Communication between dentists and dental laboratories is vital. Every successful treatment has a clear communication line behind. The traditional process of writing down a prescription and drawing some sketches to illustrate a plan has been superseded by advanced technology. Indeed, modern laboratories make use of high end tools to better illustrate the desired results. With communication, the dentist and the lab technician can efficiently achieve the targeted results without requiring extra appointments with the patient. Excellent communication also minimizes the cost of the treatment as well as the time spent by the dentist, the technician, and the patient.

It is true that restorative dentistry focuses on restoring patients’ oral health. The aesthetic element comes second. However because of the demand for realistic and long-lasting restorations, the industry is consistently challenged to manufacture high quality dental lab products that possess both characteristics.

Accurate designs and measurements, available tooth structures, and shade matching should be correctly communicated by the dentist to the dental laboratory. Doing so would enable the dental technician to create an aesthetic restoration that perfectly matches the shades and contours of the patient’s teeth. Needless to say, without clear communication, this task can prove to be really challenging.

The methods for communication that a dental laboratory uses greatly influences the accuracy and overall quality of their products. With the recent development of web applications and software, advanced methods can now be used for both communication with dentists and management of cases in a more accurate and time-efficient manner. This is especially crucial if the dental lab manages a high volume of cases that come from various forms of communication, including via telephone, hand-written forms, emails, and more. Dental cases, after all, should be both accurate and fabricated in a timely manner to meet the patients’ schedule. Good communication should not be limited to the dentist and the technician themselves but also among all the members of the staff of both parties – the receptionists, the dental assistants, the logistic team, and others.

Dental laboratories should be able to provide excellent products and even greater customer service to the dental offices for them to achieve a healthy and productive working relationship. Collaborative teamwork plus high quality dental restorations mean successful cases. Because dentists are the ones blamed for any mishaps (specifically inaccurate prostheses), we cannot stress enough how imperative effective communication is. In truth, without communication, a satisfactory patient care and accurate dental restorations would be impossible.

Dental Laboratory Associates maintains clear communication lines with the dentists we work with, resulting to countless patients who are more than satisfied with their dentists’ service and their dental restorations.