Communicating with Dental Laboratories

Abstract

Many times dentists receive restorations from the laboratory only to find that they did not meet the expectations of the dentist or patient. Unfortunately, these problems and many others are seen all too often, due to poor communication between the dentist and dental laboratory. This chapter will provide the information the dentist needs to communicate to the laboratory technicians in order to fabricate high-quality, consistent dental restorations. These protocols were developed through years of hands-on experience plus many interviews with dentists and technicians. Dentists and dental technicians share a unique relationship in that we are totally dependent on each other for success. Though we are trained and practice apart from each other, this chapter will illustrate how common tools can be used to facilitate this relationship.