How to Choose a Dental Lab: 7 Questions Every Dentist Should Ask | BioDent
How to Choose a Dental Lab: 7 Questions That Separate Good Labs from Great Ones The dental laboratory you work with shapes the quality of every restoration you deliver. It affects your chair time, your remake rate, your patient outcomes, and ultimately your reputation as a clinician. Yet most dentists choose a lab based on […]
PFM vs. All-Ceramic Crowns: When PFM Still Wins (2026 Lab Guide)
For most single crowns in 2026, all-ceramic (zirconia or e.max) is the default — better esthetics, no gray metal margin, more conservative prep, and longevity equal to or better than PFM. But PFM still wins in specific cases: long-span bridges, situations with limited vertical height for zirconia connectors, and cost-sensitive posterior work where esthetics are […]
Full-Arch Implant Restorations (All-on-4 / All-on-X): A Lab Guide for Dentists
A full-arch implant restoration replaces all teeth in an arch on a small number of implants — classically four (All-on-4) or more (All-on-X, typically 4–6). For the final prosthesis you choose between a titanium-acrylic hybrid (lighter, repairable, lower cost) and monolithic zirconia (stronger, more wear-resistant, longer-lasting). Most workflows deliver an acrylic provisional the day of […]
Screw-Retained Implant Crowns — A Lab Guide for Dentists
A screw-retained implant crown attaches directly to the implant with an access channel and screw, with no cement at the margin. It’s typically preferred when retrievability matters, when interocclusal space is limited, or when you want to eliminate the risk of residual subgingival cement — provided the implant angulation allows the access hole to exit […]
Locator Overdentures & Attachments: The Complete Guide for Dental Practices
A Locator overdenture is an implant-retained removable denture that snaps onto Locator attachments — a low-profile abutment on each implant plus a nylon insert (male) seated in a metal housing in the denture. Retention is set by the insert color, which you can swap to dial retention up or down without remaking the denture. Most […]
E.max vs. Zirconia Crowns: The Complete Clinical & Cost Guide for Dentists (2026)
For most cases, e.max (lithium disilicate) is the better choice for front teeth, single units, veneers, and inlays where translucency and natural esthetics matter most, while zirconia is the better choice for back teeth, bruxers, implant crowns, and long-span bridges where maximum strength is the priority. E.max has a flexural strength around 400–530 MPa; zirconia […]
Dental Implant Abutments: Custom vs Stock, Titanium vs Zirconia
Choosing an implant abutment is really two decisions: custom vs. stock (geometry) and titanium vs. zirconia (material). Use a custom abutment when esthetics, a thin biotype, a non-ideal implant angle, deep margins, or emergence-profile control matter; use a stock (prefabricated) abutment when the implant is well-positioned in a low-esthetic posterior site and cost and speed […]
