Lab Selection

Next to salaries and benefits for associates, assistants and hygienists, dental laboratory fees are a dentist's greatest expense. You wouldn't hire a dental assistant without an interview, so, why "hire" a laboratory without one?

We believe that these general suggestions will assist you in finding the right laboratory for your needs and avoid the dangerous pitfalls of "trial and error."

INSPECT

Personally visit and inspect any facility under serious consideration.

1. The appearance of a laboratory is usually an indicator of management's overall philosophy and attitude toward the operation of a dental laboratory. If the laboratory is clean, well kept, and properly equipped; if work flow is orderly and systemized; and if working conditions appear desirable, you can reasonably expect the level of quality and service you receive to reflect these conditions.
2. Examine some of the cases currently being fabricated in the laboratory. Observe the workflow and the individual technicians handling the restoration.

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Meet with the laboratory owner.

1. Is he/she the kind of person that you would like to have working for you?
2. Do you communicate well with each other?
3. Does he/she understand your needs?
4. Is he/she technically oriented?
5. Does he/she participate in continuing education programs?
6. Are his/her philosophies regarding restorations/prosthetics compatible with yours?

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QUESTION

Find the answers to these important questions:

1. Is the laboratory capable of handling advanced concepts - the complicated - the unusual?
2. How is quality controlled and checked?
3. What is the laboratory's philosophy on quality versus price, and how does this compare with yours?
4. Is the laboratory capable of handling all your restorative needs?
5. What is the laboratory's casework fabrication schedule and will it meet your needs ... when a choice must be made between time and quality, which will the laboratory choose?
6. Can the laboratory make available or work with any specific materials and/or techniques for which you have a special preference?
7. Can the laboratory provide technical assistance and consultation when and where needed?
8. How does the laboratory maintain communications with its dentists?
9. What special services and capabilities do they offer?

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TRY-OUT

Once you have narrowed your selection list ...

1. Talk to some of the dentists who are currently using the laboratory. The laboratory with CONSISTENT QUALITY AND CONSISTENT SERVICE will gladly give you the names of some of the dentists it is privileged to serve.
2. Send four or five cases to the laboratory. Avoid judging any laboratory upon the results of one case. It takes time for a laboratory to get to know you and for you to know them.

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CAPABILITY

Some laboratories use the label "Full Service," but actually send out (sub-contract) portions of the casework they receive. This is usually done because the laboratory's dentist-customers do not send enough prescriptions for a particular type of casework to warrant a capital investment in equipment and human resources.

Therefore, your over-riding concerns should be:

1. Does the laboratory have the proficiency to complete your prescription and follow your casework fabrication preferences for any type of restoration?
2. Does the laboratory have a highly skilled complement of technicians, state-of-the-art equipment and ADA approved materials to complete your casework on a CONSISTENT basis?
3. Does the laboratory train all its personnel to ardently practice infection control procedures advocated by the ADA, CDC and OSHA?
4. Can the laboratory accommodate any restorative and/or prosthetic challenge you may encounter in your practice?
5. Are they aware of the considerable clinical skills you must employ to cope with the consequences of partial and/or complete edentulism ... and do they provide outstanding services and technical support that offers you and your patients a good, long-term and predictable prognosis?

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SERVICE

No matter how fine the quality of the work, it would be valueless if it were not combined with dependable service and effective communications.

A knowledgeable technical consultant should always be available to the dentist to review casework which is already at the laboratory or to discuss study models and treatment plans with reference to applicable laboratory techniques, materials, and procedures. His/her experience and "know-how" should be further backed up by a staff of qualified technicians who are available to meet with the dentist whenever the need may arise.

Obviously, the precision-restorative laboratory must have a prompt, reliable pick-up and delivery service as well as the capability to service more distant dentists by express mail.

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RESEARCH

The laboratory should be actively involved in research and development. It must keep abreast of new materials, techniques, and equipment, and it must be able to effectively pass this information on to its dentists.

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... AND MORE

There are numerous other characteristics, which identify the precision-restorative laboratory, and some have their individual unique capabilities and services as well. We have attempted to isolate only the common and most significant characteristics ... characteristics, which should be explored carefully and thoroughly in the search for a dental laboratory.

With the knowledgeable "precision-restorative" laboratory as part of your dental health care team, your professional scope is maximized. The effective and consistent, high quality which is achieved will insure maximum results with every case, save you hours of priceless chair time, and ultimately add to the prestige of the practice.

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Selser Dental Lab, Inc.
dedicates itself to "Enhancing Your Quality of Care."
864 Behrman Highway, Terrytown, LA 70056
Phone (504)392-1511 | Fax (504)392-1581