Said "bye" to cerac doc

[ps2thtec]

Ten months after the news, told the doc I'm no longer going to do work with the office. Volume dropped to one to three crowns a month, maybe a bridge. And a post to fit some ancient pfm with cracked porc. We had a civil talk but I told him it's not worth for me to now drive 36miles round trip and 45 minutes to either pick or drop off for one crown. The final straw was to do a gold post on a #30 craplab crown of his. Wish I had taken a pic. Margins and contour were pathetic with no shading or stain. Temps look better.
He tells me what he's doing is the future. And a couple others are going to hit the market.
Such as Ben co, and ....... Anyone hear any of this?
Had to just vent.

 

[desertfox384]

This guy sounds like the typical bottom feeder. Sorry to hear you lost business but maybe you are better off doing without a client like that.

 

[molarmaker]

sorry to hear this same thing happened to me, just give out as much negative but true info any where you can, when the truth comes out let them experience what we have to go through

 

[rkm rdt]

Digital dentistry is the future.
He just hitched his horse to the wrong wagon.

If you had directed him to Trios,you'd be receiving files from him and saving half the courier costs too.

I'm sorry for your loss but he may not be your only client thinking this way.

 

[rich green]

Ten months after the news, told the doc I'm no longer going to do work with the office. Volume dropped to one to three crowns a month, maybe a bridge. And a post to fit some ancient pfm with cracked porc. We had a civil talk but I told him it's not worth for me to now drive 36miles round trip and 45 minutes to either pick or drop off for one crown. The final straw was to do a gold post on a #30 craplab crown of his. Wish I had taken a pic. Margins and contour were pathetic with no shading or stain. Temps look better.
He tells me what he's doing is the future. And a couple others are going to hit the market.
Such as Ben co, and ....... Anyone hear any of this?
Had to just vent.

I don't understand these guys. They go to college for 4 years (or more likely 5 to finish) 3 years of dental school to be able to treat people spend huge dollars setting up or buying a practice only to become part time lab techs? I understand the desire to cut costs etc, but labs costs are only, for both fixed and removeable 7% of practice overhead. They can make more money chairside than they ever can in the lab. I read one doc say that "ohwell i get up early and jog then since I am up i go do 45 mins of lab work before I start seeing patients." n 45 more minutes for hecks sake .. Not saying digital is not where its at ,but some other model than in office milling is probably better

 

[pjd cdt]

Some of my best accounts are Cerec drs. When I first talk to a dr I ask them what there looking for in a lab and there response is they have a in house system and there looking for someone to do there harder cases then they go on a different price list. Why charge for bread and butter when they only send you crap sandwiches?

 

[TheLabGuy]

Some of my best accounts are Cerec drs. When I first talk to a dr I ask them what there looking for in a lab and there response is they have a in house system and there looking for someone to do there harder cases then they go on a different price list. Why charge for bread and butter when they only send you crap sandwiches?

I agree...I also invite the Docs over to the lab and throw up some of our bread and butter on the big screen for them. If the truth is in them, they usually say instantly..."my Cerec's don't ever look that good." Therefore it's a simple little way without being intrusive for them to consider sending some of that bread and butter to you. It works sometimes, sometimes it doesn't.

 

[charles007]

Some of my best accounts are Cerec drs. When I first talk to a dr I ask them what there looking for in a lab and there response is they have a in house system and there looking for someone to do there harder cases then they go on a different price list. Why charge for bread and butter when they only send you crap sandwiches?

I totally agree... You lose a good account and we think the sky is falling. with the increasing trend and create a new Cerewreck price list...

 

[CoolHandLuke]

2 months after intial startup of a planmill (don't ask, its complicated) i finally have the settings that allow the crown to drop on with no adjusting.

still working on titanium.

do docs even realize that by default their units don't actually seat ?

 

[rkm rdt]

Default lies with delabs that don't see defuture.

 

[Ron.Ferland]

Schedule A all the way with these docs for what they do send me. They WILL pay one way or another. I am worried some with how much better the cam machines are than when CEREC was the only game in town. A large practice w/6 docs that I have been working to get for over a year is going with a VHF or WIeland and bringing a "tech" in house to manage the scanning/milling/finishing. These 600 mpa zr materials look really good and are easy to work with, as well as the emax blocks being easy to work with.
I hear the clock ticking and am glad I'm pulling the pin soon.... I fear not much time left for the standalone dental lab.

 

[BobCDT]

do docs even realize that by default their units don't actually seat ?

The docs know they need to generate a lot of work to pay the lease every month.

 

[ps2thtec]

Very true Bob. Interesting that his crown volume almost doubled when he got this. (inside scoop)
Coincidence that many more patients now have cracks in their teeth?

 

[BobCDT]

Here is how I see Cerec. Yes, we all hate it because we have all lost business to it. In fact Cerec is the largest lab in the US. It's here and here to stay. The absolute best way to prevent our customers from purchasing it is to compete better with the Cerec work flow. I know our crowns are far superior to anything coming off a Cerec mill. Generally speaking, the average doc is spending between $150-175 a unit when produced with Cerec. Big producers will pay less. I believe to keep Cerec out of dentists offices we need to provide a crown in a day. many are very happy with a crown delivered the next day. Its very doable. We are offering it to local docs using Trios scanners. Honestly, I don't think any of them want to mill crowns in office.