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Professional Courtesy Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

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Treat Your Lab and Patients Alike


Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD
Editorial Director,
Dentaltown Magazine
 Many stories are written about how dentists and dental labs should learn to work together. “Communicate,” “act like partners” and “you are on the same team” are some of the tired phrases you might have read on this topic. Dentaltown.com has been alive with conversations among lab techs and dentists for 10 years and counting; some of the discussions are friendly and others, well, not so much. Let’s face the facts, dental labs can be easy to forget. Oftentimes we can only recognize them by the graphics on their shipping box or lab prescription. When routine restorative work changes hands, we tend to act like the mechanic receiving the most recent delivery of NAPA parts. My message here is one of hope for our brothers and sisters toiling away in dental laboratories around the world: dentists, treat your lab like you treat your patients.

Nothing hurts more than seating a crown on your next-door-neighbor only to find out later that he has an unpaid balance on his account. On Saturday morning you watch in disbelief as he leaves town for a long vacation, smiling and waving as he passes your home. Dentists have a long history with money issues, and when you complete dental challenges you expect to be paid. The same goes for dental labs. Next time you are at a dental meeting, stop by one of the lab booths and ask them about dentists who don’t pay their bills. Bring a chair, because some of the stories I have heard over the years will make you weak in the knees. Yes, deadbeats are part of any business and uncollected accounts something we must be willing to accept as business owners, but that is not a valid reason to stiff the lab. Pay your bills and you’ll find your patients will too.

One of my greatest pet peeves with dental labs is their ability (or in some cases, inability) to follow the instructions provided on my prescription. When I receive a case back and the instructions were ignored, it makes my blood boil because telling your patient, “The lab didn’t follow my instructions,” sounds a lot like, “The dog ate my homework.” Embarrassing and costly, since a remake means nobody is getting paid. In this case the tables are turned on you, doctor. Do you listen to your patients as carefully as you would like the lab to listen to you? On the other hand, if reading “follow the instructions” caused you to ask, “What instructions?” you need to communicate with your patients better.

Most dentists worth their salt will pay attention to the means and methods by which new patients choose their office. Did they like your location? Was there a nice article about you in the paper? Perhaps your office name or location gives an aire of quality care. On the other hand maybe you sent a great offer in the local coupon mailing or advertised a great discount. Take a moment to think about the ways you would like patients to find you and see if this matches the method you used to choose your dental lab. If you are a quality-minded dentist who takes pride in your work, I hope you are not living a lie by sending your cases out for the cheapest crown on the planet. Of course the reasons don’t need to match exactly, but remember, your selection of dental lab will ultimately reflect the quality of your care.

Rest easy dentists and lab technicians, if dentistry was easy, everybody would be doing it.

Send your comments, questions and requests to tom@dentaltown.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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