4 Major Problems in the Dental Laboratory Industry

Dental laboratory owners have been feeling the ripple effects of the dental lab crisis over the last several years as dental lab schools have slowly but surely shut their doors one by one. While not all dental lab schools have closed down, the smaller availability reflects the population’s interest in pursuing dental lab technology as a career.

Dental lab owners have approached this problem of fewer dental lab schools in different ways. Some dental laboratory owners remained optimistic about the changing tides while other lab owners despaired and prepared for the worst by more carefully selecting their dental lab tech team. 

Regardless of whether you’re a dental lab owner who fought tooth and nail against the struggle or simply allowed your dental laboratory to adapt to the changing conditions, the fact of the matter is that fewer and fewer people choose to pursue dental lab technology year over year, and this has caused 4 major problems in the dental laboratory industry:

1. USA dental technician certification is increasingly becoming unavailable
2. Dental technician certification is either not required or unimportant to dental techs
3. Offshore dental laboratories continue to expand, causing unequal competition with American dental laboratories
4. Relationships between American dental technicians and dentists is seriously lacking 

As a result, currently large-sized dental labs have continued to increase while many medium- and small-sized labs - other than the boutique dental labs - have shut down.

What most dental lab owners don’t realize, however, is the one-two punch to the dental industry: lack of dental lab schools and lack of practical experience in dental education. 

Three or four years of dental school is not enough to prepare new dentists for real world dentistry because new grads severely lack real-life practice, and instead these dentists completely depend upon their dental technicians’ knowledge of technical aspects of all dental procedures. 

All four major problems within the dental lab industry combined with the dental education crisis are a double whammy: new dentists don’t yet have the right practical training, and there are less dental lab technicians available for them to rely on.

Now, how can we in the dental lab industry address and correct these issues? Check back next week for our blog post where we cover simple solutions to the 1st major problem in the dental laboratory industry!

Dental Lab Social Media Marketing

Dental Lab Social Media Marketing

Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, LinkedIn... managing different online profiles is overwhelming enough on its own before factoring in how to market your dental lab on social media. And if your Dental Lab isn't on social media, it's not going to be easy for dentists to find your dental laboratory.

Dental Lab Support is the Solution

Dental Lab Support is a marketing and consulting agency strictly for dental laboratories. We understand your unique problems and questions: 

• "How can I provide more value to dentists?"
• "How can I convince my current dentists to make me their sole dental lab provider?"
• "How can I change the question from "how do I find dentists" to "how can I help dentists find my dental lab?""

Dental Lab Owners Don't Have the Time or Tools

Dental Lab social media marketing becomes even more difficult because you simply don't have time to do it all between running your dental lab business, supervising dental lab techs, and verifying that dental cases were delivered on time. Allow Dental Lab Support to step in and manage your dental lab social media marketing efforts for you.

What's Included in Dental Lab Support's Social Media Marketing Services?

What do dental labs get when they sign on for our dental lab social media marketing program?
7 essential features and benefits you won't get with a run-of-the-mill marketing agency:

1) Social Media Account Creation

Dental Lab Support will create, keep track of and update all of your social media profiles. Everything is centralized for efficient, one-click updates. 

Plus, you maintain ownership of all accounts, including usernames and passwords. We make it easy for you to add, edit, share and delete content.

2) Social Media Profile Optimization

Don't know what an "impressum" is or how to write a self-description that dentists will find and be drawn to? That's OK, you don't need to because with Dental Lab Support's dental lab social media marketing program, we create 100% complete social media profiles that capture the spirit of your dental laboratory.

In addition to branding your dental laboratory online, we optimize all your social media profiles with keywords that are specific to your services and location. Not sure whether dentists are searching for "dental lab new york" or "new york dental lab"? We do, and we optimize your dental lab's social media profile to reflect the keywords your target dentists are using.

3) Timely Management
All of your dental lab's social media profiles will be checked 5+ times during the day. This consistent social media monitoring will enable us to read and reply to user comments, questions and activity throughout the day so that you don't miss out on any inbound opportunities. You will never wonder whether or not you reached out to a new lead on time or if they've moved on to your competitor because we check your social media profiles too frequently for that to happen.

4) Guaranteed Content

Dental Lab Support will create and post content for all your dental lab social media marketing profiles, Monday through Friday, rain or shine. Our dental laboratory social media marketing services include the creation of a content calendar, so you'll never check in on any profile to find a graveyard of activity. 

We reliably post content about your dental laboratory (services, team, recent activity) and about the dental industry (upcoming technology, procedures, events) to keep your dentists engaged on all of your dental lab's social media profiles, from Facebook and Twitter to Google+ and Tumblr.

5) Social Media Networking

Don't miss this important opportunity to network online! You attended a Lab Day 2015 event, didn't you? Show up for more "Lab Day"s online by finding dentists' conversations, listening in, and participating in the online discussion. 

Too many dental laboratories don't take advantage of social media networking. Simply having social media profiles and posting content isn't enough; the real results come from listening to and engaging with others. That's why Dental Lab Support's dental lab social media marketing services includes social media networking: because we know where real results come from.

6) Social Media Leads

Find and connect with dentists using your dental lab's dedicated social media profiles. Show dentists that your dental lab understands the unique needs of their dental office by paying attention to what dentists post on their Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts and have a genuine conversation with them to build real interest in your dental laboratory.

Dental Lab Support recognizes that dental lab owners are already bombarded with an ever-growing list of tasks and to-dos. Let us do the legwork by finding & converting the social media leads for you.

7) Website Traffic

It's simple math: the more places where you've listed your website, the more opportunity there is for dentists to find your website. With an increase in social media profiles, there is likewise an increase in the number of places online where you've placed a backlink to your website and ultimately where dentists can find your dental laboratory. Consequently, dental labs can increase traffic to their websites through creating - and consistently posting to - social media profiles on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, etc where their websites are listed.

Free Consultation

Still have questions or concerns about exactly what's included with your dental lab's social media marketing package? Contact us today for a free 30 minute consultation to discuss your dental lab's specific needs, goals, and plan for success: 888-715-9099 / info@dentallabsupport.com

3 Ways Dental Labs can Better Communicate with Dentists

In order for dental labs and dentists to keep patients satisfied, they need to keep dental patients’ needs at the forefront of everything they do. So how can dental labs work with dentists to keep dental patients happy? Make communication easy, honest and enjoyable.

1) Offer Multiple Lines of Open Communication

Dental labs must not only open up multiple lines of communication - phone, email, website, social media, text - but must listen to what is being said. While this seems obvious, how many times have you had a dental case shipment sent back-and-forth because the dental materials didn’t match the dentist’s specifications? Listen to what the dentist needs, and map out what your dental technicians must do in order to meet those needs.

2) Be Honest

Similar to #1 above, dental laboratories must be honest with their dentists about which services they provide and within what time frame. A simple "yes, we can do that" or "it's going to take one day longer than expected because of XYZ” goes a long way towards reassuring your client, and more importantly, enabling dentists to fulfill their promise to their dental patients.

3) Follow Up

The relationship doesn’t end once the shipment has been sent. Dental laboratories must have their dental team follow up with each dentist to verify that not only the dental case was received on time, but that it met the needs of both the dentist and the dental patient. Follow up with your dentists by asking “How did the material fit?” and “Was the patient happy?” 

Treat your work relationship like a personal relationship and you’ll see success in your dental lab. Open up lines of communication, listen to what’s being said, be honest about your abilities, and follow up in order to nurture your relationship with existing dentists. After all, dentistry is deeply personal work - so act like it!

How Dental Labs & Dentists Can Make Patients Happy

Dental laboratories and dentists have a symbiotic relationship. Without each other, neither would be able to reach their common goal of meeting dental patients’ needs. If you’re a dental lab owner who wants to keep dentists satisfied, keep reading. 

Relationships Between Dental Labs and Dentists

The relationship between dentists and labs is a notoriously delicate one. Whether you are a dentist or a dental lab owner, you surely realize that this relationship is extremely important. Without a solid dentist/lab relationship, running an efficient practice becomes difficult and is not nearly as enjoyable. A good working relationship makes the process smoother and more profitable for everyone.

Tough Times Create Tougher Competition 

In the hyper-competitive market that emerged with The Great Recession, there is increased pressure on both the dental practice and the dental lab to operate as efficiently as possible while still providing great service and a quality product. 

While an increase in dental labs and dental practices may signify an increasing need in the market for dental services, now more than ever it is difficult for both dental labs and dentists to differentiate and position themselves. This is yet another reason why dental labs and dentists need to take advantage of their symbiotic relationship and work together to provide dental patients with the dental services they so heavily rely on.

How Dental Labs & Dentists Can Keep Dental Patients Happy

In order for dental labs and dentists to keep patients satisfied, they need to keep dental patients’ needs at the forefront of everything they do. So how can dental labs work with dentists to keep dental patients happy? Make communication easy, honest and enjoyable.

Easy communication means not only making it easy for your dentists to contact your dental lab, but by taking the lead to ask important questions and actively listen to what your dentists say. Be upfront about which dental services your dental laboratory can and cannot provide, and within what time frame, otherwise your risk ruining your dentist’s relationship with their patient. Finally, keep communication enjoyable by checking in with your dentist about the quality of service received. Bonus: opening your dental laboratory to honest feedback will enable you to improve and continue satisfying your clients.