Dental laboratories work with dentists to create restorations that improve a patient’s oral health, comfort, and smile. Whether you need dentures or crowns, these professionals use your instructions to create functional and comfortable appliances tailored to each patient’s specific needs. Here are some roles of dental labs in oral health care:
Making Dental Devices
Experienced dental labs create removable restorations, such as full and partial dentures, that replace gaps left by missing teeth. If you need crowns to attach to existing teeth or implants, technicians can make them using zirconia and porcelain materials. These professionals also create orthodontic appliances, like retainers, spacers, and expanders, that help maintain tooth alignment.
To help athletes protect their teeth during high-impact sports like hockey, boxing, and basketball, technicians may design custom-made mouthguards. For patients who grind their teeth in their sleep, nightguards also benefit them. It prevents tooth damage and reduces jaw tension. These facilities also make implants that improve appearance and maintain jawbone health by preventing bone loss where teeth are missing.
Creating Dental Models
Using advanced technology, dental laboratories create orthodontic and diagnostic models for dentists and other labs. Dentists use diagnostic models to analyze the bite, alignment issues, spacing, and crowding in a patient’s mouth when planning treatment. In labs, technicians use work models to design crowns, bridges, dentures, and veneers, depending on the shape, fit, and bite of the dental work.
Orthodontic models assist in designing and fabricating retainers, expanders, and aligners by checking the alignment and jaw structure. To create dental models, dentists send impressions of a patient’s mouth to a lab, which processes them through computer-aided design software. Laboratories use these models to adjust oral devices with issues, so that they become comfortable and effective.
Fixing and Replacing Appliances
If patients have damaged or worn-out appliances, labs repair, adjust, or replace them, based on their condition. As a dentist, you can send the damaged device to the laboratory, explaining the issue, for technicians to resolve it. To fix cracks in a metal or plastic appliance, these specialists realign the fracture and then use a laser to weld it together. For retainers, lab technicians realign wires or replace worn parts to help them keep teeth in the right position and fit comfortably.
Also known as relining, dental laboratories add new material to dentures to ensure they sit comfortably on the gums without irritation. Adding metal or flexible clasps to partial dentures makes them stronger and more comfortable, preventing pressure on the teeth and gums. Before sending the repaired or new device back, labs check if it is strong enough or matches the required aesthetics.
Enhancing Patient Care
As a team, dentists and dental laboratories collaborate to produce high-quality products that patients can wear comfortably. Dentists send digital scans, bite information, and case prescriptions to labs to work on the orders. Labs consult with dentists about the type of materials they use and the designs, ensuring that patients receive the right appliances.
Depending on the case, labs may suggest using zirconia instead of metal. This produces more appealing dental restorations. Throughout the entire process, labs inform dentists when to expect the dental devices, which helps them schedule patients for fittings. This minimizes delays and allows individuals to receive their oral appliances promptly, enabling them to protect their teeth from decay or sensitivity.
Choose Qualified Dental Labs
Whether you need new orders or remakes, skilled technicians can review your case and work on the beginning of the project. These specialists recommend the most suitable materials to use. This may include thermoplastic resin, ceramics, zirconia, and titanium. To learn more about what services a dental lab offers, call or email them today for more information.
