Huh?

[ceram1]

I was at the Midwest Dental Lab exhibition this weekend and we heard from Bennett Napier claim that NADL believes 30 to 40% of lab work is now going off shore. Does that sound high to anyone.

 

[MasterCeramist]

It wouldn't surprise me i have heard 30-35% for a couple of years now.

 

[ceram1]

Supposedly 70% of dentists do not want their work outsourced, makes you wonder why as techs anyone would be so resistant to mandatory material disclosure.

 

[doug]

What they say and what they do are two different animals.

 

[BobCDT]

In January at the NADL meeting Christensen said it was 30%.

 

[Tom Moore]

Now that offshore pays the 2.3% excise tax as a import tax based on what the initial importer paid the percentage numbers should firm up. I not sure what to believe as a percentage but I can say without reservations 100% of mine is imported.

 

[ceram1]

Pfms or everything. What do you disclose to your clients?

 

[Tom Moore]

Pfms or everything. What do you disclose to your clients?

I sell everything. We are a full service lab at about 60% fixed and 40% removable.

I have disclosed everything to our customers from day one. Makes selling a little harder but then you don't need to keep up with a bunch of lies. The lab business is complicated enough without a web of deceit trying to strangle your business.

 

[AJEL]

The lab business is complicated enough without a web of deceit trying to strangle your business.

Honesty means you do not have to keep up lies, so how do we get the DDS to disclose to their patients that the stuff being placed in them is off shore or where ever. (your lab might be up & up, but substitution of materials is rampant when the FDA inspector isn't around.)
I get off shore removable with mystery material I cannot repair, with strange smell when I grind on it.
(reminiscing repairing vulcanize materials comes to mind, hate to admit we both can remember repairing those, some of the stuff repairs like tray material. & sometimes it looks & grinds like auto bondo smell like MEK peroxide when I grind them.)

 

[AJEL]

Back to the thread sort of we do seem to be reducing in population, the 2010 Labor stats sais we are down to around 40900, and I saw a prelemin 2011 listing us a 39770.

http://dentallabnetwork.com/forums/f7/how-many-us-there-8984/

 

[Tom Moore]

Honesty means you do not have to keep up lies, so how do we get the DDS to disclose to their patients that the stuff being placed in them is off shore or where ever. (your lab might be up & up, but substitution of materials is rampant when the FDA inspector isn't around.)
I get off shore removable with mystery material I cannot repair, with strange smell when I grind on it.
(reminiscing repairing vulcanize materials comes to mind, hate to admit we both can remember repairing those, some of the stuff repairs like tray material. & sometimes it looks & grinds like auto bondo smell like MEK peroxide when I grind them.)

I'm not sure the dentists will ever be forced to disclose the origin of everything they use in and for patient treatment.

There are MILLIONS of custom made dental devices imported into the US every year and there is just innuendo and antidotal information from the competition about their fitness. There is just not a no smoking gun showing any patient harm. No government agency or even research by those that would love this to be so showing any problems. If there were such information for sure it would be the pole the domestic lab would be dancing around and that pole is just not there.

 

[AJEL]

There are MILLIONS of custom made dental devices imported into the US every year and there is just innuendo and antidotal information from the competition about their fitness. There is just not a no smoking gun showing any patient harm. No government agency or even research by those that would love this to be so showing any problems. If there were such information for sure it would be the pole the domestic lab would be dancing around and that pole is just not there.

Agreed and China is not the only off shore location, I have some DDS that shop now the cheapest lab in the world and I'm not sure where they send to. The last receptiveness at one was let go & called me saying the DDS had found a removable place in Vietnam & a fixed lab in Phillipines that is cheapest he just sends in a fed ex. This is a guy who sends to me for family and has sent to Mexico, Argentina, China, Poland that the lady has told me about.
But now his daughter is the receptionist, my information is probably closing other than his little group of cheap DDS friends who like his profit (some of the girls at those practices still talk with me.). In a rush they call me and I can rarely reline or repair some of their stuff. I suspect like Webster or Midwest offices I won't be seeing them much h anymore.