To invest or not to invest: Which are the factors that motivate or discourage dental laboratory owners?

What preoccupies dental laboratory owners today? What induces them to invest in their laboratories? And what keeps them from making investments? What are their needs, doubts and concerns?

Most important drivers and obstacles

Ivoclar Vivadent questioned its customers very carefully on exactly this topic. The below graphic representation shows the most important factors that drive or hamper investments in new systems and materials by dental laboratories.

Drivers: Increased quality and efficiency

Dental technicians see the possibility of enhancing the quality of their restorations and the ease of use of a product and its efficiency as key drivers for investment. Moreover, good service is also very important to many of them. They are keen to embrace innovations in order to meet the requirements of their dentist customers in the best possible way. The image of the manufacturers of products, materials and equipment also plays an important part in their considerations.

Obstacles: Change of work procedures and loss of quality

Required changes of the work procedures in the lab rank among the biggest obstacles. Due to the learning curve needed by the laboratory staff in handling new materials and equipment, the quality and esthetics of the outcome is unpredictable. Concerns also include the lack of compatibility of certain products and product systems with existing products - another factor that sometimes deters dental technicians from making investments.

The future of dental-lab technology has long since begun. The digital revolution (CAD/CAM) has also reached the dental world. Are you interested to know where dental-lab technology is heading? We have summarized the six most important trends for you based on interviews with experienced technicians, lab visits and talks with experts.