Question:
Do any of you guys know of a great dental lab where the indivicual takes
pride in each piece of work, is dependable, is an artist in ability and is
priced reasonably. (I didn't say cheap, you don't get somethin' for
nothin'). I am beginning to wonder if I am just a compulsive perfectionist,
or can I expect my lab to do what they are supposed to do in a state of the
art way, on time for a reasonable fee?
I have decided that there is an expectation out west that less than your
best is ok!
Answer:
As a qualified and licensed dentist, I can assure you that Jan Drew's advice
and links can be safely ignored. She is retired daycare center owner with a
personal, ill-founded agenda. None of the qualified and licensed dentists
who frequent this group endorse her advice and the websites she provides
links to..
You will occasionally see used machine even cheaper.
Because of what the machines saves you, The machine turns out to be free.
You simply move money from your lab bill to pay the machine. Then, you go
on to save about $2-5K more each month on lab fees and chair time.
I assume your using it for all crowns, onlays inlays and veneers
(2nd molars included ?), but how about fixed bridges, splinted onlays or
crowns, casted post and cores, implant crowns, etc. In my practice 4-5K a
month constitutes my average fixed lab bill. Certainly some of those costs are
procedures the Cerec 3 of as yet incapable of doing. At a figure of 2.5K a
month for onlays, veneers, and single crowns it would take over 3 years for the
Cerec machine to pay for itself in my practice. Of course this assume the
material used for the Cerec is gratis and there is little or no maintanence
costs for it over the first 38 months.
You need to figure you lab fee plus your hourly overhead for the seating
appointment. The added plus is that patients will schedule for these easier
than they will for 2 appointment C&B. A Cerec 3 is roughly $1,800 USD per
month right now. Most Cerec Doc's end up doing 1-3 of these a day once they
get up to speed. The loan payment gets made real easy. Blocks are roughly
$20. But, you have no impression material nor any temporary material.
I am not trying to convince anyone to buy this thing. It is fine with me if
it takes a long time for the rest of the profession to catch up. But, if
asked, I tell the truth. My production has gone up between 15% and 20%
since getting the machine. And,,,,,,, I do NOT market the machine. I do
NOT push these restorations. I simply moved over what would have been a
core and crown to getting a Cerec restoration instead.
For RCT molars, this thing really flies. You prep for the "endo-crown"
first, scan, design and start milling. Then you do the RCT (one appt) with
the crown reduced 30-50%. The RCT goes faster due to better visibility.
Finish the RCT, and bond the crown in place. BTW, these have the post
milled as part of the crown. One appt RCT and P&C and Crown in the time you
would have spent just prepping for a conventional crown. Patients never beg
to spread it out over 3-4 appt's.
