Cheap options for outsourcing designs to be milled and stained and glazed?

[CatamountRob]

The type of work you want to sell is being done chairside. Drs can have designs done through AI such as 3 Shape automate .
They really don't need you .

They like to have someone they can talk down to when things don’t work.
Pretty soon, they won’t need any of us.

 

[KingGhidorah]

The type of work you want to sell is being done chairside. Drs can have designs done through AI such as 3 Shape automate .
They really don't need you .

Only a blind man would think the AI designed crowns are acceptable.

If a doctor can pay a little bit extra to save him 20 minutes of chairside adjustment, there time all of a sudden becomes more valuable than going as cheap as possible.

 

[Car 54]

Implant work, bridges, "cosmetic" layered zirconia/emax, and veneers, will hopefully keep some of us busy for awhile.

 

[rkm rdt]

Implant work, bridges, "cosmetic" layered zirconia/emax, and veneers, will hopefully keep some of us busy for awhile.

single crowns too.

 

[Car 54]

single crowns too.

Yep, for those Dr's who realize the quality and longevity of thoughtful crown a lab can give them, compared to the milled chairside "temps" (in some cases),or the race to the bottom labs inconstant unpredictable work, or of the in office quick sinter zirconia opaque pieces of....well it's close to Christmas, so I won't finish that one

 

[rkm rdt]

They like to have someone they can talk down to when things don’t work.
Pretty soon, they won’t need any of us.

Except Coolhand Luke

 

[CatamountRob]

Except Coolhand Luke

True. And other robots like him.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

 

[JKraver]

Yep, for those Dr's who realize the quality and longevity of thoughtful crown a lab can give them, compared to the milled chairside "temps" (in some cases),or the race to the bottom labs inconstant unpredictable work, or of the in office quick sinter zirconia opaque pieces of....well it's close to Christmas, so I won't finish that one

Many chairside jobs are sufficient, There is still a tech finishing them, generally they are also called assistants, depending on their aptitude drives the success of the crown. The many chairside systems aren't far behind what a low end lab mill can do.

 

[Gru]

Many chairside jobs are sufficient, There is still a tech finishing them, generally they are also called assistants, depending on their aptitude drives the success of the crown. The many chairside systems aren't far behind what a low end lab mill can do.

I currently see the quality of "chair side" every day. It's functional quality is on par with the better half of lab work. The esthetics, not so much. The patients love only one appointment- even though it's a long appointment. The esthetics are purely a function of the skill of the "technician" designing and staining the case.
BTW, I HATE doing lab work this way, but it does work, and not badly.

 

[bigj1972]

Basically my question is the title.

Do it yourself?

 

[KingGhidorah]

Do it yourself?

In my circumstance that would align with the saying “stepping over dollars to chase pennies” It just doesn’t make sense for what I’m trying to do.

 

[JKraver]

I currently see the quality of "chair side" every day. It's functional quality is on par with the better half of lab work. The esthetics, not so much. The patients love only one appointment- even though it's a long appointment. The esthetics are purely a function of the skill of the "technician" designing and staining the case.
BTW, I HATE doing lab work this way, but it does work, and not badly.

Many people just want something that isn't embarrassing. Esthetics aren't a large concern. You see the posterior a shade or even two off all the time with no complaints. Even non gradient monochrome is acceptable my many. Heck, I see people (mostly old men) happier than a pig in slop with a single anterior crown that doesn't come close to matching.

Honestly, it is probably a better restoration than a 20-50 dollar FCZ.

 

[npdynamite]

Another thing you could consider is simply not offering aesthetic work. Just offer polished crowns. That will limit you to mostly posterior work but it allows you to more easily do it yourself. Then you just have to figure out milling

 

[KingGhidorah]

Many people just want something that isn't embarrassing. Esthetics aren't a large concern. You see the posterior a shade or even two off all the time with no complaints. Even non gradient monochrome is acceptable my many. Heck, I see people (mostly old men) happier than a pig in slop with a single anterior crown that doesn't come close to matching.

Honestly, it is probably a better restoration than a 20-50 dollar FCZ.

Should we also get rid of all nice restaurants since most people are fairly content with McDonald’s?

 

[npdynamite]

Many people just want something that isn't embarrassing. Esthetics aren't a large concern. You see the posterior a shade or even two off all the time with no complaints. Even non gradient monochrome is acceptable my many. Heck, I see people (mostly old men) happier than a pig in slop with a single anterior crown that doesn't come close to matching.

Honestly, it is probably a better restoration than a 20-50 dollar FCZ.

Being better than a 20-50 dollar FCZ still doesn't sound very acceptable. I can't imagine that an in office produced crown would save money either. I think when we start talking about what is better, a chairside crown or a crown made by a garbage lab, we have kind of lost the point. I think we technicians would be better off pretending this **** doesn't exist and not bother trying to compete

 

[KingGhidorah]

Being better than a 20-50 dollar FCZ still doesn't sound very acceptable. I can't imagine that an in office produced crown would save money either. I think when we start talking about what is better, a chairside crown or a crown made by a garbage lab, we have kind of lost the point. I think we technicians would be better off pretending this **** doesn't exist and not bother trying to compete

His comparison is like trying to argue what’s healthier: a zebra cake or a Twinkie. The answer is neither.

 

[Gru]

Being better than a 20-50 dollar FCZ still doesn't sound very acceptable. I can't imagine that an in office produced crown would save money either. I think when we start talking about what is better, a chairside crown or a crown made by a garbage lab, we have kind of lost the point. I think we technicians would be better off pretending this **** doesn't exist and not bother trying to compete

A maximized in house milling system can be highly profitable for a clinician. One visit by a client equals more open schedule in the future. Chair time is very expensive and a well trained staff can produce a lot of c&b during a day. It's not cheaper to produce than a low buck lab, but it's about the same, has better control, better esthetics, and is one appointment.
None of us lab folk need like it, but even an mcxl with good I/O scans and a well trained staff will produce a crown you won't know wasn't done in a good lab.

 

[bigj1972]

None of us lab folk need like it, but even an mcxl with good I/O scans and a well trained staff

Ok now your just cracking jokes.

 

[KingGhidorah]

A maximized in house milling system can be highly profitable for a clinician. One visit by a client equals more open schedule in the future. Chair time is very expensive and a well trained staff can produce a lot of c&b during a day. It's not cheaper to produce than a low buck lab, but it's about the same, has better control, better esthetics, and is one appointment.
None of us lab folk need like it, but even an mcxl with good I/O scans and a well trained staff will produce a crown you won't know wasn't done in a good lab.

I don’t even really think it makes sense from a financial point of view. Chair time to the dentist is worth around 600 an hour, having the patient sit in the chair for longer when they could’ve just outsourced it to a lab, means they are making less an hour then if they would’ve just filled there schedule up with a filling or another crown or something. The power of outsourcing your lower quality tasks will always be more powerful that diy.

Example: everyone assumes getting your house cleaned by a cleaning service is something reserved for upper middle class/ rich….. it takes me 2 hours a week to clean my house, that same job could be done in an hour by a cleaning crew for 50 bucks. If I were to take those same two hours I would’ve spent cleaning, and spend it working instead, I’d make more than the cost spent on a cleaning crew. So in the end, I get more money, and my house gets a higher quality cleaning job done, and I don’t have to do something I hate. This is true for 90 percent of tasks. It almost always makes sense to have someone else that is more qualified to do something, instead of diy it, just stick to what you’re actually good at and you’ll make more money.