I just returned from my semi-annual journey to my dental lab in Georgia where I meet with a group of dentists who share both the laboratory we use and the passion for excellence in what we do. The topic of dental restorations made overseas came up. Mr. Terry Fohey, certified dental technician and owner of NuCraft Dental Arts, one of the finest dental laboratories in the country, believes that a dental patient should have the right to know where the materials are coming from that are being put in their mouth.
China and other countries can claim to use specific materials, but there are no regulations in place to verify the information. There are also no regulations that allow a dental patient the right to know where the materials came from that are being placed in his/her mouth.
With the help of a State Senator from Georgia, Mr. Fohey is proposing legislation requiring dental laboratories to disclose to the dentist the material contents and point of origin of every dental restoration. It would also require the dentist to disclose the information to the patient should the patient ask. Would it make a difference to you whether or not your crown was being made in the United States or not?
Why are some dentists and dental laboratories farming out dental restorations overseas? Like everything else in the world, money is the reason. I get advertisements in the mail daily of dental laboratories able to make crowns for ridiculously low prices. It apparently sounds enticing to some practitioners.
Wonder why some dentist’s fees are higher or lower than others for this service? There are actually many factors that go into the creation of a fee for a procedure that requires a laboratory expense. The patient never sees the laboratory expense in most cases because it is built into the total fee. Clinical experience, clinical skill, office overhead, time required, and nature of the practice are all things that go into the creation of a fee.
The cost of the laboratory procedures also greatly affects the cost for the dental procedure. Let’s take crowns for example. I have seen laboratory fees advertised as low as $39 per crown and know of other dental labs whose fee is a few hundred dollars per tooth. Some patients would accept a lower quality product going into their mouth for a lower cost and others would not.
There are even machines you can buy that can fabricate crowns while you wait. There are many choices. It is basically up to the dentist to decide what he/she feels is in the best interest of the patient based on knowledge and skill.
In my experience, laboratories that cost more tend to make a better product. That better product which gets put in your mouth is a direct reflection on the dentist placing it. Excellent lab work, however, does not make up for less than perfect clinical skills. I have been in practice for 16 years. It took me a good 7 years to find a laboratory that meshed with what I try to accomplish for my patients…..and believe me, it was painful getting there.
We live in an ever-changing world. I try to buy American as often as possible, but realize that it is not always feasible. Mr. Fohey summed it up this way, “This bill is simply about disclosure. It does not restrict anyone from importing dentistry. Instead, it just makes us all play by the same rules.”