Guide on how to choose a dental outsourcing laboratory

Guide on how to choose a dental outsourcing laboratory

To better help dental clinics and dental laboratories choose a better outsourcing lab, let's take a look at the following questions first:

What is a Dental Laboratory?

A dental laboratory produces dental restorations on the order of a dentist or dental clinics. Dental laboratories create dentures, partials, crowns, bridges, orthodontic appliances, or other dental restorations such as implant crowns. A dentist sends a specification (or prescription) of the dental restoration to be produced, along with an impression (mold) or digital scan of the patient's teeth to the dental laboratory to be custom made by a dental laboratory technician.

What is a Dental Technician?

Dental technicians are the individuals who create custom made dental restorations for dentists. They can specialize in several areas: orthodontic appliances, crowns, and bridges, complete dentures, partial dentures, ceramics or implants.

The basic concepts above are clearly understood. Next, we'll look at how most dentists and dental clinics view the issue of dental lab outsourcing service.

As a dentist or dental laboratory distributor, you may consider some of the basic criteria you need in the dental laboratory. Fast turnaround times, reasonable prices and reliable quality may be your first choice. From what most dental labs choose to highlight on their website, these are the benchmarks that suppliers consider to be the most important to you, and the parameters that can be met anywhere in the world. So it's not that simple.

The outsourcing of dental laboratory work has been discussed in various articles, blogs and dental publications. "It has been suggested that outsourcing of overseas dental laboratories may have an adverse impact on our local industry, and we are unable to determine the quality of work or materials we receive when ordering crowns and bridges from around the world."

Then the other side of the problem emerged: as the prices of local goods and labor in the United States and Europe continue to rise, and a small number of people "remain awake" and do not turn to the right way to save money. However, there have long been dental lab dealers who have delegated some of the work they need to do to a cheaper supplier. These are overseas dental laboratory outsourcing service providers, mainly from China, India, the Philippines, etc.

Choosing the right dental laboratory plays an important role when it comes to the quality of care that dentists provide and promises to patients. When selecting the proper dental laboratory for your practice, it is essential to understand the role of the dental laboratory and set the quality of work. After all, the level of care the patient cares about the patient will be reflected in you, good or bad.

So, after understanding the status quo of the dental outsourcing industry, what are some things you should be looking for when choosing the right lab for your practice?

10 Questions To Ask The Dental Outsourcing Lab You Expect To Work With

1. What are your costs for different services and materials, and what are your payment requirements?

Ask them for a quotation, and you should be able to answer all your questions about product and material costs, including payment methods and shipping costs.

For example: about China Dental Laboratory (CDL) Co., Ltd

China Dental Laboratory (CDL) Co., Ltd, based in Shenzhen, China, is an industry-leading provider of high-quality dental lab products and services to dental professionals worldwide for a low cost. Established in 2006 by Jack Yu, here to serve you with open arms. We successfully fuse the latest in digital technology with old-school techniques to master the art of aesthetic design while honoring function at every cusp. We provide the highest quality of products to our customers, including:

Crown and Bridge Restorations

Removable full & Partial Dentures

Dental Implants and Prosthesis

Full Cast Restorations

All on 4 and 6 Full Arch Zirconia Screw Retain

Contact us for a complete list of services

2. Where do you get your materials from? Do you work with FDA-compliant suppliers and materials?

You don’t want to end up with a lab that is “cutting cost” by using some random guy on the corner who is making copies of another manufacturer’s alloy. Usually, when something is made as a “knock-off” for half the cost, it means that the quality will also be half of what you would expect.

When it comes to crowns, there are many different types of zirconia on the market. Make sure the lab you choose uses a genuine material for their product. Contact your lab and find out if they have the authorization to produce Captek™ crowns and are not advertising the production of “Captek” material. There is a big difference in the quality, and you should be aware of whether or not your lab uses the real deal.

The raw materials of China Dental Laboratory are mainly from the United States, Germany, and Japan, etc. High-quality brand-name products from Captek, Cercon, IPS E.max, Valplast, etc.

3. Do you fabricate your restorations in-house or outsource in any way?

China Dental Laboratory manufactures dental products in China for international markets. You ship directly to us, and there is no intermediary. We always transfer the savings directly to our clients.

4. How many technicians do you have? Will I be able to communicate directly with the technician who is working on my case?

We hire some of the most highly skilled technicians from China. Each technology has been trained in the "CDL" and delivered quality and service. More than 200 certified dental technicians ready to work on your cases immediately. Our technology is mainly responsible for the design and production of the product. We have a professional customer service team accountable for following up customer feedback.

5. What are your quality control procedures?

Take for instance the amount of time and work that goes into making a single porcelain-fused-to-metal crown: the model has to be poured, then a counter model is poured and mounted, die spacers are applied, dies are trimmed, wax-ups in a casting ring, which a technician will do more than once for each case and invest them all for overnight burnout. It would help if you asked who is in charge of making sure this process is done correctly. Is there a checklist? Is there a final inspection that makes sure the exact specifications are met?

Some labs don't even have full-time employees, which means that knowing when these quality checks are performed could be questionable. A consistent team of technicians equals a consistent quality of work.

6. Do you provide implant services? Are you fully digital?  

If they provide implant services, be sure to get the real files and implant library from the milling center.

Whenever we used a new lab, the first thing we had to do was set up their CAD systems using Core3dcentres material files and implanted repositories.

Each milling center should have a specially validated manufacturing process to ensure that the milling product is suitable and meets the design requirements.

Through the use of a specific material library, the laboratory is guaranteed by the milling center, the materials and the milling process are validated, and the most accurate and highest quality products are produced each time.

China Dental Laboratory is proud to announce that we have joined the dental digital services model printing space. By virtually eliminating the need for physical impressions, this state-of-the-art system reduces the chairside time and cuts down on impression material and shipping costs. Just scan and send us your 3D image and we can start printing a model in minutes!

7. How are recalls handled? What warranties do you provide?

COMMITMENT FROM CHINA DENTAL LABORATORY

Crown & Bridges: 5 years warranty after the date of delivery

Removable and other products: 1-year warranty after the date of delivery

To assure you and your clients a peace of mind, if any case made in China Dental Lab is unsatisfactory for any reason during the term of this warranty, we will repair or remake a new one without charge unconditionally as soon as we received the problem case.

A few details before sending your problem cases:

Please indicate the case number and the problem which will help us make it better;

Please make sure that the original restoration is enclosed;

Please make sure that the instructions and design is not changed;

Please make sure that the prep/impression/model is not broken;

Exceptions: Our repair or remake policy will be invalid if ever a case that we could not guarantee the quality and you insist on proceeding anyway after we had told you the reason and advise you taking a new impression or try-in first.

8. Do you use real manufacturer parts and hardware for implant repair? Besides, is it possible to complete complex cases?

As with alloy, it is crucial that genuine implant manufacturer parts be used on your restorations unless you request otherwise. There are many copycat implant manufacturers on the market today. Some make decent parts, while others are noticeably inferior. If you choose to use imitation parts, that is your prerogative. However, if you ask for a natural Nobel Biocare™ bridge and the lab uses a knockoff, which is a severe offense.

The ability to tackle complex cases.

A lab experienced with complex cases will take a consultative approach to case planning that meets the needs of your practice, all while creating a positive patient experience. This becomes magnified when dealing with multidisciplinary implant, removable, and crown and bridge cases. Should you use precision attachments? Can you use all-ceramic crowns? You should be able to call your dental lab technicians to create a treatment plan that satisfies what your patients need and what you’re comfortable doing. The right lab can spot issues before a case even starts to save you time and money.  The lab should apply its years of experience to every case.

9. Talk to the host and see if you get along

The key to the dentist/lab relationship is just that — it’s a relationship, not unlike a marriage. You are going to work together through thick and thin, so you must have a rapport with each other to be able to talk about anything without fear. The lab owner must be able to call and question a bite, a die, or any discrepancy in your impression or model without fear of an argument or losing a customer. It would help if you were able to suggest tighter or looser fits on crowns and question overall quality without doubt of a fight. If you have an understanding, you will have many years of a great working relationship.

10. HOW TO SAFELY TRANSITION TO A NEW DENTAL LAB

•  Don’t send all your work in one shot. Send a few cases one at a time and build the relationship from that.

•  Feel each other out to make sure the owner knows what you want, and correct the lab when something is done wrong. It would help if you had a foundation for a relationship between the fifth and tenth case.

•  Filling out an Rx form is just the beginning. Your dental lab should work with you to find solutions that meet the unique needs of your practice. The right lab relationship shouldn’t be disruptive; it should help derive greater value so you can take your business where you want it to go. Your lab should already be set up to manage your needs, align with your goals and be invested in supporting your practice well into the future. This includes staying accountable by doing most of its work in-house without having to waste valuable time waiting on third-party companies to complete the order. A lab should stand behind their work and the work of the dentist. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to switch. A lab should stand behind their work and the work of the dentist.

  
  

If this does not happen, you may not be compatible; maybe you are not meant to work together. If that is the case, leave on good terms. You never know … in a few years, you may meet again, and circumstances may have changed; this lab may be able to give you what you were looking for the first time.