Career Advice

[Shape Dental]

I need some career advice.

I work at a smaller location lab that is part of a large national Dental lab.

I have been doing this for about 15 years.

I have done every job in the lab. Delivery, models, waxing, metal finishing, polishing, build up porcelain, grinding porcelain , glazing, taking shades, scanning, designing. I can pretty much do it all.

I'm currently scanning and designing because that's where I saw the future of the dental lab. I have been doing strictly CAD for the past 4 years.

The problem I'm having is that ownership does not want to the smaller lab to purchase the CAM. They want the smaller labs to outsource to the lab that does have all the CAM capability’s.

For the first time in the business I feel stuck. .I'm pretty efficient with the CAD part and as many of you know, it takes a lot less time with the CAD I find myself with too much spare time.

I'm not really sure there is a future here if all I do is scan and design and send it somewhere else to be made. I would like to do the CAM part so I could at least see myself being productive and fulfilled.

As it stands right now I feel as though I could be part time.

Is this a sinking ship situation?

 

[Ryan Gottlieb]

That's an impossible question to answer without knowing more but If you are feeling unfulfilled now, I don't think that simply adding a mill will fix that.

For what it's worth, we're hiring

 

[RileyS]

Have you started to analyze the rest of the lab and find out what areas could use more help? Maybe look at the whole lab and find out how to be more productive and efficient and write up a report and give it to your boss and the national lab. Maybe work your way into management?
If you have the skill and personality start your own lab?

 

[Shape Dental]

Thanks for the reply's.
The atmosphere around the lab is not the greatest. It has been a really slow year and people are starting to worry about their jobs. So people are reluctant to allow anyone to help them.

People are stuck in their ways around here and if you try to suggest trying some new products or a different way of doing things they get all upset.

Maybe starting my own lab might be an option, I would be a bit reluctant because of the upfront cost and to give up the financial security that I currently have. But that might be what I need to get motivated and enjoy this industry again.

 

[rkm rdt]

I think you are on the right path.

Cam is necessary but cad is more important.

I do what you do and am going in another direction.

Right now you are in the middle. You get the scan from a model but intraoral scanning is where everything begins.
That's where I want to be. Learn that part...and then start your lab!

 

[Marcusthegladiator CDT]

I've held positions before that after a few years, I realized I wasn't going to learn anything more. So I moved on. If it is not possible for you to progress, at least your knowledge, in your current position. Than in my humble opinion, you should move on. Whether it be another position in your current lab. Or another lab all together.
I always felt that if your not progressing and just moving sideways, your missing out on a lot of experience that can be had and would be beneficial. I'm fortunate that my current position keeps me on my toes everyday. And I learn something knew everyday. And this current position, is the kind that could never get old. I say, progress, however you can.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

I need some career advice.

I work at a smaller location lab that is part of a large national Dental lab.

I have been doing this for about 15 years.

I have done every job in the lab. Delivery, models, waxing, metal finishing, polishing, build up porcelain, grinding porcelain , glazing, taking shades, scanning, designing. I can pretty much do it all.

I'm currently scanning and designing because that's where I saw the future of the dental lab. I have been doing strictly CAD for the past 4 years.

The problem I'm having is that ownership does not want to the smaller lab to purchase the CAM. They want the smaller labs to outsource to the lab that does have all the CAM capability’s.

For the first time in the business I feel stuck. .I'm pretty efficient with the CAD part and as many of you know, it takes a lot less time with the CAD I find myself with too much spare time.

I'm not really sure there is a future here if all I do is scan and design and send it somewhere else to be made. I would like to do the CAM part so I could at least see myself being productive and fulfilled.

As it stands right now I feel as though I could be part time.

Is this a sinking ship situation?

was in the same boat, as an employee not as franchise owner.

former employer solved it by creating a "front" lab to buy cam equipment, and then discreetly stopped sending files to the parent lab. since the parent lab had so many sub-labs there werent many complaints. as far as they were concerned units were fine. the milling people in their giant cad dept were swamped with units from all over the rest of the country, they didnt care that we didnt send them stuff. only if the accountants finally sit down to analyze their data they might notice some discrepancy in how many the parent lab milled, and how many the sub lab billed for.

a totally ninja solution. sneaky and backhanded.

it only remains now, for the franchise lab to be absorbed by the "front" lab, and all the contracts binding the owner to do x and y will be dissolved but that will take quite a lot longer.

anyway management being what it was i had to go.

 

[eyeloveteeth]

CoolHandLuke's advice is the best - for the way you've explained the situation. If you can rally your group - and do this.

If not, i would hunt around for cases to just get better and better....having that free time means you get to try all sorts of weird stuff...and not have any pressure that it "needs" to work. Get really good and go elsewhere.

 

[Shape Dental]

I'm not really following. Let me see if I understand this right.

The Franchise owner purchased a milling machine under a different company name and then charged the franchise lab for the milling? Did he purchase the mill himself or did he charge the company for the mill?

Either way this sounds like a very sketchy way of doing business. I would think his partners would not be happy and the lawsuit will be following pretty quickly.

 

[eyeloveteeth]

no - the lab owner got his own mill it sounds and just didnt send it to the franchise groups milling center.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

sub lab essentially started a 3rd party lab, sent the cases to himself, and used the 3rd party-owned tools to fabricate on his own.

i have no idea how he managed to fanagle the billing. i was merely the cad operator.