FOUR STEPS TO FINDING THE RIGHT DENTAL IMPLANT LABORATORY

Choosing the right dental implant laboratory for your practice is imperative to providing quality health care to your patients. A healthy relationship between your office and dental implant lab is critical to the success of your practice and satisfaction of your patients. It is important to understand how dental implant laboratories operate and what types of restorations they are able to build. A top-notch implant dental lab puts implant restoration first and seeks out the best instructors whether they are dentists or lab specialists to create the restorations. 

The level of care shown from the dental implant lab will directly affect the quality of care your practice provides to patients. Making sure that an implant lab is a good size and fit for your needs is extremely important. Just like dental practices, dental implant labs provide different qualities of service, levels of expertise, and procedures for making and delivering restorations. So, how do you decide what dental implant laboratory is best for your practice? Read below for four steps that will help you navigate what type of dental implant lab is right for you.

1. Quality of Work

A steadfast commitment to producing top-notch products is essential when selecting a dental implant lab. Make sure to choose a lab that uses ADA-approved materials and not cheap or knock-off versions that could harm your patients. When researching dental implant labs, be sure to examine the type of titanium alloy that is used in the implants, the availability of various implant widths and lengths as well as materials. Look to see if the selected implants have been sufficiently studied and found to be dependable and efficient. Ask around for input and recommendations from fellow implant dentists. Examine the history and reputation of the dental implant company.

1. Reliability

High-quality materials are not the only factor to consider when picking a dental implant lab. Knowing for building restorations and their delivery methods will help decide what lab will meet your needs. The implant company needs to demonstrate fast and easy ordering and shipping of implants. If your dental practice runs out of a certain implant material, you don’t want to ask patients to wait for weeks before restoring their teeth. Ask if the lab can guarantee turn-around time and find out what their policy is for adjustments and fixes.

1. Updating Technology

In addition to providing impeccable goods and services, a dental implant lab should be committed to continuing education by staying up to date on the latest technologies, techniques, and equipment used for building and making restorations.

Superior dental implant laboratories should teach the following:

• How to fabricate immediate temporaries
• Tissue management
• Contour
• Emergence profile
• Material selection and abutment selection
• How to utilize a seating guide
• Impression taking
• Shade selection and case selection
• How to talk to patients about dental implant
  
  

Techniques and technologies are constantly evolving, so dentists and technicians should educate themselves on any advancements in the field of restorations. The right dental implant lab for your practice should provide technical tips, educational classes, and online guides and marketing materials that will help grow your knowledge about the dental implant procedure and materials involved.

1. Customer Service

Patients are drawn to dentists who take the time to go above and beyond to care for them. When choosing a dental implant lab, assess the way in which they approach clients. You want the lab to carve out time for your practice, answer your questions in a timely manner, and remain transparent about deadlines. Honesty and reliability are a must when it comes choosing a dental implant lab that will respect your time as much as you respect your patient’s time. A dental implant lab should provide highly predictable results. Dental implant labs should be involved from the treatment planning phase, including a diagnostic wax up, surgical guide, and impression type, to the completed procedure phase. The dental implant lab should be with you every step of the way.

It’s important to remember that dental laboratories play a major role in the outcome of dental treatments. Choosing an implant laboratory that works harmoniously with you and shares your same passion for unparalleled customer service is vital to the success of your practice. Be sure that you are asking the right questions before committing to a dental lab. DDS Labs can provide you with superior service that your practice and your patients deserve!

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