How do I find a good dental lab?

For a general dentist or prosthodontist choosing a lab partner, the single costliest mistake is anonymous case handling. When a case ships to a national network lab, it enters a CAD queue with no named technician accountable for fit or shade. Remakes cost chair time: a single crown remake at a typical fee schedule runs $150-$300 in lost appointment value, not counting the re-scheduling friction. A lab that assigns a named technician to each account and lists a direct line on every case card removes that ambiguity before it becomes a remake.

Turnaround SLA matters more than price for high-volume restorative practices. A lab that ships crown and bridge in 5 business days lets you schedule a 2-appointment protocol with confidence. One that ships in 10-12 days forces you to either extend the patient's temporary or absorb same-day scheduling risk. Ask any prospective lab for their average turnaround over the trailing 90 days, not a marketing claim.

Digital readiness is the third filter. If a lab cannot accept STL files directly from your intraoral scanner, you are adding a physical impression step that increases distortion risk and adds 1-2 days. Confirm the lab accepts files from your specific scanner brand, and ask whether CAD design is done in-house or outsourced to a third-party milling center, because outsourced milling introduces a quality handoff your lab cannot fully control.