What type of dental laboratory equipment do you need?
The answer to this question is completely dependent on what type of lab you operate and what types of restorations you want to be able to create. If you are a full service lab using a variety of techniques to produce fixed and removable restorations from a wide range of materials, then your lab will require an equally vast range of equipment, and it will make a lot of sense to look at systems that are both flexible and efficient. If you are a specialty lab focused on one restorative area, then you will want to invest in the dental lab equipment best suited to the tasks you will need to complete every day.
Just about every lab will have need for the basics such as laboratory furniture including workbenches and lighting, as well as utility equipment including dust collectors and compressors. Other must haves when it comes to dental laboratory equipment include a reliable and versatile handpiece, an articulation system for mounting models and cases, as well as cleaning and polishing systems for putting those final touches on restorations. Another category of dental lab equipment that can be put to use in almost any lab is a CAD/CAM system. These digital platforms can be used for the design and fabrication of both fixed and removable prosthetics, and with a wide range of systems and components available, there is digital dental technology that can fit with and enhance the workflow of both large and small dental labs. If your lab will be fabricating fixed restorations such as crowns and bridges there are a number of equipment systems you will need in place. Which systems you will need will depend on the processes you will use for fabrication and the materials you will be using. If your lab plans to fabricate metal restorations you will need waxing equipment as well as investment and dental lab sandblaster. Labs that plan to work with ceramic materials will need the right furnace to match the materials being used. If your lab plans to specialize in removable restorations such as dentures the equipment you will need is different because you will be working with a different set of materials and processes. Removable labs need to invest in systems designed for working with acrylic materials, and the equipment for curing these materials is critical as well. Regardless of the specialties of your lab, investing in the right equipment requires more than simply purchasing the correct systems.
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