Do You Know What Your Lab Is Selling You?

 

As with any industry, the dental lab industry contains a wide variety of specific terms which are often misused or confused. Before diving into the benefits of using OEM parts, it is first important to differentiate the three types of abutments which are OEM, knockoff and third-party.

 

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)

•    Genuine parts
•     Possess the highest level of quality
•     Are protected by the manufacturer’s implant warranty

 

Knockoff

•     NEVER EVER fit like the OEM part
•     Due to the patent the abutment design must be modified
•     Typically do not have 510(k) clearance
•     Void manufacturer’s implant warranty

 

Third-Party

•     Supplied from outsourced milling centers
•     Typically have proper 510(k) clearance, but lack the patented science behind OEM products
•     Risks implant-abutment complications due to compromised level of fit.
•     Void manufacturer’s implant warranty

 

After learning more about abutments, the question remains, do you know exactly what your current lab is selling you? Purchasing knockoff abutments from popular websites happens every day. Why pay between $125 - $250 for an OEM abutment, when you can pay as little as $6 for a knockoff?

 

The truth is, implant companies are seeing a rise in the number of complications and failures due to the use of knockoff abutments. Knockoff abutments void your warranty and violate the FDA’s laws on abutment design as well as 510(K) clearances.

 

To ensure you know what you’re getting from your lab, request implant part packaging and confirm with your practice’s implant sales reps that your current lab is ordering OEM parts. If, for some reason, there’s any question on the authenticity of your cases, it may be time to switch to an all genuine OEM lab like B & H Labs. We have invested over $250,000 in different scanning systems to be compatible with every implant manufacturer that can utilize them. More importantly, our people are experts in making these cases the easiest ones you have. We’ve helped doctors with more than 150,000 successful implant cases, and are ready to be the resource you can count on for every implant case. It all starts with you sending us the information on which implant was placed. From there, we make sure you have the correct parts to either take an implant level impression or provide the correct scan body to complete your case. It is that easy!