How to choose the dental lab for your partner?

In recent years, clear aligner services have taken off with people’s elevated interest in aesthetic smiles. Considering this growing trend in the dental industry, it is imperative for dental practices to strive to deliver newer and more advanced services to their target demographic. In order to do so, most dental practice owners are now partnering with a reputable dental laboratory to help boost the profits of the business.

Building vital partnerships with other businesses like local dental labs can help these strained dental practices offer clear aligner services to their eager customers. The relationship between a dentist and their partnered dental lab will heavily impact the experience of any patient who avails of these services from them. Therefore, choosing the right dental lab will be the most critical step in ensuring a safe, comfortable, and quality experience for your patients.

The dental lab you decide to collaborate with should meet your business’ work and performance ethics. There should be an established communication line and a mutual understanding of the needed requirements and expectations from one another. Most dental labs today are fully equipped with digital technology and high-quality materials that allow them to fulfil orders more precisely and quickly.

What should you look for in a dental lab?

It is no secret that choosing the right business partner for your business endeavours is a vital step in developing a strong customer base. After all, not only are you entrusting them with your practice’s reputation but you are also promoting their company based on their efficiency and patient satisfaction. When asked about the most important factors dentists consider when choosing a laboratory to collaborate with, in a 2013 survey, they identified two main factors – certain aesthetic considerations and the laboratory’s speciality.

While these two product and company requirements are defining factors for choosing a dental lab, there are several additional factors to be included before you can make a final decision. Coincidentally, the reasons why you choose a dental lab may also be beneficial attributes that contribute to your business’ profits.

• Expertise

Partnering with a dental lab that specializes in particular services and employs top technicians can ensure they get your work done just how you need it. Operating novel pieces of equipment especially for clear aligner fabrication can be difficult and require a certain level of training and expertise. Labs that not only invest in state-of-the-art technologies but also in highly trained personnel with theoretical and practical knowledge will help obtain the best outcome for all your projects, thereby also elevating the quality of service for your patients.

• Technological advancement

Advances in the dental industry are taking place at an exponential rate, with digital technology taking over most of the dental chores. Partnering with a digital dental laboratory that is not frugal with its investment in cutting-edge technology will ensure that your business stays abreast with the market’s demands. Patients expect faster and more effective results that can be achieved with the help of advanced equipment, CAD/CAM technology, and other digital means like digital radiography, intraoral scanning, dental lasers, digital moulds, and more. The options are endless!

• Quality and continually high delivery

One of the most important attributes that dental labs need to possess is consistency, whether it is in terms of the quality of the product or the turnaround time for product delivery. In order for you to confidently choose a dental lab for your service delivery, the lab will have to deliver products that are functional and aesthetically pleasing, all within a timeframe that does not disrupt your practice’s outcomes. Ensure that the dental lab is compliant with the ADA guidelines or exceeds the European quality standards if you are abroad.

Tracking the dental lab’s consistency with its performance is another vital step that should not be overlooked. This is because 1 in 3 dentists are known to change their dental lab due to inconsistent quality and recurring technical issues. Collaborating with a full-service dental lab with competitive turnaround times and exceptionally high-quality outcomes will give your dental practice the push it needs to enter the aligner market.

• A sustainable and healthy relationship

Good communication is crucial for dental professionals and their dental labs to function in a coordinated and efficient manner. If you are not in constant and effective communication with your lab, it could result in additional appointments and excessive corrections for a single product. This not only disrupts the flow of the service but also causes inconveniences to your patients who will need to schedule extra appointments to make up for your and your lab’s incompetency.

Proper communication between your clinic and your laboratory partner includes regular updates about the product and possible technical errors that need to be nipped in the bud. This “true” partnership between you and your lab allies your patients to experience the most cost-effective and efficient treatment while still saving time and resources on your end.

• Location

Collaborating with a dental lab on a daily basis means that you’ll be shipping products back and forth until the final outcome is satisfactory. This could suggest the importance of the vicinity. However, if you do not mind the distance and the additional shipping durations, you can also avail of online Ortholabs do a great job at producing quality appliances while bringing them at a relatively great distance from your dental office.

Are you currently looking for a dental lab that meets your product quality and delivery demands? Make sure to keep these five factors into consideration before you extend your hand at a partnership with your local dental lab. Explore online Ortholabs for additional options.