Dental Laboratories
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 4,750 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.
Industry size & Structure
The average dental lab operates out of single location, employs 9 workers, and generates about $1 million annually.
- The dental lab industry consists of about 4,750 firms that employ 45,200 workers and generates about $6.4 billion annually.
- The industry is somewhat concentrated, as the top 50 companies account for over 43% of industry revenue.
- Large firms include Glidewell Laboratories, Modern Dental Labs, Dental Services Group, and National Dentex.
Industry Forecast
Dental Laboratories Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Jul 13, 2024 - Employment Increases
- Dental laboratory industry employment decreased slightly during the first five months of 2024 while average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dental lab industry sales are forecast to grow at a 3.43% compounded annual rate from 2024 to 2028, slower than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.
- The spot price of gold increased from about $1,800 per ounce in October 2023 to over $2,300 in July 2024, a 28% 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.
- The US dental prosthetics market achieved a valuation of $10.2 billion in 2023, according to Research and Markets. The industry has an expected growth rate of 1.7% from 2024 through 2030, with an expected valuation of $11.5 billion in 2030. Continually improving dental health is the primary factor restraining the growth of the US dental prosthetics market. An increasing portion of the population can maintain their natural teeth, resulting in a decrease in the number of individuals experiencing complete tooth loss. The market for full dentures and dental bridges is adversely affected as a result, while more cost-effective segments of dental prosthetics, such as crowns and partial dentures, experience growth.
- 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.
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