Finding a reliable dental lab has gotten much easier with readily available services like Yelp, online forums, and increased shipping speeds, but you should still be asking yourself three very important questions when vetting a new lab. Asking the below questions will help guarantee that you find a lab that will partner with you, and offer the right services you need in order to best serve your patients,
Are They Leaving You On Read?
You’re busy, your patients expect answers, and your lab should be communicative. Paying attention to how long it takes the lab to respond to your inquiries can help you determine if the lab will be a good partner before you send in a case.
If a lab is responsive while discussing the process and pricing, then it’s safe to say that they will remain communicative once you begin a partnership with them. If you don’t hear back from them for more than 24 to 48 hours, you may want to consider going elsewhere.
You’ll also want to review how a potential lab responds to your questions. Look for a lab with staff who take time to respond thoroughly and answer your questions directly. If the dental lab isn’t able to provide the answers you need while you are in the research phase, then it’s safe to assume that they won’t be very responsive when you have questions or are following up about a case.
What Do Their Current Clients Say?
When you love something, you share it with friends, right? Dental labs are the same way. Take notice of how colleagues and industry friends talk about their labs and ask for a recommendation. If they offer a glowing review, you know there’s something great about the lab!
A reliable dental lab will be willing to provide the names of a few current clients who will be happy to speak to the lab’s success. This is an ideal alternative if you’ve recently moved to a new location and are looking to partner with a local lab, or if you’re having trouble finding a good recommendation from your network.
What Technology Do They Use?
A dental lab’s technology says a lot about who they are as a company. If they are working with dated equipment, they may not have the resources available to reliably produce restorations and meet your deadlines.
This requires a caveat, though. Not all old equipment is bad! They could still be producing excellent work reliably. We recommend doing additional research by requesting a tour of the facilities and meet the stuff. If the lab is not local to you, request a virtual tour and ask vivid questions about their machinery and processes.
When researching labs, look for those that invest into developing technology. This is a great way to tell if they’re invested in their dentists’ success. Finding a dental lab that has 3D printing, digital scanner compatibility, and other newer technologies will make your technicians lives easier, while simultaneously improving your patient’s experience.
Finding a reliable dental lab requires taking a deeper look at every aspect of their operation. Reduce the overwhelming prospect of vetting labs with these three questions so you can get back to doing what you enjoy most: helping patients.
If you’re searching for a dental lab that invests into their team and their technology, give us a call. We think we’d make a great pair.