Finding the Right Dental Lab

You have invested heavily in some of the latest dental technology: digital x-ray imaging, fiber optic and laser drills, and CAD/CAM, to name just a few. You have racked up thousands of Frequent Flier miles and tens-of-thousands of dollars in continuing education to stay on top of the latest advances and procedures in dentistry. With all you have invested in time, money...and your reputation, will you now see it all swirl down the toilet shopping for a new dental lab? Before you hand off your lab work to a new supplier, you may want to invest four minutes reading the rest of this article.

Where to begin?
The owner of the lab you are currently using is looking to sell his business and retire. He has served you well for many years but now you find yourself looking for a new supplier. You have the names of a few labs he has recommended but you are not quite sure how to proceed. Where do you begin?

The first step you may want to take is to first ask yourself where you see your practice in the next five years. Many dentists maintain relationships with their dental labs that endure for many years. Once they find a good lab dentists usually like to hold on to them. In some ways this is a good thing and at the same time it can be a handicap. How so? Dentists often don't like venturing outside of their comfort zone and will build their practice around the services their labs can provide them. This can cause your practice to stagnate, especially if your current vendor is not staying on top of the latest advances in dental restorations and lab technology. So, before walking down the aisle with a new lab, you may want to speak to the owner in question to get his or her view about future trends in dentistry and how they plan to keep in step. After all, why saddle yourself to a dental lab that can't provide you with the latest products and services you need to help grow your practice.