What does a dentist look for when choosing a dental lab?

A dentist choosing a dental lab researches, in this order: price, turnaround time, portfolio of real cases, communication quality, remake policy, and whether the lab runs a digital workflow. That is what I hear every week in conversations with dentists at dentraw LAB, and that combination is what decides who gets the first case.

The detail that changes everything: price opens the door, but it is almost never the reason for a switch. What makes a dentist leave a lab is recurring delays, poorly handled remakes, and the struggle to reach the technician in charge.

Below I break down each criterion that shows up in that research and what you, the dentist, should verify before sending the first case.

Which criteria does the dentist research first?

In the conversations I follow, the research sequence usually looks like this:

1. Price per unit: what a crown, a veneer, or an implant-supported prosthesis costs. It is the initial filter, and the comparison happens before any contact.
2. Turnaround time: how many business days from submission to return, and whether the lab actually delivers what it promises.
3. Portfolio: photos of real cases, ideally the same type of work the dentist sends most often.
4. Communication: response time on WhatsApp or email, clarity on technical questions, a direct line to the ceramist.
5. Remake policy: what happens when a restoration does not fit, who absorbs the cost and the patient's chair time.
6. Digital workflow: whether the lab accepts intraoral scans and works with CAD/CAM, which removes physical impressions and shipping.

Why is price not the deciding criterion?

Price is the entry filter, not the retention criterion. The math a dentist does mentally is simple: a veneer that is cheaper at lab A but arrives a week late means rescheduled patients, a stressed schedule, and frustration in the office. The fee difference rarely pays for that cost.

I learned this firsthand. When Carlos Herton and I started dentraw LAB, we interviewed dentists about their relationships with labs, and the sentence that repeated the most was some version of: "I don't switch over a few dollars, I switch when I can't trust the deadline." Carlos, who has spent years in the dental world training more than 4,000 students, confirmed the same pattern from the other side: a lab that delivers on time and replies fast rarely loses a client over price.

What does the dentist check about technical quality?

Technical quality is hard to judge from a website or Instagram, so the dentist looks for indirect signals:

Signal	What the dentist infers
Portfolio with detailed real photos	Mastery of characterization and finishing
Cases in the same niche as the practice	Experience with the type of work they send most
Fast, precise technical answers	Accessible technician, not just a sales team
Deadline met on the test case	Organized internal process
Clear remake policy	A lab that takes responsibility

The safest path I recommend: start with a simple case, like a single crown, before sending a full-mouth rehabilitation. One test case reveals communication, the real turnaround, and the finishing quality without putting a complex patient at risk.

How does the digital workflow factor into the research?

More and more dentists filter labs by digital capability: accepting intraoral scan files, designing in CAD/CAM, offering a design preview before milling. For a dentist who already scans, sending a physical impression has become a step backward in logistics and precision.

Digital workflow, in one sentence: it is the process where the case travels as a digital file from scan to milling, with no physical impression, cutting shipping, bubbles, and impression distortion. If you work with a scanner, confirm with the lab which file formats it accepts and whether there is a digital preview for approval before production.

Which questions should you ask before committing to a lab?

The list I would suggest to any dentist in the selection phase:

1. What is the real turnaround time for the type of work you send most, and what happens when it runs late?
2. How does the remake process work: who pays, how long it takes, how it is communicated?
3. Can I speak directly with the technician or ceramist on my case?
4. Do you accept intraoral scans? In which formats?
5. Do you have a portfolio of real cases similar to mine?
6. Is the fee schedule fixed, or does it vary by material and complexity?

A lab that answers these six questions without dodging has already shown the hardest thing: transparency.

FAQ

What do dentists research first before choosing a dental lab? Price, turnaround time, and a portfolio of real cases. After that come communication quality, the remake policy, and whether the lab runs a digital workflow.

Is price the most important criterion when choosing a lab? Not on its own. Price opens the door, but late deliveries and remakes cost more than the fee difference. Most dentists switch labs over deadlines and communication, not price.

What is a digital workflow in a dental lab? It is the process where the dentist sends an intraoral scan instead of a physical impression, and the lab designs and mills the restoration with CAD/CAM. It cuts shipping time and impression errors.

How do you evaluate a lab's quality before sending the first case? Ask for a portfolio of real cases, start with a simple case as a test, and evaluate communication end to end: fast replies, technical questions answered well, deadline met.

Where can you find dental labs to compare? Besides referrals from colleagues, there are online directories like the dentraw LAB lab directory, where you compare profiles and contact labs directly.

If you are in this comparison phase, take a look at the dentraw LAB lab directory: profiles of partner labs in one place, so you can compare and talk directly with the team producing your restorations.

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