Why lab delays cost dental practices patients and revenue
A crown that arrives a week late means rescheduling the cementation appointment, extending the patient's temporary, and absorbing the coordination cost. Practices with 20–30 active lab cases at any time can't track these effectively without a dedicated system.
Lab cases tracked by memory and phone calls
Without a system, tracking a crown's production status means calling the lab. By the time a delay is discovered, the appointment has already been scheduled.
Specifications are communicated imprecisely
When lab instructions are given verbally or by handwritten note, details are missed — shade, material, dimensions — leading to rework that delays treatment and strains lab relationships.
Rework and returns are untracked
When a prosthetic comes back requiring adjustment, there's no systematic record of why — making it impossible to identify recurring quality issues with specific labs or technicians.