ANSWERS

What is a dental lab remake rate?

A dental lab remake rate is the percentage of cases a lab refabricates due to fit, shade, occlusion, or contour failure. Industry benchmarks sit between 3% and 5% per the 2023 LMT Lab Management Today survey. Dani Dental tracks under 2.5%, measured per technician on every case, with the assigned technician's direct...

THE SHORT ANSWER

THE FULL PICTURE

Why it works this way

How remake rate is calculated

Remake rate is the count of remade cases divided by total cases shipped over a defined window, usually monthly or quarterly. A remake is any case the dentist returns because it fails clinically: open margins, wrong shade, high occlusion, contact issues, or contour problems that cannot be adjusted chairside. Per the 2023 LMT Lab Management Today benchmarking survey, full-service labs average 3% to 5%, with high-volume digital labs trending toward the lower end as scan-based workflows reduce impression-related failures.

More on this topic

What counts as a remake versus an adjustment?

An adjustment is a chairside modification the dentist makes to seat the case: light occlusal grinding, minor contact relief, polish touch-up. A remake is a case returned to the lab because the failure cannot be corrected chairside without compromising the restoration: open margin, wrong shade, fractured ceramic, wrong tooth number, or contour failure that would require removing too much material. Most labs do not count chairside adjustments in the remake rate, only returned cases that require refabrication.

Does a digital workflow lower remake rates?

Generally yes. Intraoral scan data eliminates impression distortion, tray pull, and bite registration errors that drive a meaningful share of traditional remakes. The 2023 LMT survey showed digital-first labs trending toward the lower end of the 3% to 5% industry band. Dani Dental's digital workflow holds remakes under 2.5% by combining scan-based case design, in-house milling, and named-technician accountability so the same person who designed the case answers the dentist's phone call about it.

Who pays for a remake?

Standard lab policy: if the lab is at fault (wrong shade, fit failure on a verified scan or impression, fabrication defect), the remake is free and shipped on a compressed turnaround. If the source data is at fault (distorted impression, wrong prep, scan margin not captured), the lab typically charges for the remake or asks for new records. Dani Dental honors a worry-free remake on lab-attributable failures and ships the replacement on priority turnaround with the original technician on the case.

GO DEEPER

Read the full guide on all procedures

This answer is one piece of a larger workflow. The pillar page covers materials, turnaround, and how we build the case to your specification.

Read the guide

REQUEST A DOCTOR KIT

Try the work before you switch.

Request a Doctor Kit and we'll mail RX pads, a shade guide, and pre-paid shipping for your first three cases. No call, no contract.

Request a Doctor Kit Talk to a technician