About Dental Labs

Dental labs are an extension of the dentist's office. They differ in their approach to dental health since their primary clients are dentists, and not the patients the dentists serve. Dental labs most commonly manufacture the dental implants, bridges and also dentures a dentist orders for a patient. Usually technicians employed at the labs work from the molds and measurements the dentist takes of the patient. Dental laboratories are tightly regulated, and competition is quite fierce when it comes to entering working relationships with dentists' offices.

Function

• Dental labs are crucial to the work of dentists. While the dentist takes dental imprints and makes the molds of the teeth, it is the lab that turns these molds into durable dental work which is then returned to the dentist for fitting into the patient's mouth.

Features

• Dental labs undergo strict peer reviews and competition has led to the setting up of a voluntary certification process that separates dental laboratories which excel in quality and infection control, as well as in overall business models from those that fail to make the cut. The National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (a link is provided in the resources section) administers the voluntary certification for dental labs that are looking for a boost in their business.

Benefits

• Dentists and their patients may not think about whether the dental lab they choose for the dentures has received the CDL award or not, but considering that certified dental laboratories are known to have up to date, functional equipment, employ supervisors who are themselves certified dental technicians, and have a staff that is well versed in product and materials safety, it may be cost effective to switch to such a lab. Backorders, mistakes in the preparation of orders and contamination of dental implants are virtually non existent.

Considerations

• Certified or not, dental labs are usually members of the National Association of Dental Laboratories (a link is provided in the resources section). The organization is the clearing house for information of and compliance with governmental regulations that govern dental work. In addition, technological breakthroughs as well as material issues are communicated to all member laboratories when they become known to this group.

Misconceptions

• It is a common misconception that dental labs are little more than back office support businesses. Instead, each state has a dental association of which labs are usually members. Depending on the size and fiscal circumstances of the labs, they also actively recruit at job fairs when dental or health industry vocational schools are ready to graduate their seniors. Dental technicians who work in dental labs have a good career outlook in an environment that is often on the cutting edge of oral restoration technology.