September 2013

Just like the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of the Internet, 3D printing is certain to be a game changer. With the lower cost of the equipment and an increase in printer speed, this technology is now being used for customized, on-demand manufacturing. In the same way that 3D printing is revolutionizing...

Several years ago we received a case that sparked a complete shift in the way our lab is run. A doctor asked us to make two zirconia crowns for a 17-year-old girl. The crowns were to replace teeth #8-9 and the prescription specified that the length of the centrals be 18mm long! We called to clarify the...

This week I was scheduled to have two posts placed in my crown-lengthened tooth. That didn't happen.

Instead of feeling no pain in the tooth, it became increasingly sensitive to pressure. Then, a few weeks ago, I couldn't tolerate anything cold in that quadrant of my mouth. So I went to see the prosthodontist...

Thanks to the advent of digital technology, many laboratory owners and managers are discovering new business models and finding ways to reinvent their businesses and reinvigorate their careers. Here are the stories of three lab owners/managers who have done so using Sirona Dental, Inc.'s CEREC Acquistion Centers, Sirona Connect.

Although large, professionally managed group practices still only represent a small segment (7 to 8%) of the dental profession, their explosive growth in the last few years indicates that the trend will continue. That means there's also a growing opportunity for dental technicians at these practices'...

The changing demographics of the dental field could bode well for laboratories. There are more general practitioners and prosthodontists, more dental consumers and fewer laboratories. In other words, the potential client base per laboratory is growing.

Here's a look at the shifting...

We all know it was not an overnight transition but here we are: a genuinely digital industry. There were several years during which you expressed frustration that all the trade magazines placed so much emphasis on CAD/CAM technology. Now you know why! It’s our job to sound the alert when we recognize...

Between 1986 and 2001, seven dental schools closed their doors. However, in the past several years, that trend has reversed: To meet the growing demand for careers in dentistry, seven new predoctoral dental programs opened in the U.S. since 2011, bringing the total number of active schools to 65. Add...

Are there moments in your lab when you turn to a coworker and say, "Can you believe what just happened? This is so funny—it should be on TV!"

Share your funniest lab moments and get featured in LMT's Friday Funnies!

Simply send us a brief description of your funny lab moment; it's that...

Written by Erik K. Curtis, DDS, MA, MAGD and reprinted with permission from AGD Impact, October 2012. (c)Academy of General Dentistry. All rights reserved. On the Web at www.agd.org. License #37166

America loves big business. Never mind the warnings of philosophers and other naysayers. For every Occupy...

The number of large dental practices has risen 25% in just two years, according to the ADA, and although many of them have their own on-site laboratories, they often work with independent laboratories as well. In fact, nearly one-quarter of respondents to an LMT survey say they work with at least one...

On the heels of LMT's September special coverage, The Changing Landscape of Dentistry, about the changing demographics, business models and other factors influencing your client base, the ADA just released an in-depth report, A Profession in Transition: Key Forces Reshaping the Dental Landscape,...

A year ago, Whip Mix Corp. promoted its Vice President of Manufacturing, Jim Myers, to President of the company, succeeding Allen Steinbock, the grandson of Whip Mix Founder Edmund Steinbock, Sr. This promotion makes Myers the first non-family member President in the company's history. LMT travelled...