If you’ve ever needed a dental restoration like a crown, bridge, or denture or cosmetic dentistry solution like porcelain veneers, your dentist likely worked with a dental lab. Just like choosing a dentist and dentistry practice that makes you feel comfortable and delivers great care, your dentist has to work with the right dental lab to ensure patients receive quality treatments. The quality of the dental lab can profoundly impact your treatment results. Keep reading to find out more about the importance of the relationship between your dentist and their dental lab.
Why the Right Dental Lab Matters
You may think that all dental labs are the same. The same technicians with the same training using the same materials and charging the same prices. However, dental labs are just as different as dental practices can be. Most dentists use more than one dental lab, but if you ask your dentist, they will likely tell you there are some labs they don’t trust. A few of the things your dentist will look for to ensure they choose a dental lab that delivers great results for you and all of their patients include:
- Speed of turnaround – this is how long it takes the lab to receive a design, craft a restoration, and return it to the office. Some popular labs have lengthy waiting lists and slow turnaround. For very advanced treatments, this may be worth the wait, but for common treatments like dental crowns or bridges, waiting for weeks is not a viable option.
- Materials – each lab will use a variety of materials to craft dental restorations, and they are not all created equal. If a dentist notices crowns that come from a specific lab seem to be more easily damaged or don’t look and feel like natural teeth, it’s probably a good idea for them to find a different lab.
- Quality of results – the materials directly impact the quality of restorations produced by the lab, but so does the craftsmanship. The best dental labs invest in training for their ceramists and technicians as well as continually improving the technology they use. A dentist will look for a lab that consistently produces high quality results.
- Cost – your dentist will want a lab that charges a fair fee for a quality restoration. There are specialty labs that have high costs, but for the most part, dental labs should produce affordably priced restorations that deliver lasting results patients will be happy with.
Meet Dr. Stansbury
At the Tyler dentistry practice of Dennis E. Stansbury, DDS, we’re dedicated to keeping our patients’ smiles whole and healthy. We partner with the best dental labs in our area and across the country to ensure patients always receive high quality, natural looking dental restorations. If you’d like to find out more about our dental labs or any services we provide, contact us to schedule an appointment with the caring Stansbury Dental team today. We look forward to seeing you soon!