Top 5 Requirements to Expect When Seeking a Quality-Oriented Dental Lab

Although there are many dental laboratories in the U.S., not all can deliver the quality that many patients today would expect from their dentist. The dental lab that dental professionals choose may impact their business and quality of care they provide. Due to patients high expectations, it’s important to find a quality-oriented lab that can fabricate prosthetics with high esthetics and the proper mechanical properties needed for long-lasting restorations.

Finding a dental lab that cares about the quality they provide is essential for your practice to thrive and succeed throughout the years. Listed here are the top 5 requirements you and your dental team should anticipate when choosing a quality-oriented dental laboratory.

1.    Use genuine manufacturer parts and hardware for implant restorations

Using genuine implant manufacturing parts is important for the long-term success of implant restorations. The number of imitative implant manufacturers has increased greatly in recent years, and while some may make decent parts, others compromise quality for cheap, low-quality alternatives. According to Steve Pigliacelli, CDT, “It is not uncommon for labs to use plastic imitation components and pass them off as genuine…you must question how a lab can offer any implant restoration at such a low cost”. This can be a “serious offense,” he goes on to explain, “if you ask for a genuine Nobel Biocare™ bridge and the lab uses a knockoff.” Not only is this unethical but the manufacturer’s warranty is voided and if the implant fails, then the surgeon or periodontist will be responsible for replacing the implant.

Furthermore, using genuine implant components—screw, abutment and implant—from the same manufacturer minimizes complications such as implant or restoration fracture, screw loosening and fracturing; as well as minimizing biological complications such as bone loss or bacteria penetration. Pigliacelli recommends if you want to save money on parts, “get your own account, buy your own parts, and supply them to the lab to use.”

2.    Use ADA-approved materials for their dental lab products

It is recommended to be sure the dental materials that your lab uses are manufactured by reputable companies and are ADA-Approved¹. The American Dental Association’s Approved products go through a stringent, scientific-based investigation that assesses the manufacturing standards that assure purity and uniformity in dental materials. Not only is using dental materials that are manufactured by reputable companies better for the oral health of the patient, but it is also a more ethical decision that you would expect from a quality-oriented dental lab. Some labs will pass off cheaper alternative materials for brand name ones. To ensure your getting quality ADA-approved materials, request manufacturer information from your lab. This is important to fabricating quality restorations that will give your patient the longevity and proper mechanical properties that they expect from your dental expertise.

3.    Provides reliable technical advising services

Technical Advising is one the most important services a dental lab should excel at. “Prosthodontics is a discipline that requires a synergy between the dentist and dental technician in order to fabricate intraoral prostheses with acceptable fit, function and aesthetics,” reported by Berry et al.. This “synergy” requires collaborative teamwork between the lab’s technical advisor and the restorative dentist to achieve the best outcome for restoring the patient’s oral health. Whether it be planning a case, dealing with a challenging patient, working with new materials, developing a digital workflow, or implementing CAD/CAM technologies within their practice—the clinician should be able to rely on their dental laboratory for knowledgeable solutions.

One of the more important aspects of technical advising is supporting the clinician with complex cases—relying on them for the right shades and knowledge of subtle nuances, teeth position, materials and restorative options. From treatment planning to placement of the prosthetic, reliable technical advising and collaborative teamwork between both parties achieves a better outcome for the patient. Some quality-oriented labs will send their CDT implant specialists to aid in surgery, further minimizing complications and showing the patient that the dentist has a team to create the smile that’s customized just for them.

4.    Lab should not send dental work offshore, use “gray-market” or counterfeit products

Outsourcing dental work to a foreign lab runs the risk of substandard quality and little (if any) governmental regulation of material safety and of the manufacturing processes. Some domestic labs will outsource their dental work to foreign labs and pass it off as their own, compromising the quality you would want from a domestic dental lab.

Dental material manufacturers sell their dental products either directly to the laboratory or through their authorized distributors. When the lab purchases products from a specific distributor, the source must be authorized by the manufacturer or they will run the risk of receiving gray-market and counterfeit products that may be passed down to you.

According to Dr. Christensen, gray-market products “include branded goods intended by the brand owner for one national market that instead are diverted and resold by unauthorized distributors to another market.” Counterfeit products pass off fake materials under a legitimate brand name. The main concerns for “gray-market” and counterfeit dental products are they may not comply with FDA regulation requirements, the quality and material safety may be compromised, and a false negative brand perception among clinicians³. Ordering only from “known, authorized retailers will ensure that the products are legitimate and from respected manufacturers”³. Therefore, when choosing a lab you can trust be sure to ask the lab where they purchase their products and if their vender is an authorized distributor.

5.    Lab facility should be clean, equipped with the latest dental technologies and dental materials

CAD/CAM technology has transformed and revolutionized the way dental laboratories design and manufacture restorations. CAD/CAM technology has streamlined the lab’s workflow, increasing productivity and predictability within their fabrication processes. The dental lab you choose should not only be up to clinical standards, but they also should be up-to-date with the latest dental technologies and materials to provide you with the best quality available on the market. As well as to stay competitive with other dental labs and industry pricing. 

Pigliacelli recommends taking a tour of the your prospective lab—meeting the lab owner, quality control manager, and technical advisors. He questions, “Is it clean?…Why would you accept a dirty, pumice-covered, disheveled mess of a dental lab instead of a professional-looking establishment?…Are the work desks neat?…Do the technicians take care of the equipment and respect their tools?” When a lab is well-organized and clean, its shows the company commits to high standards and holds their employees to those same standards.

To put briefly, it’s imperative to find a dental lab that you can trust because you as the dentist is reliant on your dental lab to consistently provide your patients with the best dental lab products available on the market. Quite often the patient sees a failed restoration as the clinician’s mistake and rarely blames the dental lab; so when clinicians choose a low-quality or offshore dental lab they run the risk of unhappy patients.

Dental professionals need to have strict requirements when choosing the best dental lab to fabricate their patients’ restorations. The lab’s mission should align with your mission: find the best solution for restoring the patient’s oral health.

About the company

Since 1991, Iverson Dental laboratories has provided their clinicians with high quality dental lab products and excellent dental lab services to ensure their clinicians’ patients are completely satisfied with their customized restoration. Iverson dental labs strives to be a great dental resource for dentists by offering training on digital dentistry and new dental implant techniques at their high-tech operatory and training facility. Iverson dental labs strongly believes in using high-quality certified materials and authentic manufacturing components to fabricate their dental restorations. Iverson also has a knowledgeable team of certified dental technicians because clinical evidence has shown adequate skills of the technician are important for the long-term success of a restoration.

Sources:

1. Pigliacelli, S. (n.d.). Top 5 questions you should ask a dental lab before you send them a case. Retrieved January 12, 2016, from http://www.perioimplantadvisory.com/articles/2011/4/top-5-questions-you-should-ask-a-dental-lab-before-you-send-them-a-case.html

2. Berry, J., Nesbit, M., Saberi, S., & Petridis, H. (2014). Communication methods and production techniques in fixed prosthesis fabrication: A UK based survey. Part 1: Communication methods. BDJ Br Dent J.

3. Christensen, G. J. (2010). Are You Using “Gray-Market” or Counterfeit Dental Products? The Journal of the American Dental Association, 141(6), 712-715.