Outsourcing Laboratory Work Overseas: how it can impact you
We all know that labour is expensive in Australia. It’s why many large manufacturers of products and services are outsourcing production to cheaper countries such as China, Korea and Bangladesh.
Unfortunately the dental industry is not exempt from this. Next time you have a crown, bridge, veneer or denture made by your dentist, ask them, ‘Where is it being made?’. Dentists don’t make these items themselves, they will send it to a dental technician to be made.
Recently, many dentists are now outsourcing laboratory work overseas. They charge dentists around half the cost (or less!) that local laboratories do. This means more profit in their pockets. Unfortunately, the popularity of outsourcing laboratory work overseas has seen many local Australian labs close down. It’s been a tough life for local Australian dental technicians.
If you are receiving an overseas-made dental product, how could this impact you? We’ve compiled a list of things you need to know.
- If there is a problem with the fit or appearance of the product, it may take several weeks to post it overseas to be fixed. Most local technicians can do minor adjustments in a day or two.
- If you need a custom shade, or tooth shade selection is very important (e.g. for front teeth), your dentist may have to guess and hope for the best. Most local technicians can actually meet with patients to select a shade and special customisations to achieve the best aesthetic result. This just isn’t feasible if your dentist is using an overseas laboratory.
- It is often not possible to tell what materials are being used in certain products. Things may be labelled correctly, but you may not be getting what you are paying for. In Australia, the TGA controls the quality of what products are brought in. It isn’t like this in many other countries, you just don’t know what you could be getting. There was a scare several years ago when lead was found in dental crowns made in China. You can read more here.
- Are you saving too? If your dentist is outsourcing dental laboratory work overseas to save on costs, shouldn’t these savings be passed on to you?
At Dental Quarters, we have always felt strongly about supporting our local dental technicians. None of our laboratory work is outsourced overseas. We’ve established great working relationships with the technicians we use. This makes us confident our patients are getting the best product possible.
