Help me rebuild my lab!

[McCall Dentures]

Starting from the ground up. Here is what I have right now. Money is not an issue, so feel free to recommend things like electronic waxers, lathes, boilouts, etc... We're switching to the success method, btw. I know that most of my stuff is ghetto, old and archaic, so save your breath and help me build a kick ass removable lab. You know I have thick skin and I think I found the right guy to come in and help me make great dentures, so lets do this!

I have sevin redwing lathes. Are these still used?



Sandblaster



I have six big pressure pots.



And... a model trimmer:



Old school!



These handpieces work well. I need a recommendation for an electronic waxer asap....



Everyone's favorite Hydrocolloid machine!!! Hi Brian!!!



So... pretend that you're a 25 year old lab tech with unlimited funds. This is what you have to start with. Lets make this fun! Where you headed?

popcorn

 

[hydent]

What equipment you have is good equipment (not ghetto at all) even the hydro colloid machine is a great addition to any lab (I wish I had one). Once your lab guy gets you on the right track for processing dentures with the success system you will want a boil-out and I would keep some press pack flasks on hand as well. I see you have a Vaniman for suction those are awesome. I have a whip mix waxer that I like, but have nothing to compare it to because that's all I have used. I think polishing stations are very cool with built in suction, lights and filtration I Just bought one myself. Other than that you have a great start.

 

[McCall Dentures]

Thanks Bart! You are an awesome dude.

Any recommendations on boilouts? I want to get rolling on this stuff as soon as next week!

What polishing station did you buy?

What other waxers are super sweet??

 

[McCall Dentures]

Also, is there a reason all of the pictures I post are GIANT?

 

[TheLabGuy]

Yep, a boil out and curing unit combo is nice. I've seen some of those combo benches from Nevin that make me drool. As Bart stated, you gotta get some presses and/or Ivocap/Success machine, maybe Valplast? I have a Red Wing lathe as well. Now you can get a lot fancier with your waxing stations, different color waxes, more accesories for your electric waxer and such. I'd have two teeth choices and a few cabinets of them. One would be Tribos and some Enigma, but it's a toss up for economy teeth. Either way, I'd set it up so all the work benches were set up like a assembly line, this can save days in production if you can just move your work on down to the next bench over instead of moving here or there to get routine/daily work done.

 

[TheLabGuy]

Also, is there a reason all of the pictures I post are GIANT?

shrink them before you post them - size 600 works good on forums.

 

[Al.]

Do you have plaster traps in your plumbing under the sink?

Also I recommend you have back ups for all your daily use stuff,
Like your model trimmer, buy a new one and store the one you have now so you can hook it up immediatley if you have a break down so you have no loss of production, same with wax pots and electric spatulas.

If the noise and heat gets bad from everybody using the vacums at once you could check into some kind of central vac that you have located in a closet or in the basement. I have the Vaniman Vacs also and they are loud and hot.

 

[hydent]

You can post them as thumbnails if you go to "go advanced" and click on the paper clip on the top line and upload the pics that way.

The renfert waxer looks pretty sweet.

I have a really nice boil-out in storage but it's a large Nevin that runs on natural gas (It's a large unit with cabinet) I just use a handler single tank boil-out with faucets it's pretty sweet I think Nevin makes a better one personally.

I didn't mention a couple of things that I thought of, a steamer is one handy S.O.B. . I would get a vacuum mixer also Renfert makes some sweet ones. I see your stone/Tupperware bins are pretty small you will want to upgrade that as you are going to be using much more stone and plaster if you are starting to invest your dentures. you also might want to consider a programmable curing unit depending on which boil-out tank you buy ( most boil-outs have two tanks one for boiling and one for slow curing at a lower temp) or you could cure in a turkey roaster which works but is kind of ghetto , sorry turkey roaster guys nothing personal.

I bought a handler 60fc-ts is the polishing station I bought.

 

[dmonwaxa]

If your guy is the guy let him have input on equipment thats nice to have
1. He'll like your vote of confidence.
2. He'll have the things he need to work comfortably, and he'll be happy and stick around for a long time.

 

[Al.]

Id loose the cheap boom box and get a Bose Wave Machine.

 

[hydent]

Id loose the cheap boom box and get a Bose Wave Machine.

yea, damn it get your priorities straight!

 

[TheLabGuy]

Id loose the cheap boom box and get a Bose Wave Machine.

May I suggest a stripper pole, strobe lights, and a fully equipped bar as well. I'd suggest the furry couch as well but that might be a little much....

Seriously though, you need to invest in some electronics and not PS3 games either......get some big plasma or lcd screens around the lab. Get a video with pictures of teeth to rotate on them, or network it with the rest of the computers in the office so the techs can pull up the patients profile/pics at anytime and throw it up on the screen in the lab.

 

[Kreyer]

Id loose the cheap boom box and get a Bose Wave Machine.

Add 4-6 speakers on the upper walls then load them up with Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd...Great for Removable Prosthetics...Hendrix in the morning get's you going!!

 

[McCall Dentures]

Hell yes, Jimmy Page is my idol.

Thanks for all the tips. Yes we have plaster traps. Yes the stereo will be replaced. My wife said no to a TV - initially - so we will add one when we move the lab out of my dental office.

We will train my assistant to do same day repairs for walk in patients, so the new guy/gal will get to focus on making dentures. Their input will be strongly given, proving that dentists and lab technicians can work together in harmony! That's f***ing teamwork!

 

[Al.]

Hell yes, Jimmy Page is my idol.

Thanks for all the tips. Yes we have plaster traps. Yes the stereo will be replaced. My wife said no to a TV - initially - so we will add one when we move the lab out of my dental office.

We will train my assistant to do same day repairs for walk in patients, so the new guy/gal will get to focus on making dentures. Their input will be strongly given, proving that dentists and lab technicians can work together in harmony! That's f***ing teamwork!

I agree with your wife, no Tv, it will cut production way down.

 

[CYNOSURER]

Not in a removable lab Al. It's not like we have to watch what we're doing. All my thumbs are well trained. Of course, if he catches his tech watching Oprah he may be in trouble.

 

[McCall Dentures]

We found a great technician! Special thanks to Bart Hyde for hooking me up with his little brother Brian! Both of these guys are class acts and their work is superb... I'm looking forward to making dentures with Brian I think we're going to make a killer pair. I really want to please our denture patients and this will make it easy... Pressure injection delivered on Monday. Thanks yah'll!

Not my waxups - Brian Hyde:

 

[hydent]

With proper training his work could be awesome he's 24 years old so he's got plenty of time to improve. I can't wait to see his work in 2 years.

 

[CYNOSURER]

I don't normally festoon my wax ups. So I don't look at wax ups as definitive.

I really like the art deco look the upper has...cool.

The lower looks a lot softer and more natural especially as to the root form lengths and shapes and not nearly as many deep cervicals as the upper, though there are a few. He might want to check out the waxing video on my web site. It will really help knock those down without a lot of effort or damage to the teeth and save his finisher lot of work. Those deep cervicals will need to be dealt with. Kind of hard to do with a bur and you risk ruining the finish of the teeth if you try to buff them down and nasty food traps if you leave them.

Like me, he needs to get his right and left brain/hand in balance. Note how the left anteriors, starting with the midline of the central are getting shorter and shorter...though it does make the stair step to the bicuspid less evident than on the right side.

Oh, and Ryan, he pocketed one of the molars...probably to sell on the street or to eventual get enough of them to open a nitch lab replacing only molars. Gotta keep an eye on 'em...they'll steal you blind.

 

[hydent]

I don't normally festoon my wax ups. So I don't look at wax ups as definitive.

I really like the art deco look the upper has...cool.

The lower looks a lot softer and more natural especially as to the root form lengths and shapes and not nearly as many deep cervical as the upper, though there are a few. He might want to check out the waxing video on my web site. It will really help knock those down without a lot of effort or damage to the teeth and save his finisher lot of work. Those deep cervical will need to be dealt with. Kind of hard to do with a bur and you risk ruining the finish of the teeth if you try to buff them down and nasty food traps if you leave them.

Like me, he needs to get his right and left brain/hand in balance. Note how the left anteriors, starting with the midline of the central are getting shorter and shorter...though it does make the stair step to the bicuspid less evident than on the right side.

Oh, and Ryan, he pocketed one of the molars...probably to sell on the street or to eventual get enough of them to open a nitch lab replacing only molars. Gotta keep an eye on 'em...they'll steal you blind.

I could not agree more about the cervicals, way to deep. Art deco that's a good one lol. I really think the constructive criticism will help him out if he's tough enough to take it.