Dental Lab Equipment: Ten Must-Haves According To Experts The first step in providing successful dental care is to make an accurate dental diagnosis. However, we cannot neglect the importance of a dental laboratory. Dental lab technicians must also apply their expertise in dental device and prostheses fabrication to deliver an overall treatment. Like most dental practices, the use of high-quality dental tools and materials is also necessary. A piece of well-functioning dental equipment plays a huge role in reducing the rate of treatment failures. So, which dental lab equipment should your dental facility have? Let’s find out!
What Makes an Ideal Dental Laboratory Equipment?
Delivering a high-quality dental prosthesis does not need to be expensive. Therefore, to make your dental fabrications in best quality, your equipment should possess all of the following characteristics:
Biocompatibility
Dental laboratories must utilise materials that offer physiological compatibility with oral tissues. Since every patient is different, some materials might lead to allergic reactions in certain individuals. Therefore, it is crucial that each piece of equipment should not contain irritants, cause allergies, or contain cytotoxic materials.
Ease of Use
Some dental lab equipment has a quick setup and manipulation time, which might make fabrication challenging during usage. The dental lab should use materials that allow for enough handling time. It provides dental technicians ease of use and lowers extra costs from manufacturing failures.
Shelf-Life
Of course, every dental laboratory should invest in materials that have a long lifespan. An ideal dental equipment must have the ability to withstand wear and tear for an extended period. Moreover, this factor is significant in terms that the material allows storage without any additional precautions.
Strength
Dental facilities are prone to changes in temperature and humidity, which can cause damages to the physical characteristics of any equipment. The equipment’s strength varies depending on what it’s used for. Ideally, they should resist any threats of breakage and allow technicians to utilise the equipment without being prone to harm.
Types of Dental Lab Equipment
Choosing the right type of dental equipment is necessary. Whether your lab is dedicated to employing the latest digital technology or sticking to traditional methods. It is best to make sure that each piece of equipment works in helping you achieve optimum results. Investing in high-quality dental lab equipment and keeping it well-maintained can help your lab fulfill increasing demands for detachable and fixed dental prosthetics.
Common Equipment Dental Lab Must-Haves
1. Dental Microscopes
A dental microscope is a traditional piece of equipment you’ll find in most dental labs. It allows dental care providers to view features and fine details that would otherwise be impossible to view by the naked eye. This equipment improves the quality of your examination and treatment across the board. Moreover, a dental microscope’s ergonomic design eliminates risks of back pain and body aches for anyone who uses it.
2. Dental Scanner
Suppose you opt for a more innovative way to communicate and share patient information. In that case, a dental scanner is perfect for you. This scanning system utilises new technology, allowing orthodontists to provide diagnoses and formulate treatment plans much easier.
3 Model-building Equipment
With industry-leading 3D printers, you can bring manufacturing in-house or enhance existing operations. It enables dental laboratories and clinics to produce splints, clear aligner models, biocompatible surgical guides, fixed patterns and models, and complete dentures in a timely manner.
4 Dental Die and Casting Machine
While ceramic and porcelain restorations are becoming increasingly common, many dental laboratories still prefer metal-based restorations. This type of treatment requires components that are properly cast. Therefore, most dental laboratories will benefit from dental die and casting equipment. This machine offers automation for many labour-intensive aspects of fabrication processes. It also provides monitoring of timings and temperatures with high precision.
5 Divesting Machines
To remove the mould surrounding a casting, it is useful to have a dental divesting machine. This equipment is also essential in cleaning and getting rid of all kinds of dirt in a dental instrument or machine. The dental divesting machine may come from a variety of materials, including zirconia, metals, and ceramics.
6 Dental Electric Waxers
Electric dental waxers cut and shape dental waxes that may be used to design burnout or repairs prior to casting. This equipment heats up the metal tip, making it simpler to shape and carve the waxes that are significant in the dentistry laboratory and offices.
7 Lighting Equipment
Most tasks require proper lighting and magnification for a more accurate outcome. So, dental labs require great demands on lighting equipment. An ideal lighting equipment must be lightweight, with high brightness and reduced heat to provide the best illumination at your workstation.
8 Air Purifier and Filtration System
Dental laboratories utilise a variety of substances that are harmful to one’s health. This situation puts the dental technicians and employees at risk of asthma, allergies, and other side effects of long-term chemical exposure. By lowering the number of viruses and germs in the dental offices, we can reduce these risks. Therefore, it is essential to place a piece of equipment that will improve air quality in the area, such as room air purifiers and exhaust ventilation. These work by safeguarding dental staff and patients.
9 Other Materials and Hand Tools
A dental laboratory technician must have a keen sense of details. Points, curves, crevices, and other distinguishing characteristics can be seen on teeth. So, to develop and add life to the finer features of a tooth, they must rely on their eyes and hands. Moreover, technicians can finalise their work with the help of dental files, picks, and other shaping tools. These materials help manually create the ridges and curves that provide teeth the individuality and function while making your new teeth appear closer than natural ones.
10 Shade Guide and Computer Colourimeter
The teeth lab technicians create for their patients must blend well with the rest of their smiles. In theory, crowns and bridges should blend with the rest of the patient’s natural teeth colour.
A shade guide is a collection of typical off-white tooth colours. The dental staff may use it to match their designs to a patient’s natural teeth, ensuring that prostheses blend in. On the other hand, a computer colourimeter offers similar results but with a more advanced twist. Nonetheless, both tools focus on the accuracy of colour comparison and coordination.
Most Trusted Dental Lab Equipment Supplier
When you purchase online at Dental Lab Shop, you can get high-quality dental lab equipment at an affordable price range. We know how critical your clinic is to the success of your practice, which is why it’s vital to have well-trusted equipment on hand to accomplish your tasks more efficiently.At Critical Dental we understand the need for both quality and affordability, and with over 50 years of experience in the dental industry, we can confidently deliver on both.
Whether you’re setting up a new clinic or upgrading your existing one, we’ve got you covered! We offer a broad range of dental equipment and supplies, perfect for all types of services. Please do not hesitate to browse through our catalogue. We are sure you’ll find all you need, from the basic dental office tools to specialised equipment for a fully functional dental lab. Feel free to contact us for more information.