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Production
Turnaround time in a dental laboratory averages 7–10 working days for a single crown, but only 2–3 days of that span is actual hands-on production. The rest is case queuing, material transit, furnace batch waits and communication lag—all compressible without sacrificing fit or aesthetics.
Digital Workflow
A structured STL intake protocol verifying margin definition, interproximal contacts, antagonist capture and file integrity in 15 minutes flags unworkable scans before design starts. Labs using a formal digital impression quality checklist report remake rates dropping from 8–12% to 3–5%.
Lab Economics
A defensible dental lab price list starts with accurate cost per unit—direct materials, labor, equipment time and allocated overhead—then applies margin targets by case complexity. Most labs under-price by 15–30% because they ignore machine time, QC labor and remake reserves.
Quality & Remakes
A good dental lab remake rate sits between 2% and 4% of shipped units, measured as remakes divided by total cases delivered in a rolling 30-day window. Every percentage point above 4% costs a mid-sized lab $45,000 per year in direct labor, materials and lost throughput.
Materials
Monolithic zirconia delivers flexural strength above 900 MPa and suits bruxers and minimal-prep cases; IPS e.max CAD offers superior translucency and marginal accuracy below 50 µm for aesthetic premolars. Labs choose by occlusal load, prep depth and shade match requirements.
Lab Economics
A full-arch remake typically costs a dental laboratory between $420 and $680 in direct expenses, depending on material choice and technician seniority. Most labs absorb this loss entirely, eroding lab profitability by 8–12% annually when remake rates exceed 3%.
LabSync