Historically, the success of a business operating in the dental laboratory space was measured by the number of employees working at the bench. The more technicians the laboratory employed, the more products it could produce and deliver, and thus the more successful the operation. However, today that benchmark of production performance criteria and consequent financial success has largely disappeared as the industry morphed over the past decade from labor-intensive production processes to more streamlined and automated digital workflows. In this new environment, the mindset of successful business owners has shifted to increasing production efficiencies without increasing labor costs, remaining flexible and nimble in a changing market, and using all available resources to meet the demand of clients. The ability of laboratories, both small and large, to partner with a quality production center can play an important role in helping them meet their business objectives.

The Impact of Sourcing SLM: A Small Laboratory Experience

Trained by the Army as a dental hygienist, Mark Walter, MDT spent more than a decade after his discharge from the Army working in the dental laboratory industry and learning as much as he could. That eventually led him to taking on the roles of production manager and department supervisor for several dental laboratories before transitioning to a territory sales representative position with Ivoclar Vivadent. It wasn’t until he became the first certified trainer in the US for 3Shape that Walter’s eyes were opened to new technology-driven production processes that would be particularly appealing to small laboratory owners who have set their businesses on the course of growth through increasing production capacity. Armed with sales and managerial experience—as well as a good working knowledge of scan/design technology and a Masters in Dental Technology degree—Walter set about building his new business, Smile Renovation Studio, two years ago. His business strategy was to leverage the power of his scan/design software and the wide range of products available through Bego’s production center to service his clients. “The ability to scan models and send the STL design files to a production center is a huge time-saver for small laboratories like mine,” says Walter. “Especially since a majority of my clients are still prescribing non-precious metal-based restorations.” Delivering a 60/40 ratio of PFM to all-ceramic products, the ability of Walter to eliminate the waxing, investing, casting, and divesting stages of production frees him to deliver a more finished product to his customers and chat about the case or make sales calls to solicit new clients to add to his 13-client customer base. “If someone looked at it on paper, they might think that it is less expensive to cast in house,” says Walter. “But the price is very attractive and the benefits are enormous for me personally and for my business.” Most importantly, Walter no longer has issues with miscasts, warpage, or the cutting and soldering problems involved with traditionally cast multi-unit cases. “I had a 10-unit try-in case yesterday that the client said fit beautifully and dropped right in the mouth.” In the short time Walter has been in business, he already has had to move from a 150-square foot facility to a larger, 1200-square foot laboratory in Kingston and added a full-time employee. Being a small 2-person business, Walter has also joined the OPT-In Dental Laboratory Cooperative, which offers Smile Renovations with the pricing discounts, mass marketing, and peer support that small businesses need to survive.