The goal of any business is to make money. Sure, there are some businesses where social responsibility is important, but ultimately, businesses are in business to make money—and that includes dental labs.	There are a lot of factors that go into making money. Labs need to be efficient at what they do, maximizing profits. Taking on larger and larger clients is an avenue toward generating more income, and dental service organizations (DSOs) can provide that work. But labs must be able to deliver what DSOs want.

Important Considerations: Opportunity and Necessity

For some labs, forging a relationship with a DSO is not only desirable, but it’s critical for business success.

“We’ve seen the DSO space grow consistently over the past decade or so,” Jamie Stover, CDT, says. He is the senior manager of dental lab applications at Carbon. Having been a dental lab technician for more than 23 years, and COO of a successful lab prior to his current role, he has managed relationships with many DSO accounts.

“The trend of solo practitioners joining groups is expected to continue. The 2021 NADL Business Survey shows us that about 80% of labs report they’re now working with clients from the small to emerging group practice segment—dental groups in the range of 2 to 15 or 20 offices.”

DSOs come in all sizes. One may think of them as being organizations with dozens, if not hundreds, of locations, but the DSO could be as small as 10, 5, or even 2 practices.

“Eighty percent of the labs in the survey reported that they’re working with the smaller groups and about 40% report that they’re working with larger DSOs,” Stover says. “When we ask if it’s a good idea for labs to seek out a relationship with DSOs, the answer is ‘Yes’—when it’s done strategically. And according to the NADL survey results, the majority of labs report that dental groups, ranging in size from small to large, represent some percentage of their overall client base, so it appears that having a DSO strategy is a necessity.”

From the DSO’s perspective, lab partners must be able to meet the specific needs of DSO partners.

What is the DSO interested in when they seek out lab partners? It depends on the DSO, where they are located, and what they need in their specific business structure.

For instance, Chris Salierno, DDS, chief dental officer for DSO Tend, explains why they work with numerous labs.

“We work with several,” Dr Salierno says. “At the close of 2021, we have 19 locations in 4 markets (New York, New York; Washington, DC; Boston, Massachusetts; and Atlanta, Georgia). We appreciate laboratories that can scale with us, but we also partner with at least 1 local laboratory in each market. We value the ability to have services like shade selection and emergency turnaround services.

“Dr Marc Schlenoff, Tend’s vice president of clinical development, is a master of comprehensive and esthetic dentistry,” Dr Salierno continues. “He is in charge of our laboratory relationships. When we enter a market, we listen to our dentists about their preferred laboratory partners. Dr Schlenoff creates a mixture of options based on our national and local partners that meet his standards.”

Pursuing a relationship with a DSO comes with some caveats. The relationship may not be a fit for everyone. For instance, Jack Marrano, CDT, director of Absolute Dental Services’ Signature Prosthetics Division, explains why he does not actively seek such affiliations.

“It’s not an area of work that I’m interested in at this time,” Marrano says. “They are not my targeted clients. A lot of that has to do with the fact that DSOs are exceptionally price conscious and we do not negotiate price. With DSOs, you’re working on a much tighter margin. There is a considerable amount of logistics that go into working with a DSO.

“Once an account of that size is brought on board, it becomes a constant risk. You could very easily create a situation where, no matter what, you can easily become beholden to a DSO. In this situation, it can become a risk. So, to lose that account would be absolutely devastating, the loss of such an account of that size would definitely have a very negative impact on your organization.”

That scenario may not necessarily be the case for bigger labs.

“The bigger laboratories and the big lab groups primarily deal with the DSOs,” Marrano says. “Maybe structure-wise they’re a little bit more set up for it. Absolute, by no means, is a small organization, we do have 1 local large DSO group, but that is a long-standing relationship that the owners have had in which both companies have grown with a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Putting the Right Foot Forward in the Door

Dental labs attract DSO clients as they would any other client.

Just because the DSO is a larger client doesn’t mean that their needs are fundamentally any different.

“There are so many services a lab can offer, aside from the obvious crowns, bridges, and dentures—those have to be on-point,” Marybeth Starr, director of brand experience for Harvest Dental Products, says. “If you are trying to attract a large client, it makes sense to offer white-glove services, for example a dedicated representative as a point-of-contact, someone who knows their account inside and out.

“Also, our industry is made up of entrepreneurs. Highlighting what makes you different can go a long way to building a relationship,” she says.

Seeking out potential DSO clients to partner with takes a bit of finesse and networking.

“It’s definitely not as simple as doing a Google search for DSOs, making a list, and cold calling them.” Stover says. “There are a couple really effective ways to connect with group accounts.

“The simplest and most efficient way, in my experience from a marketing and budgeting standpoint, is to leverage relationships with existing solo dental clients who join a group. Often, labs will fear losing a client to a DSO, when they actually should see a client joining a group as an opportunity to forge a relationship with that group as one of their lab providers, a foot in the door so to speak,” Stover says.

“A dentist client who joins a group can become a really strong internal advocate for your lab, because they’ve had a working relationship with you and they trust you,” he continues, “and their evangelism can jump you to the front of the line of the labs who are pitching the DSO to become a lab vendor.”

Opportunity also exists when DSOs get together at conferences and shows. Attending and introducing the lab is another good way to get the lab’s name out there.

“Regional DSO conferences are a great opportunity,” Stover says. “Either by paying to be a featured vendor and having a booth or as a conference attendee, to network and attend some of the same courses, and just observe what the DSOs are focused on and learning about. I don’t actually recommend a lab attending as a vendor until they have a really solid DSO business plan in place, and also they should have a few group accounts already as customers.

“Experience in the DSO space establishes credibility and legitimacy,” Stover continues. “When I was in the lab and overseeing our DSO business expansion and our DSO business strategy, it was very common, when having a conversation with a decisionmaker from a dental group, for them to ask me, ‘Who are some other groups you currently work with?’”

DSOs Value the Right Technology for the Best Outcomes

Technology, in one form or another, has always been a hallmark of dental lab work. Three hundred years ago, it was finding the best animal teeth to fabricate dentures. In 2022, it’s the right hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure to deliver optimized CAD/CAM solutions.

The lab’s ability to work with current technology is critical if they hope to work with DSOs.

“The vast majority of our cases are digital impressions, so we need a laboratory that can accept this data in a HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act]-compliant fashion” Dr Salierno says. “And we’re continually innovating, so we value the ability to pilot new workflows with our lab partners.”

“Technology is huge,” Starr adds. “Labs have to have access to it. If they don’t have the latest and greatest technology in the lab, there are so many good products/processes out now, chances are they know someone who does. Partner up and work together to service the customer. Shine a light on your technicians and highlight their experience. Ensure that the points of contact on both sides are introduced to each other.

“The people having the day-to-day interactions need that connection to start building a relationship, while at the same time the owner will be building a relationship with the decisionmakers in the practice,” Starr continues. “Have a plan to scale, look for outsource partners for overflow work. It’s amazing to get the big account, but you have to be able to service them and make sure they know that you have everything covered.”

Within the lab, cutting edge technology streamlines workflows to ensure that cases are created and delivered as efficiently as possible.

“On the laboratory side, you would have to make sure that you have the capacity and proper systems in place, and that spans a wide area,” Marrano says. “It could be mills. It could be printers, but it could also be your internal systems and processes to deal with large volumes of digital data. We have developed a HIPAA-compliant web portal for clinicians to easily upload any data they may have. Today’s lab must make it convenient for clients to do business with them.

“For groups that are tech savvy, then you definitely want to make sure that you’re well versed in intraoral scanning with all of the systems, because we get calls every day from our clinicians and they have questions,” Marrano continues. “Data collection and organization play a big part in today’s lab. The lab must be able to organize cases and case info coming into the laboratory in a new way. It is important to be a solutions-focused laboratory. We have a team that specializes in both clinical and technical digital workflows, and they support those incoming calls.”

Technology isn’t just necessary for workflows within the lab. It’s vital to process cases—and streamline communication—with individual practices.

“Technology is extremely important,” Stover says. “It’s just an extremely important piece of the puzzle in the DSO space because it streamlines the workflow between the lab and the clinics. Technology allows labs to transition from analog to digital processes, which means they can produce restorations that have a lot of benefits for clinicians and patients, like reducing the number of appointments and reducing the chair time required.

“It also reduces the amount of analog labor required by the lab to produce many restorations and allows them to scale production to keep pace with the increased volume of work without increasing the need to hire as many experienced technicians—3D-printed dentures and splints are a couple examples of how labs are doing this,” he continues. “Labs printing dentures versus producing them at the bench by hand can reduce their labor by up to 65%, and they can reduce the number of clinical appointments required for the dentist to 3 or 4 versus 5 or 6.

“If you have 15 offices in a DSO, and each office does 1 or 2 denture cases per day, and you’re saving them 2 to 3 appointments over the course of those dentures being delivered per office, that adds up to substantial annual savings,” Stover continues. “Also, when labs can produce restorations digitally and lower their production costs, it allows them to pass along some of those savings to the DSO in the form of lower retail pricing and still maintain acceptable profit margins. When thinking of the increased scale that dental groups operate at, anything that simplifies the workflow and the communication—or saves them chair time, or requires fewer patient appointments, anything like that—it’s going to save the offices money, and that’s going to be a metric multiplied by the number of offices they have.

“If a lab can help a DSO be more profitable by saving them time, it’s going to be a lot more valuable than a lab who can only provide line-item discounts on statements and low, cut-rate prices on restorations,” Stover says.

Within the discussion of technology, one shouldn’t overlook materials and what they bring to the lab’s value.

“There are new materials coming out all the time,” Starr says. “This is where our foundations, journals, and trade shows come in—use them, read them and stay up-to-date on anything new. Be the first one to bring something that you think is interesting and helpful to the practice, but do your research. Go in with full knowledge and a plan for how and why you think it will benefit the group.

“The dental industry has embraced teledentistry in the last 2 years and it is only going to continue to grow—it is allowing practices to increase patient volume back to pre–COVID-19 levels,” she continues. “Part of a lab’s offering can be to present on telehealth video conferences for care planning on complex cases. This gives a video recording of the plan and is a huge time-saver for everyone involved.”

In addition to hardware, software is a critical component to a CAD/CAM workflow, especially as communication with client practices is concerned.

“One thing we don’t think about a lot is software,” Starr says. “If you know what software the practice uses, many have ‘lab versions’ that can interface with the big dental software. This makes it easier to transmit pictures, patient files, etc., and they are HIPAA compliant.”

Don’t Make These Common Mistakes When Connecting to the DSO

One of the best ways to learn how to do something is to benefit from the wisdom of those who have already tried and made mistakes.

“When it comes to working with DSOs, I’ve made some missteps,” Stover says. “A common misstep is labs propositioning DSOs that are of a size and scale beyond that lab’s production capability and really beyond the scope of services that the lab can provide. In other words, you could say biting off more than they can chew. The largest DSOs leverage their immense size and volume of work to drive restoration prices down to levels that some labs just can’t deliver and still maintain adequate profit margins, without cutting too many corners.

“And when you cut those corners, when producing restorations, it quite often, unfortunately, means that the fit of the restorations is affected or the turnaround time is affected,” he continues. “As a lab, you start to drop the ball because of the increased volume of work. Every system in the lab’s workflow becomes strained, and small production issues become large ones quickly. That creates a very frustrating situation for the groups and the lab.”

Stover says that the plan is the most important part.

“This goes back to my previous point of having a really solid DSO business plan in place before going after work from the larger DSOs,” Stover says. “But having that plan in place before working with groups of any size is important.”

Connecting Through Open Communication and Collaboration

Labs should also have a point person who is solely responsible for servicing those clients.

“Another misstep is not having a dedicated DSO account customer service rep at your lab to manage your group accounts,” Stover says. “Labs really need to dedicate some resources to this segment of their customer base if they’re going to be successful, because dental groups have unique needs, and working with DSOs will really strain the customer service resources of most labs. A dedicated DSO liaison can oversee those group accounts, from onboarding offices to managing the day-to-day case issues that arise.”

“Not mistakes, just think big with technology and selective outsourcing any size lab can make this happen,” Starr says.

Understand what potential client DSOs want—pitching one’s lab, but highlighting the wrong things, is a surefire way to lose an opportunity.

“Whether you’re working with a large group practice or a solo operation, it’s most important that you are aligned with their needs,” Dr Salierno says. “Tend dentists want to provide comprehensive, high-end dentistry to urban populations; if a lab were to pitch us on how inexpensive they are, they would be missing the boat.”

Forging a relationship with a DSO can be great for one’s business. Assuming the lab is able to deliver to its DSO clients efficiently and productively, connecting with a DSO can be great for business, but making that initial connection requires having what potential DSO clients need, and ultimately, being able to deliver on those promises.

Articles

Developing a strong relationship with a dental service organization or other 
group practice can be good for business.

Forging Connections with Dental Practice Chains

 zirconia disc is the latest innovation in dental restoration. The leading digital solution in the field of zirconia material, 3D pro-zir features high strength, a natural gradient of color, superior translucency and a layer-less natural transition. The excellent characteristics of this material combined with the 3D pro zir Rapid Aesthetic Solution helps dental labs finalize and develop restorations within 24 hours.

Developed by Aidite Technology and Peking University School of Stomatology, 3D pro-zir is available in 16 different colors and features 57% translucency, creating a uniformity of hue and brightness. Matching the color transition of natural teeth from cervical to incisal, 3D pro-zir is regarded as tooth-colored restorative material.

“I have been using 3D pro-zir for approximately 3 years, mainly for full-arch cases,” says Obad Alshammaa, CDT and owner of Shama Dental Lab in Seattle, Washington. “It is an extremely strong, bright, and multilayered zirconia that blends beautifully inside the patient’s mouth.”

In addition to superior esthetics, 3D pro-zir has biomimetic properties in terms of abrasion, strength, and functional competence. With a bending strength of 1050 MPa at the cervical region, it meets the standard strength requirements of dental laboratories and ensures a high resistance against opposing dentine and resulting deformation. A lower bending strength of 700 MPa at the incisal region protects mandibular teeth and makes 3D pro-zir ideal for a broad range of indications, including veneers, posterior and anterior crowns, full contour bridges, and implants.

“3D pro-zir looks very natural and gives me the right color and value,” Alshammaa says. “It blends in beautifully, so I don’t have to manipulate the color with a stain or layer it with other ceramic materials. When it comes out of the milling machine, it is perfect. I can mill the full arch and glaze it, and it is ready to be placed inside.”

In addition, 3D pro-zir requires less time and material than other zirconia.

“In the past, in order to match the patient’s mouth, we had to layer ceramics on top to make it look more natural, but this also made the material a little weaker,” Alshammaa says. “3D pro-zir is multilayered and has all the body and translucency in it. So I don’t have to cut and layer porcelain and spend hours trying to make it look good. It really saves me a lot of time.”

The quick sintering process achieves a faster restoration and greatly reduces the patient’s waiting time. The full contour and impressive characteristics of the material itself, combined with the 3D pro zir Rapid Aesthetic Solution, enables dental laboratories to finalize and deliver zirconia restorations within 24 hours. 3D pro-zir is preferred by many dental labs because it can meet the needs of laboratory-customized solutions.

“It really is a partnership between the lab and the dentist,” Alshammaa explains. “Every dental lab tests many materials to find the right one in terms of strength and value. 3D pro-zir is one of the best zirconia materials I’ve used for my full-arch cases.

“We have to work smarter, not harder, by using the right materials,” Alshammaa continues. “Anyone who uses this material once will love it and start using it all the time. The company is also very good to work [with] and provides excellent technical support.”

The 3D pro-zir is a zirconia material that is designed to offer both strength and esthetic solutions for dental labs and practices

A Brisk and Beautiful Dental Restoration 

A look at some of the newest dental lab products from around the industry.


New Dental Lab Products February 2022

Information provided by 3D Systems | compiled by Kellie Nock

The DMP Flex 200 3D printer manufactures small, complex CoCr and titanium parts.

Ideal for dental labs that manufacture finely detailed metal parts for such applications as crowns, bridges, removables, and implant bars.

For cases requiring quick delivery. With a large build volume (140 x 140 x 115 mm) and a new build plate clamping mechanism, the DMP Flex 200 uses less material, requires less post-processing, and takes less time.

Accurate and space-efficient, the DMP Flex 200 uses the 3DXpert Dental or Oqton software and is said to provide the best surface finish in the industry. It is suitable for a variety of dental application cycles and can be integrated into workflows with relative ease. The 3DXpert Dental software from 3D Systems works with the system to design and manufacture parts.

Unloading build plates is easier with the new build plate mechanism and greater build volume. The unit has a vacuum cleaner pass-through to the process chamber, which remains sealed under inert conditions. All surfaces can be cleaned without coming into contact with the metal powder. Build plates and powder containers pass in and out of the process chamber via an airlock, avoiding exposure and limiting the amount of dioxygen that enters the process chamber.

This metal 3D printer offers faster delivery of crowns, bridges, and other dental restoration parts with a focus on fine details. 

5Ws* DMP Flex 200

Denture Base Roundup

A product roundup of some of the strongest, most esthetic denture base resins on the market today. 

A Powerful Foundation  for Denture Cases

For fabricating orthodontic and dental appliances like mouth guards, night guards, and splints.

Designed to work in tandem with SprintRay’s Cloud Design and Pro 3D printing systems, NightGuard Flex creates workflow efficiencies. This resin is designed to enable you to print appliances more than 2 times faster than with other similar materials. Because NightGuard Flex offers better dimensional stability during printing, you use fewer supports and save both time and resin. The resulting heat-set appliance is comfortable, easy to clean, and flavorless.

The biocompatible material features high-impact strength and flexure at body temperature. At 118 J/m, its strength reduces the chance of breakage under load. It prints a full 170-μ-thick arch in just over 40 minutes.

This 3D printing resin delivers high-impact strength and a simple chairside experience.

5Ws* Nightguard Flex

Bubbles are the bane of every model maker’s existence, and it was no different for Jerri James, CDT, a dental technician at CenTex Dental Lab in Waco, Texas.

She was frustrated by the complications bubbles caused and was finding that traditional surfactants were not doing the job properly. She needed a true bubble buster. Enter Wonderadmix, from Dental Creations.

“We got Wonderadmix as a sample, tried it, and immediately noticed a big difference,” James says. “Now we use it in all of our gypsum products. We don’t get bubbles or anything else in our mix, which makes the model stronger.”

By preventing bubbles, Wonderadmix also increases the density of models, minimizes shrinkage and expansion, and makes for a smoother stone—and thus a finished product with finer margins, which is more accurate. It also helps models harden, preventing fractures and chipping, and eliminates the need for surfactants.

“Wonderadmix is an important tool for our lab,” says James. “We buy it every 2 weeks because we don’t pour a model without it. It’s our go-to, and we use it every day, all through the day.”

Because Wonderadmix comes as a concentrate in a syringe, it helps labs save on storage and shipping costs—an important consideration when purchasing it often. A 32 oz bottle is provided in which to mix the concentrate with water to create the solution. James’ lab orders several dozen syringes at a time, which take up negligible space in their stockroom.

She’s also quick to note that although you have to mix the product, the process is quick and easy.

“You just fill the bottle with water and add the Wonderadmix with the 20-mL syringe,” she explains. “One important step is to shake it really well; it mixes up really nicely, but remember to shake it because it does have a tendency to separate.”

Despite the need for a little vigilance while mixing, James hasn’t found any other product that gets the job done as effectively as Wonderadmix.

“Bottom line, Wonderadmix is the way to go,” she says. “I don’t know of anything comparable on the market. It works like a surfactant in that it breaks the surface tension and results in fewer bubbles. But it just works better.”

“All my experiences with Wonderadmix have been really good,” James continues. “It’s quick, easy to use, and saves so much time because you’re not repouring an impression or calling the doctor for new models.”

But that’s not all: Models without bubbles look better. “Putting out a nice product helps us build relationships with doctors and provides an opportunity to educate them as well. If they’re pouring models in their practice, we can say, ‘Hey, Wonderadmix can help you.’ It saves everybody time and money.”

Why one lab technician won’t pour a model without this Dental Creations product

Busting Bubbles for Cleaner, Stronger Models

The digital denture concept is not new and was introduced to the dental industry in 2011. Early on, digital systems required convoluted workflows with what some would say were lackluster esthetics and strength. Over the years different manufacturers developed and released their versions into the market with not much fanfare. The development of technologies coupled with materials has moved at an exponential pace in recent years, with manufacturers seeing a need in the market for simple digital workflows coupled with high-strength, high-esthetic materials.

More recently, advancements in printing technology and materials have led the way forward on a new path and breathed life into the digital denture market, making them more of a reality today than ever before. With these advancements came simple, easy-to-use workflows for both clinicians and technicians.

While this gave the industry capability to realize the fullest extent of the technology, there was a drawback when it came to the teeth themselves. Although new additions to the market have proven esthetic and strong, there have been some downsides, such as initial startup costs and the use of proprietary carded teeth.

In 2021, Desktop Health released Flexcera Base and Flexcera Smile 

. These printable materials were developed and validated for Desktop Health’s line of EnvisionTEC printers 

. This provided another great entry into the digital denture market. This release meets the industry demand for strength and esthetics with leading performance, while maintaining a cost-effective option for entry into the system.

This cost-effective entry has given more laboratories the ability to offer digital dentures. There are many benefits to a printable tooth solution, such as the ability to choose from a multitude of libraries, as well as scalability to meet production demands. By providing a printable tooth solution, this has given technicians the ability to customize the occlusion with ease. A fully customizable denture gives way to the ability to meet clinicians and demands in a rapidly growing area of the industry. These 2 materials were developed to work together in a system to be able to achieve the desired goal of any case.

Carded teeth in some cases can hinder the designer, as the library cannot be adjusted 

. Therefore, in many instances difficulties arise in the successful designing of a case due to the inability of the designer to adjust and customize the occlusion. For example, when designing a duplicate denture from an existing denture, it becomes more difficult to exactly match existing denture teeth within a preset library.

Flexcera 3D Resins

Flexcera has shown to be 3 times more resistant to fracture, with total work fracture numbers exceeding 3600J/m2. This ceramic-like material also exhibits a water absorption rate of 1.96%. This very low rate provides great resistance to moisture which aids in the ability to prevent staining or discoloration from liquids. Flexcera Smile produces a natural esthetic and exhibits ceramic-like translucency. When manufacturing teeth with Flexcera Smile, technicians gain the added benefit of being designed as a mono-track 1-piece design that is more resistant to tooth pop. The 1-piece design can be placed and luted into the base in a very efficient manner.

Flexcera Base was introduced in 5 shades—light pink, medium pink, original pink, dark pink, and dark meharry (

). Flexera Smile is available in these popular shades: Bleach, A1, A2, A3, A3.5, and B1 (

. The multitude of base and tooth shades gives the laboratory the ability to produce dentures in the most popular and requested shade combinations. Also, Flexcera Base does have the ability to accept conventional carded teeth if desired. Postprocessing of the materials follows typical laboratory procedures associated with 3D printing 

Although not indicated for use, the material can also be used to fabricate additional products within the dental laboratory such as high-strength esthetic hybrid provisionals.

These provisionals aid in the predictability of large complex cases and provide much value to the restorative team. The ability to print these provisionals efficiently is a great benefit to the dental laboratory today 

Laboratories that adopt this system will also gain capabilities that go with digital dentures that offer great advantages as compared to a traditionally processed denture, including the ability to archive the design data. This may be one of the greatest advantages to a dental laboratory and clinician. Having the ability to remanufacture a denture proves to be an incredible time save in an instance of a lost or broken denture.

As we move forward, we will continue to see product offerings and innovation from companies such as Desktop Health. These innovations will give the modern dental laboratory a competitive edge in the market and aid the laboratory in meeting production demands when dealing with a shrinking workforce. 

The Flexcera™ Systems from Desktop Health offers an entry point to digital systems with great strength and esthetics. 

How to Gain a Competitive Edge with Digital Dentures

Whether you’re ready to retire, want to transition from owner to another role in the lab, or are passing down the business to the next generation, there are a number of things you must think about.

Many factors determine what a lab is worth, including revenue, operating expenses, capital investment, obligations to employees, even inventory.

Although this forms part of the lab’s value, it can also make the lab more or less attractive. A profitable but low-tech lab may be less enticing than one with less revenue but state-of-the-art technology. And it’s not only the equipment that matters, but also how it was purchased and whether money is owed on it. In some cases, paying off the balance on a key piece of equipment can increase the lab’s value.

This also determines value, but consider whether—if you own the premises—you want to remain as the landlord. If you rent the space, this expense may complicate the sale and thus must be reviewed.

If you have staff, it’s important to tell them about a potential sale and consider how it might affect them. Your ideal buyer may be on your payroll, which can make for a great transition


Preparing your customers for the changeover and helping the new owner establish relationships with them can facilitate the sale.

Does your business offer value to the community? Does the brand name mean something? If you want the lab’s reputation to survive, you must discuss this early in the sales process.

Finally, if you want to continue on in a new role as an employee at the lab for a time following the sale, this is a key detail that can enhance the value of your business.

Before putting out the For Sale sign make sure to have a plan.

7 Things to Consider When Preparing to Sell Your Dental Lab

All dental laboratories and practices that provide implant services.

The Straumann TLX Implant System complements the company’s bone-level BLX Implant System. Both use the same set of drills and TorcFit™ connection for maximum compatibility with minimum investment.

The system features a fully tapered implant (for stability) and offers the predictability of a Tissue Level Implant, with a narrow 3.75-diameter option. The implants promote peri-implant health—there is no gap at bone level—and thus are ideal for patients with periodontal conditions. Other features include reduced risk of nesting bacteria, optimized cleanability (soft-tissue connection), and attachment preservation for outstanding long-term results.

A 1-stage process with restoration at soft-tissue level allows you to use chair time more efficiently. It offers a clear view of and accessibility to the connection even in the posterior region. It features a built-in emergence profile and simple soft-tissue management; promotes transgingival healing; and allows elimination of second stage surgery. Redistribution of native bone and control over insertion torque give the system dynamic bone management. It also features Swiss precision and quality with Roxolid® material and SLActive® surface.

This implant system will suit your preferred treatment protocol, be it immediate or conventional placement and loading.

Dental Lab Products February 2022