Product Profile: Authentic Dental Lab



Wow! Three decades in the dental lab business — what’s
your secret, Bob?

I don’t think that it’s any secret, but if a laboratory wants to succeed, it needs to stay in front of the technology curve. For example, in the ‘80s and ‘90s it was about the artistry of 13 powder build-ups, modifying opaque and stains and finessing crowns to make them look like teeth. Today, automation continues to simplify, streamline and improve laboratory processes with a variety of new material choices. As a result, crowns have faster turnaround times with less labor and lower production costs, thus giving the dentist a greater value per product.

What are the most popular products dentists are asking for today?
CAD/CAM milled monolithic materials like zirconium and lithium disilicate continue to flourish, driving the growth of all-ceramics and the decline of PFMs. With that said, we still produce a lot of PFMs today.

What is your view on intra-oral scanners?
We have been accepting digital files from dentists across the U.S. for the past five years. These scanners keep getting better every year, and with lower pricing, they become more affordable for the dental practice. There are numerous advantages to digital impressions versus conventional. Dentists can now have immediate feedback on their prep design without fear of drags, pulls, bubbles, tears, distortion, etc. This results in fewer remakes and adjustments, allowing labs to discount their fees due to savings utilizing the digital work flow process. This process allows us to manufacture restorations in a few hours, making it available for a one-day crown service. The majority of scans we receive today are from CEREC, iTero and 3M scanners, but any .stl file from another brand can also be received in the lab. As we see more scanners utilized in dental offices, the majority of work received in labs today are still traditional impressions.

How do you see implants fitting into this digital environment?
Today, implants are the fastest growing segment in the dental industry even with conventional protocol. As the digital software manufacturers offer system enhancements that makes scanning, design and fabrication easier to use, this allows labs to integrate the digital file into a simple environment to machine custom implant abutments and crowns in a precise and efficient manner. Now, for example, we can receive a digital scan of a 3i Encode implant healing abutment and treat it like a standard crown and bridge case. Then we can fabricate either a screwretained or cemented custom abutment and crown complete with that single scan. Overdentures are booming and with digital technology it allows us to fabricate implant bars faster, easier and more precise, rather that waxing and casting the traditional way. It’s incredible what we can do today. Labs should not fear or be intimidated with new technology. They need to embrace it.

  Company Contact
Call if you would like me to lecture for any group and I invite you to visit my website www.authenticlab.com and call me
at 1-800-683-1025.

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Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
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