Daniel C. White, VP of Marketing,
and Cindy Eppstein, Technical Writer, MicroDental Laboratories

When asked recently about his vision for the future of MicroDental Laboratories, CEO and President Fred Walke, simply replied, “At MicroDental, our goal is to raise the value of dentistry and increase the awareness of its potential.”

A vision for the future proudly built from shades of the past.

MicroDental started out in 1964 as a family business under the name of Micro Porcelain Dental Laboratory. Because of the high quality products produced and the development of strong and lasting relationships, MicroDental grew to its current size of more than 500 employees.

MicroDental has become the leading cosmetic laboratory in the country. Since joining the company in 1996, Mr. Walke has implemented several additions to the laboratory designed to help lead dentistry into new and exciting directions. Mr. Walke was chosen in 2000 to lead MicroDental into the future, which in his four years of leadership, he has done with great success. His major objectives include enhancing the value of dentistry, improving dentist/lab communication practices, and assisting the overall profession reach its true capabilities.

Because of its size, many consider MicroDental to be a large laboratory. However, those familiar with us know we still have many qualities of a small lab, or more accurately, many small labs residing in one building. Some feel a large laboratory automatically equates to “assembly-line” production. Assembly lines were developed to make identical items faster and at a lower cost, virtually eliminating anything unique about the product. Although some labs may be set up under this cost-cutting production model, it is just the opposite of the small team organization found at MicroDental.

Our small, client-specific teams recognize no two teeth are ever exactly alike and take great pride in personally recreating the distinguishing characteristics found in natural teeth. Through these specialized teams, we uphold the feel of a smaller laboratory within the confines of a well-equipped laboratory to personally cater to each clinician’s very individual needs.

MicroDental’s small team organization is designed to increase product value and strengthen client relationships. Each technician maintains the definitive belief that quality–from initial greeting to final cementation–is the key to a successful laboratory/clinician relationship. We promote and foster the belief that we are more than “just a laboratory”. MicroDental is considered a strategic partner in our doctors’ success and as such, we constantly strive to increase it.

To support this belief, we leverage the advantages of being one of the largest laboratories in the country. Smaller laboratories may not have the resources to invest the time and capital into the research and development of new technologies. As MicroDental houses our own research and development department, we are able to evaluate and adopt new products based on our own testing rather than the claims of the manufacturer. Therefore, we choose to invest in any technology that will increase the value of dentistry to the patient.

This became evident throughout the 1990s with the astronomical growth of Ivoclar Vivadent’s IPS Empress®. As with most of the laboratories that took the chance in offering this product, MicroDental technicians received extensive training directly from the manufacturer. Combining that training with a historical spirit of innovation, these technicians created their own highly advanced fabrication methods with this product that no other laboratory has been able to duplicate. Today, MicroDental is regarded as the foremost IPS Empress laboratory in the country, having fabricated almost one million restorations thus far.

This spirit of innovation continued in 2004 with the introduction of P2Z™-Pressed to Zirconia. As we had worked closely with the Cercon® Zirconia team at Dentsply Prosthetics during its launch two years prior, MicroDental designed a fabrication method to make this already innovative restoration one step better. Using a new pressable porcelain, our research and development department explored and experimented with both materials, which have proven to be the next evolution in pressed ceramics. P2Z-Pressed to Zirconia is currently the only all-ceramic material that can be prescribed for long-span bridges (up to 47 mm). This restoration is only available from MicroDental and as more clinicians realize its potential to grow their practices, its demand will continue the rapid growth we have seen since its introduction.

MicroDental is strongly committed to continuous education and training. Many of MicroDental’s technical staff are instructors and lecturers on clinical and laboratory procedures for several post-graduate institutions. We continually arrange for our technicians to attend training seminars all over the country that will further enhance their skill sets. This information is then brought back and integrated into in-house training so that all technicians are equally trained in that particular procedure. We also invite a variety of manufacturers and recognized technical lecturers to provide additional hands-on instruction to maintain the fabricative cutting-edge for expanded smile design options.

Unlike most dental laboratories, the majority of the restorations created at MicroDental are for the anterior region of the mouth, and while we produce exceptional posterior restorations, this unique market position is something we are extremely proud of and will continue to grow.

Though we have been recognized by a number of prominent organizations for our anterior work, what really sets MicroDental apart and adds value to our work is the ability to fabricate complex full-mouth cases. Where some laboratories may see one full-mouth case occasionally, we fabricate many every day with any combination of products we have to offer. No case request comes as a surprise as we have the capacity and technology in-house to resolve the problems that can arise with complicated full-mouth cases. Many clinicians rely on our capability to help them treatment plan such cases from start to finish to ensure that the combination of materials, occlusion requirements, and patient desires mesh for the necessary results.

We prepare to handle the trends that are still emerging in the dental industry. The number of implants being placed is increasing significantly and to stay ahead of market demand, we already have a team in place to fulfill any case design requests.

Because our business is based on something as personal as your patients’ smiles, MicroDental Laboratories will consistently exceed what has been considered standard in laboratory services. Dentistry is in a continuous state of evolution and as such, so too is the laboratory. As your next case could become your biggest marketing investment to date, the difference in laboratories can be the variance between success and failure. For 40 years, MicroDental has had a vested interest and capability to raise your success…because the difference matters.

For more information on MicroDental Laboratories, visit us online at www.microdental.com or call us at 1.800.229.0936