The Importance of Expert IMPLANT Technicians

Few things are changing as fast as the dental lab industry. The reasons are quite simple.

•     On average, 3 dental labs are closing every day

             according to LMT (Lab Management Today).

•     There are less than 10 schools that teach any dental lab

              technology left in the US.

•     The average age of a technician that can complete a

             case from start to finish is over 60.

•     The cost to produce cases digitally in-house is

              exorbitantly high for small laboratories.

Due to advancements in CAD/CAM technology and monolithic restorations, single and multi-unit bridges have been perfected, streamlined, and largely automated. The real void involves implant cases. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know, which holds true for clinicians and laboratories today. Simply put, implant cases have become increasingly difficult due to various implant manufacturer supply chain protocols. Two specific events have occurred to get us where we are today.

First, the FDA began enforcing their compliance standards for implant manufacturer products. If it doesn’t have 510(K) clearance, it should not go into the mouth. While third-party manufacturers may have proper 510(k) clearance, they still do not possess the patented science incorporated into OEM products. To avoid violating OEM patents, changes must be made in the design of third-party parts, which compromise the overall integrity of the final product.

Second, as we mentioned previously, there are few qualified technicians to do the job. Our lab could not find an experienced technician who could correctly verify that an impression post was in the correct position in an implant-level impression. Chris, our technical guru suggested that we look to Germany, where technicians receive world-class training in all aspects of dentistry. We contacted an immigration attorney who told us that hiring German CDTs would be almost impossible. Since Germany offers a three-and-a-half-year technical program in place of a college accredited program, it would be incredibly difficult to hire a German CDT. As you may know, as part of the H1B Visa criteria, we had to prove that no one in the United States was capable of doing this job correctly. Thankfully, LSU offers a 4-year dental technology degree, which gave us the opening we needed.

To summarize, the United States government has given us permission to bring in six technicians to complete the work that no one else in the United States could. Each German Technician has gone through the green card process and are looking forward to becoming United States citizens.

Now that major implant companies are on board, thanks to the skill and precision of our technicians, B&H Labs has been credentialed to design and fabricate genuine CAD/CAM abutments for every implant manufacturer that has the ability to create them.

We’ve helped doctors with more than 150,000 successful implant cases, and are ready to be the only resource you need for every implant case. Whether you’re a general practitioner or a specialist, we’re comfortable assuming a wide range of responsibilities to best serve your needs and clinical procedures.