The dental lab you partner with will have a direct impact on the quality of your patient care and the profitability of your practice. Ideally, with the right partner, you’ll develop a mutually beneficial relationship that lets you better meet your patients’ needs. However, it’s important to be mindful of who you’re working with. An inconsistent dental laboratory can have a lasting negative impact on your practice’s reputation and services.

Before partnering with a lab, you must review their credentials and credibility. After all, in some ways, their on-the-job conduct will determine your reputability too.

Do your research before you establish a relationship with a dental lab. Specifically, you’ll want the answers to these three essential questions about their procedures and methodologies.

1. Is the Dental Lab Using ADA-Compliant Materials and Technology?

Dentistry is always changing and improving to better serve the public. Staying competitive requires practitioners to embrace new technology. Of course, patient safety comes first, so it’s critical to source new tech from reliable suppliers.

Restorative dentistry, bone replacement, composite materials, and dental implants increase the care options you can offer your patients. However, many of your competitors might already be implementing new tech. Standing out is a challenge, but working with esteemed manufacturers like Sterngold Dental can set you apart.

Start your search for a dental lab by evaluating the materials and technology it uses. A lack in this area could severely impact the productivity of your partnership, so it’s important to make sure every lab you consider is using accredited tech.

Luckily, you don’t have to be an expert. All you need to know is that the dental lab you’re considering is recognized by or implementing any of these three key acronyms: ADA, QS, and GMP. Doing so can tell you a lot about the reliability and reputation of a potential partner, so let’s learn more about them.

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Today’s dental lab technology creates various restorative dentistry solutions, including crowns and bridges. | Source: Shutterstock

American Dental Association

To be stamped with the American Dental Association (ADA) seal, a product must submit demonstrable evidence of its efficacy and meet category requirements. Evidence can come in the form of data, laboratory studies, or clinical studies. The ADA’s Council on Scientific Affairs reviews submitted products to determine if they’re up to standard.

Products that pass the rigorous qualifications are affixed with the ADA seal for a period of five years, after which they must again qualify with updated data. The thorough qualification process for products displaying the ADA seal gives consumers a high degree of confidence. Practitioners and patients alike can trust ADA products to be safe, effective, and overall beneficial to their oral health.

It’s critical that any dental lab you consider working with uses ADA-compliant technology and equipment. That way, you’ll know you’re providing the best service to your patients. You’ll also bolster your reputation with the ADA seal.

Quality System and Good Manufacturing Practices

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the use of a quality system (QS) to ensure the continuous safety of products produced by dental labs. A lab’s QS and good manufacturing practices (GMP) work in tandem to meet required specifications. As a practitioner, a dental lab supplier’s QS/GMP offers multiple benefits to your practice:

  • Compliance with governmental regulations
  • Demonstrable consistency in product quality and efficacy
  • Optimized internal production for increased productivity
  • Better cost management
  • Credibility and transparency in production
  • Streamlined communication and administration processes
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Oral health products like dental prostheses are created with ADA-compliant equipment at a dental lab. | Source: Shutterstock

2. Is the Dental Lab Following All Standard Health and Safety Protocols?

Your dental lab partner’s adherence to health and safety regulations reflects on you, so make sure it’s following state, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and FDA guidelines. For instance, the FDA ranks medical devices from class I-class III based on their risk levels, with each consecutive class requiring stricter oversight. If your lab isn’t adhering to these standards, you could potentially find yourself treating patients with faulty devices.

You would never compromise your patient care standards, and the lab you work with shouldn’t either. This is why FDA registration is required for any establishment producing medical devices.

Dangerous materials are often present in the production of medical devices, and there are additional rules and regulations for work environments that use them. For instance, your lab partner should be following these additional safety regulations when utilizing any applicable materials:

  • Hazard Communication Standard (HCS or Haz-Com) and Chemical Hygiene are OSHA-based standards. The goal is to ensure both the safety of employees and the careful handling of a wide array of potentially harmful substances or working conditions.
  • Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (BPS) is a set of best practices designed to prevent workers from inadvertent exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
  • Emergency Action Planning is a critical component of crisis management and essential for any well-run laboratory.
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be standard for all dental lab employees.
  • Compressed Gases can be highly dangerous. There should be strict procedures in place when handling pressurized gas.

3. Does the Dental Lab Enforce Necessary Guidelines Related to COVID-19?

COVID-19’s disruption of dentistry continues to cause an increased need for hygienic vigilance. The dental lab you choose to work with should at least be following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state guidelines surrounding disinfection, personal protection, and social distancing.

In addition, laboratory employees should be trained in reducing the risk of viral infection spread, including a specific review of respiratory hygiene. Ask to see documentation of this training before engaging in a partnership, and get an outline of their precautionary procedures. A robust plan will include measures aimed at hand hygiene, disinfection, PPE, managing sterilized instruments, and social distancing.

An unexpected outbreak can cause significant disruptions in your partnership, so make sure your partner lab is practicing proper risk minimization.

Partnering With a Reputable Manufacturer

Your partner can either hinder or propel your practice’s growth, so it’s important to choose carefully. Established manufacturers like Sterngold Dental have existing partnerships with vetted dental labs that produce high-quality, up-to-date technology that help practices offer competitive services.

Sterngold provides state-of-the-art devices for restorative dentistry procedures, including tooth reconstruction and restoration. Plus, it continuously expands its offerings based on the latest tech like digital dentures, mini-implants, or holistic medicinal options such as CBD cream for TMJ discomfort. Because, when it comes to patient care, it’s best to go with a trusted option.