Dental Lab Guides for Clinics

These guides are written by the HERi2go team, who run a platform connecting dental clinics, mostly in the United States, with partner dental labs. They reflect what we see in the cases we handle every day: which details on an order prevent delays, what affects turnaround, and where remakes usually come from.

• Scanning 7 min read

  How to Send Intraoral Scans to a Dental Lab

  Connect your lab in your scanner's cloud, send a complete case the first time, and avoid the common gaps that keep a lab from starting work.
• Scan files 7 min read

  STL, PLY and OBJ: Intraoral Scan File Formats Explained

  What STL, PLY and OBJ files actually contain, what labs need for crowns, bridges, implants and models, and how to avoid common file problems.
• Materials 7 min read

  Zirconia vs. E.max vs. PFM: Choosing a Crown Material

  How zirconia, lithium disilicate (e.max), PFM and full-cast gold crowns compare on strength, esthetics, reduction, cementation and wear.
• Scheduling 7 min read

  Dental Lab Turnaround Times: What Affects Them

  The stages a lab case goes through, what slows it down, and how to schedule seat appointments so restorations arrive on time.
• Ordering 6 min read

  Design-Only Orders: Outsourcing CAD Without Fabrication

  How design-only lab orders work for clinics that mill or print in-house: what to send, what you get back, how approval works, and the trade-offs.
• Quality 7 min read

  How to Reduce Crown Remakes: A Checklist for Clinics

  The usual causes of crown remakes and a practical checklist for clinics: before sending the scan, at design approval, at try-in, and when asking for a remake.