Dental South Hits Growth Spurt During Recession

When you have nine record sales months in a row in an economy like this one, you know you're doing something right.

That's the case at Dental South, an eight-year-old laboratory in Gainesville, Georgia that experienced 27% growth in 2009--a year in which almost two-thirds of laboratories say business was down.

So how did this 10-person laboratory navigate the recession well enough to record double-digit growth? First, it entered the downturn with a solid foundation of fabricating high-end cosmetic work for a core group of dentist-clients. In fact, the laboratory now focuses on zirconia and pressable ceramics almost exclusively.
"We really built up our all-ceramic business by earning our clients' trust," says Shannon Davidson, owner of the laboratory. "Early on, I would tell my clients, 'here's what you're paying me for a PFM with a porcelain margin; how would you like to save $20 to $25 a unit? Trust me. Let me be the judge of whether or...