FAQ
What is a dental lab prescription?
A straight answer first, then the context behind it, from the technicians who do the work.
THE SHORT ANSWER
A dental lab prescription is a written work order a dentist sends to a dental laboratory authorizing fabrication of a prosthetic or appliance. It specifies the patient case number, restoration type, materials, shade, occlusal scheme, and delivery deadline. Legally required in all 50 U.S. states, it is the primary document that transfers clinical intent from the dentist's chair to the bench technician.
THE CONTEXT
What sits behind it
Every restoration Dani Dental fabricates begins with a prescription. The document does more than authorize work: it carries the clinical decisions that determine how a crown seats, whether an implant crown emergence profile matches the tissue, and which zirconia translucency tier matches the adjacent dentition. A vague prescription produces a remake. A precise one lets the technician start milling or pressing without a callback. For general dentists placing dozens of restorations monthly, prescription quality is the single fastest lever for reducing remakes.
For prosthodontists and oral surgeons running full-arch cases, the prescription expands into a multi-step case brief. It documents the surgical guide spec, provisional design parameters, conversion prosthetic timeline, and final material selection. At Dani Dental, complex cases get a named technician assigned at prescription intake. That technician's direct line goes back to the doctor within one business day, so case planning questions resolve before fabrication starts, not after a unit is milled.
Dental labs are legally required to retain prescriptions. Arizona state rules mirror the ADA's recommendation that labs keep them a minimum of three years. Digital submission through an intraoral scanner's case management portal satisfies the written-order requirement in Arizona, and Dani Dental accepts prescriptions via 3Shape Communicate, Medit Link, or direct email. Turnaround clocks do not start until a complete, legible prescription is received.
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What is a dental lab prescription?
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This question is one piece of a larger workflow. The pillar page covers materials, turnaround, and how we build the case to your specification.
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