A top-level dental lab is able to provide you with advice on the cases you send and help you choose the right material, as well as helping you foresee any problems that might occur in the process even before the case is in production.

First of all, the owners and dental techs need to be educated and up to date with the newest dental lab materials out there because it’s easy to get lost between all the brand names and different zirconia molecule structures. Styledent’s CEO Dimitri Tsichlis has been lecturing on dental lab materials since 2008! The company Amann Girrbach has noticed his lectures and speaking engagements and specifically his deep knowledge of zirconia and made him one of their KOL last year. Let me tell you, Dimitri’s knowledge is a HUGE asset when it comes to giving advice to our dentists, training the team or making decisions on our product line.

Second, your lab needs to have hands-on experience in using these materials. Textbook savvy techs have a lot of knowledge in theory but hands-on is really how you get down and dirty with the material, experiment, test, push the limits and really understand what the material is about and how to best utilize it.

Third, a high level lab will have one of their senior ceramists study each case before it goes into production. We study the prescription, the models once articulated and it’s at this point that we will validate the choice of material and if we foresee any problems at this point. We will communicate with the dentist and offer solutions and recommendations for the best outcome for both function and aesthetics.

Basically, the lab you are working with should have your back. You should not have to feel like you need to know everything nor should you be afraid to ask questions. You should feel like you can count on your dental lab like you can count on a valuable partner and do work together as a team.