How to Choose the Best Dental Lab to be Your Partner

In recent years, the popularity of orthodontic treatments has been rising at a steady pace. Out of all procedures, dental crowns, veneers, implants, and bridges are at the very top of the list of the most commonly performed dental cosmetic procedures.

Considering this growing trend in the dental industry, it is imperative for dental practices to deliver orthodontic products and services that would show satisfactory results. To do so, they need to partner up with a reputable dental laboratory that will benefit their business.

What to look for?

The respondents of a 2013 survey indicated that certain esthetic considerations and the dental lab’s specialty represent the two main factors they consider when choosing a laboratory to collaborate with. Still, there are several additional factors to be included before making a final decision.

Top quality and continually high delivery

The digital dental lab has to deliver products that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. To ensure the final result is satisfactory, it has to utilise materials with a proven reputation. At Oceanic Dental Lab, fabrication materials exceed European quality standards, and the equipment we use is compliant with ADA guidelines.

Additionally, the consistency in performance should be tracked as well, as 1 in 3 dentists decide to change the lab due to inconsistent quality and recurring technical issues. A full-service dental lab should deliver competitive turnaround times, without sacrificing the quality of the final outcome.

Technological advancement

The dental industry is advancing at a staggering rate, and a digital dental laboratory has to continually invest in top-class digital dental technology to keep up with market demands. Patients expect faster and more effective results which can be achieved with state-of-the-art digital equipment. The idea is to completely replace the traditional, less-effective and time-consuming techniques.  

In our lab, we have incorporated CAD/CAM technologies to allow us to deliver more precise results. Thus we deliver at greater accuracy and speed, and at the same time – at a lowered cost. Just some of the digital technologies our dental partners benefit from include digital radiography, TekScan, dental lasers, digital moulds and many more.  

Expertise

To operate the novel pieces of equipment that are entering the market, the digital dental laboratory needs to invest in the continual education of its staff. The theoretical and practical knowledge they obtain will greatly influence the outcome of every project they work on in the future, thus affecting the quality of patient care.

Healthy relationship

For the collaboration between the dental practice and the digital dental lab to yield great results, the relationship has to be built on transparency and honesty. While the highest level of quality is expected at all times, changing circumstances can affect the final execution and delivery of patient care. Slight infrequent setbacks can be tolerated, but to prevent the drop-off in quality from occurring in the future, dentists are advised to send constructive feedback. As a result, you will build a long-term partnership with the digital dental lab.

Ensure that the lab employs communicative and responsive staff ready to address your immediate requirements and answer any urgent questions.

Location

Since you will be collaborating with a dental lab on a daily basis to ship the products back and forth, its vicinity may seem paramount. However, by no means should you limit yourself to several dental labs in your area – although they might be located at a relatively great distance from your dental office, ensure they provide local and accessible services.

Oceanic Dental Lab is stationed across the continent, and our prompt courier service delivers our materials in all metro areas of Brisbane and Sydney, across Melbourne and Adelaide, all the way to Perth.

The bottom line

It all boils down to selecting several prospect digital dental laboratories to get in touch with. For a successful, long-term cooperation, a dental practice needs to communicate their priorities and expectations in advance.