Dental Laboratories

The 4,566 Dental labs in the US design and fabricate custom dental prosthetic appliances, such as dentures, crowns, and bridges, for dentist offices and practices. Primary products include fixed and removable prosthetic devices, cosmetic devices, and orthodontic devices. Other products include sports guards and anti-snoring devices.

Foreign Competition

Domestic dental labs compete with foreign labs in China, Mexico, and India, which have specialized in offering low-priced partial frames and traditional crowns, especially zirconia-based restorations.

Competition from In-Office Technology

Advances in technology allow dentists to produce certain dental appliances in-office, replacing services from dental labs with their internal operations.

Sep 2, 2026 - Domestic Dental Labs Regain Favor Amid New Consolidation Wave

• Interest in North America’s technology-enabled dental laboratories is rebounding as a new wave of mergers and acquisitions begins, according to Ion Analytics. Dealmaking involving North American dental labs and dental equipment manufacturers peaked at 18 transactions in 2021 before tapering off in subsequent years. Activity appears to be increasing in 2026, however: eight deals were announced through June, one short of the pace seen during the comparable period in 2021. Dentists in the US and Canada are increasingly gravitating toward laboratory partners with advanced digital workflows and a commitment to domestic production as frustrations grow with offshore-heavy providers and the operational challenges of running in-house lab operations, said Jonathan Bluth, a managing director in Brown Gibbons Lang’s healthcare investment banking practice.
• The spot price of gold retreated has retreated from an all-time high set in January 2026 but remained significantly above the historical trend in early July. The spot price of gold has increased from about $1,800 per ounce in October 2023 to over $4,400 in early September 2026, a 144% increase. The pricing and availability of raw materials for dental labs can vary and affect operations and profitability. Prices for precious metals that are components of many dental alloys, including gold, platinum, palladium, can be volatile and driven by global market conditions. "Trump's election win has provided one of the most favorable scenarios for gold due to the likelihood of elevated US fiscal spending and increased geopolitical uncertainty," says Michael Haigh, head of commodities research at French bank Société Générale.
• New networked technology allows dental laboratories to expand their reach directly into dental practices, according to additive manufacturing technology firm Desktop Metal. Networked scanners, for example, allow dentists to scan patients and use the digital data to directly order restoration services from a dental laboratory, or print-ready digital files from laboratories can be sent from a laboratory to the practice, where products can be printed chairside in the dental practice on networked 3D printers. Dentists can order a full range of simple to complex restorations, removables, and appliances including bite guards, crowns, veneers, dentures, and more.
• Dental laboratory industry employment decreased slightly and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased significantly during the first seven months of 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dental lab industry sales are forecast to grow at a 3.05% compounded annual rate from 2026 to 2030, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.

Industry size & Structure

The average dental lab operates out of single location, employs 10 workers, and generates about $1.4 million annually.

• The dental lab industry consists of about 4,566 firms that employ 43,400 workers and generates about $6.3 billion annually.
• The industry is somewhat concentrated, as the top 50 companies account for over 46% of industry revenue.
• Large firms include Glidewell Laboratories, Modern Dental Labs, Dental Services Group, and National Dentex.