quality, or ill-fitted dental lab products can make your patient unsatisfied and bring the quality of services you provide to a damaging level, giving your patient a reason to find another dentist. When this happens the dentist is usually to blame by the patient so it’s imperative to know what level of quality you are getting to prevent any dissatisfaction. Dentists need to make decisions not based solely on price but also on quality, customer service, accessibility, remakes, and effective communication.

When choosing the best dental lab for quality dental lab products, consider these tips to make the success of your dental practice and the public’s health a top priority:

·         Do they use certified materials and implant components?

·         What are the material origins used to make the restoration?

·         What are the origins of the restorations?

·         Do they outsource any of their dental work to foreign labs?

·         If they outsource to foreign labs, make sure you are provided with the FDA registration number and compliant with ANSI and ISO standards.

·         Are they a certified dental lab (CDL)?

·         Do they employ at least one certified dental technician (CDT)?

·         Physically visit and inspect the dental lab on a regular basis.

·         Build a relationship with your dental lab to ensure effective communication.

About the company

Iverson Dental Laboratories is a cutting edge dental lab that utilizes advances in dental technology and procedures to fabricate high quality dental lab products and excellent dental lab services. As a certified dental laboratory, they specialize in all-ceramic restorations, dental implants, cosmetic and digital dentistry. They strongly believe in using certified materials and authentic manufacturing components to fabricate all their restorations. They proudly make 100% of their dental products in-house at their Southern California lab, allowing them to have one of the fastest turnaround rates in the industry. They also pride themselves on having the lowest remake and adjustment rate in the industry at 2.6%.

To inquire more about quality dental lab products and services, please visit http://www.iversondental-labs.com.

What to look for in a dental lab to ensure quality are also discussed to help new and experienced dentists ensure their dental practice is on going success and ultimately provide the best quality services to their patients.