Partial Framework Lab Goes Digital, Nearly Triples Caseload

Before Al Ranger went digital, he and his part-time technician were fabricating about 16 highly customized partial denture frameworks per week, mostly for other laboratories, and was turning work away. “I insist on quality over quantity and I was always conscious of not taking on more work than I could do correctly,” says Ranger, a veteran technician and Owner of Ranger Dental Lab in Manchester, NH.

In 2010, with an eye on boosting his internal production capacity, Ranger began researching scanners and software to digitize his partial frames. He spent three years talking to reps and other lab owners, taking online webinars, testing systems in his lab and outsourcing cases to evaluate quality.

After experimenting with about five different systems, he ultimately chose the Dental Wings scanner and software because it allowed him to create a highly customized product. “While some programs didn’t allow me to taper the clasps, vary the thickness of the...