ANSWERS

How do dental labs work with dentists?

Dental labs receive a case prescription from a dentist with impressions or intraoral scans, then design and fabricate the restoration, crown, bridge, denture, implant prosthetic, or appliance, and ship it back for seatment. Modern digital labs accept STL files from scanners like iTero or Trios, return cases in 5 to...

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Why it works this way

The case prescription is the contract

Every lab case starts with an Rx form from the dentist specifying the restoration type, material, shade, margin design, and seat date. The dentist sends impressions (PVS, alginate, or a digital STL file from an intraoral scanner) along with bite registration, opposing model, and photos for shade-matching on anterior cases. At Dani Dental, we accept scans from iTero, Trios, Medit, Primescan, and Carestream, and we run a same-day case-review on every Rx that arrives before 2pm Arizona time.

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What information does a dental lab need from the dentist?

A complete case requires the Rx form (restoration type, material, shade, margin design, seat date), impressions or an STL scan file, bite registration, opposing arch model or scan, and clinical photos for shade-sensitive anterior work. On implant cases, add the scan body verification, abutment specs, and emergence profile notes. Missing any of these triggers a callback to the office, which is the single most common cause of lab turnaround delays, not fabrication time itself.

How long does it take a dental lab to make a crown?

Single-unit crown and bridge turnaround across US labs averages 7 to 12 business days per the 2024 LMT Magazine survey. Dani Dental ships single-unit zirconia and lithium disilicate crowns in 5 to 7 business days from case receipt. Full-arch implant prosthetics, layered anterior esthetic cases, and complex full-mouth rehabilitation run longer, typically 3 to 8 weeks depending on try-in cycles and material. Rush turnaround on emergency cases is available with prior coordination.

Can a dentist send digital scans instead of physical impressions?

Yes, and most modern labs prefer it. Digital intraoral scans from iTero, Trios, Medit, Primescan, and Carestream are accepted as STL files and eliminate the 8 to 12% rejection rate on analog impressions reported in the 2023 Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Digital scans also let the lab return a CAD design preview before milling, shorten shipping time, and enable same-day case-review on cases received before the afternoon cutoff.

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This answer is one piece of a larger workflow. The pillar page covers materials, turnaround, and how we build the case to your specification.

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