Welcome to The BRIDGE, an online network from LMT dedicated exclusively for members of the Dental Laboratory community.
Articles
- May
Implants Still Going Strong
Kim Molinaro · LMT Surveys · May 2013Despite the fact that many lab owners have been feeling the effects of the economy in many areas of their businesses, the majority of respondents to LMT's latest survey say the implant department isn't one of them.
Martin Martinez likes this- March
State of the Porcelain Market
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Mar 2013The growing popularity of all-ceramic restorations continues to erode the PFM market. The percentage of metal-free work being done—45%—is up 15% in just three years, and 20% since 2008.
How's Business?
Maribeth Marsico · LMT Surveys · Mar 2013Sixty-eight percent of the larger laboratory respondents to LMT’s latest How’s Business? survey are optimistic about this year, compared to only 42% of labs with five or fewer employees.
Featuring Jerry Robinson, CDT, Alisa and Joe Sofinski and Sandra Stuart
- February
Web Exclusive: Dentist-Repondents Speak Out
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Feb 2013LMT's February 2013 issue features our [2013 Dentist Survey conducted with Dental Economics.](/articles/47729) Our dentist-respondents speak out on... >...Why They Switch Labs • Quality wasn't consistent. • Cases returned with open margins. • Crowns had high occlusion and open contacts. • Inconvenient...
John Hodgkins likes thisWhy Dentists Switch Laboratories
Kelly Fessel Carr · LMT Surveys · Feb 2013There’s a 50/50 chance your clients will switch laboratories in the next five years. Want to know why they might jump ship? Read the results of LMT’s 2013 Dentist Survey conducted jointly with Dental Economics.
- October 2012
Industry Fees Reflect Sluggish Economic Recovery
Maribeth Marsico · LMT Surveys · Oct 2012The majority of respondents to LMT's 2012 Fee Survey are delaying fee increases in the face of price-cutting competition and declining caseloads.
Martin York, CDT likes this- September 2012
2012 Removables Survey: Removable Market Holding Its Own
Kelly Fessel Carr · LMT Surveys · Sep 2012Forty-five percent of respondents to LMT's exclusive 2012 Removable Survey rate the market as good and 35% classify it as fair. The majority say their removable business in the first half of 2012 is level or just slightly up or down compared to all of 2011. At one end of the spectrum is the 9% of...
LMT's Exclusive 2012 Wage Survey Report: Earnings Down, Staffs Lean
Kim Molinaro · LMT Surveys · Sep 2012Uncertainty prevails among the respondents to LMT’s 2012 Wage Survey and they’re being cautious about rehiring or raising wages. On a positive note, more than half saw an uptick in
- August 2012
LMT's 40 Under 40 Coverage...Coming in November/December
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Aug 2012We asked and you delivered. We received dozens of nominations for our "40 under 40" coverage, a celebration of the younger generation of technicians thriving and vibrant in our community. Look for our coverage of these standouts in our November/December issue.
- June 2012
The Future Looks . . .
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Jun 2012>Respondents to LMT's Small Lab Survey speak out about the future of our industry. ###The Future Looks . . . Great My business has stayed strong through this terrible economy. If I made it through this, I can make it through anything. My cosmetic workload dropped off a bit during the past couple...
David Lindsay and Frank Szabo, CDT like thisPerk of Working From Home: Enhanced Quality of Life
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Jun 2012Three-quarters of home-based lab owners responding to LMT's survey are "very satisfied" with their decision to work from home. In addition to the financial benefits, they appreciate the flexibility, relaxed atmosphere and their ability to balance work/home demands more easily.
The Future of the Small Laboratory: Grim Or Great?
Kelly Fessel Carr · LMT Surveys · Jun 2012The majority of respondents to LMT's Small Lab Survey are enthusiastic about the outlook for their own businesses, calling their future "good" or "great." However, their prediction for the market segment as a whole isn't quite so rosy.
Rayne Verity likes this- May 2012
Implant Trends: Patient Acceptance Key to This (Still) Thriving Specialty
LMT Communications, Inc. · Industry News · May 2012Three-quarters of respondents to LMT's Implant Trends survey say the economy has not affected their implant business; in fact, 68% report it has been "good" or even "booming" over the last two years
- January 2012
Laboratory Owners Determined to Persevere in Tumultuous Economy
Maribeth Marsico · LMT Surveys · Jan 2012Our latest How's Business survey shows mixed results for 2011.
- June 2011
Internet Indispensable in the Laboratory
Kim Molinaro · LMT Surveys · Nov 2010LMT's 2010 Internet Usage Report coverage explains how laboratory owners are using the internet to reach out, save time, reduce costs and increase efficiency.
- April 2011
Reality Check: What Do Employees Want From You?
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Jan 2005Respondents to LMT's Employee Satisfaction Survey offer insight into what employees want from their employers.
CAD/CAM Technology: An Unprecedented Technological Explosion
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Jan 2008Like never before, laboratory owners and managers are tapping into the power of CAD/CAM technology, which is proving to be a valuable image enhancer, production booster and profit generator.
2006 Wage Survey: Wages Are Up, But We're Still An Industry Divided
Kim Molinaro · LMT Surveys · Oct 2006Wages are up 8% since our 2004 survey and there are increases across all experience levels, positions and specialties.
The Crown Experiment 2007: Not in My Mouth!
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Jan 2007An LMT exclusive: Identical impressions were anonymously sent to nine laboratories across the country, along with a prescription for a posterior PFM crown. LMT then had a panel of judges evaluate the work, and we were all surprised by the results.
Where Are We Headed?
Bill Mrazek, BSc, CDT · LMT Surveys · Jan 2007LMT's Technical Strategies Columnist Bill Mrazek Assesses the 2007 Crown Challenge
2006 Fee Survey: Positive Attitudes About Present and Future Business Abound
Kelly Fessel Carr · LMT Surveys · Sep 2006Seventy-nine percent of respondents to LMT's biennial fee survey say their business is either...
FutureLAB
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Nov 2006LMT kicks off a new series looking at trends that will shape the lab of the future. The topic this time: the top three digital technologies that will have the greatest impact in the next five years.
FutureLAB: Part 2
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Feb 2007In the second segment of our FutureLAB series, LMT takes a look at the fate of the small lab and trends that will shape the laboratory of the future ...
How Much Does the Public Know About Dental Laboratory Technology?
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Jan 1999Not much, according to LMT’s poll of dental consumers across the country. It’s no wonder that dental technicians often feel like silent artisans. LMT's poll offers fascinating insight into the perceptions of dental consumers.
Sneak Peek at LMT's 2008 Fee Survey Confirms Denture Market is Thriving
Kelly Fessel Carr · LMT Surveys · Sep 2008The specialty once considered to be the least glamorous is thriving. According to initial results of LMT’s 2008 Fee Survey, 58% of our denture lab respondents report an increase in profitability in the past two years, largely due to increased sales,
State of the Industry 2000
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Apr 2000Find out how respondents to LMT's 2000 State of the Industry survey feel about the economic health of their laboratories and their workloads, how owners’ salaries have changed in the past decade and what is in store for the future of our industry.
Trends 2005
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Oct 2005In Part 1 of our report, LMT looks at what's on the minds of dental laboratory owners and managers across the country and delves into the current and emerging trends in our industry.
CAD/CAM Changing Roles, Not Eliminating Staff
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Nov 2008Technicians who think CAD/CAM technology means they’ll be replaced by machines can rest easy. The majority of respondents to LMT’s 2008 Wage survey—78%—say technicians who operate their CAD/CAM systems also still work at the bench.
2008 Wage Survey
Maribeth Marsico · LMT Surveys · Nov 2008Dental technicians’ wages have increased only 3% overall during the last two years, according to a comparison of LMT’s 2008 and 2006 Wage Surveys. Here’s what the data tells us:
2008 Fee Survey
Kim Molinaro · LMT Surveys · Oct 2008Fees are up 8% nationwide over the last two years, according to a comparison of LMT’s 2008 and 2006 Fee Surveys. Prices have increased across the board for all specialties and 70% of respondents say profitability has improved or remained stable...
The Decade Ahead: 74% of Fee Survey Respondents Optimistic About the Future
Kim Molinaro · LMT Surveys · Oct 2008Despite the challenges of offshore competition, a limited labor pool and price cutting, the majority of respondents to LMT’s 2008 Fee Survey are optimistic about the future of our industry.
The Financial Crisis: How Are You Doing?
Judy Fishman · LMT Surveys · Nov 2008Before the election—but after the financial fiasco that was October—LMT conducted a survey to find out how you’ve been doing since June and how you think the Wall Street debacle will affect you in the year ahead.
How's Business Survey Results
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Apr 2009LMT's exclusive survey - First Quarter Business Results
Orthodontics: Top Trends For This Thriving Specialty
Maribeth Marsico · LMT Surveys · May 2010With less than 300 orthodontic laboratories in the U.S., the specialty is a quintessential niche market and one that has experienced steady growth for years.
State of the Industry 2010, Part II: Directions in Digital Dentistry
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Mar 2010We dreamed about it in the 70s. Talked about it in the 80s. Got a taste of it in the 90s. And, in the new millennium, we’re transitioning to digital technologies at breakneck speed.
State of the Industry 2010
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Feb 2010LMT’s comprehensive, multi-issue coverage offers a glimpse at where we’ve been over the past 40 years, where we are now and where we’re going.
LMT Exclusive: 2010 Wage Report Challenging Economy Hits Home
Kelly Fessel Carr · LMT Surveys · Sep 2010In response to the economic situation, more than three-quarters of respondents to LMT’s 2010 Wage Survey have implemented cost-cutting strategies that impact their personnel.
LMT Exclusive: 2010 Fee Report Fees Remain Flat As Laboratories Ride Out Tough Economy
Maribeth Marsico · LMT Surveys · Oct 2010Laboratory restoration fees show no significant increase over the last two years, according to LMT’s 2010 Fee Survey.
Optimism Up, But Business Still Down
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · May 2011Since the financial crisis hit our country in 2008, LMT has kept its finger on the economic pulse of your businesses, sharing the results of periodic follow-up surveys; find out the latest.
- December 2010
2010 Fee Survey
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Dec 2010>Fees Remain Flat as Laboratories Ride Out Tough Economy A whopping 80% of respondents to LMT's 2010 Fee Survey say they've delayed usual fee increases due to the lagging economy, and that's evident in our data: restoration prices have not undergone any significant increase over the last two years. In...
- December 2008
2008 Fee Survey
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Dec 2008Big Winners: Pacific region, complete dentures Fees are up 8% nationwide over the last two years, according to a comparison of LMT's 2008 and 2006 Fee Surveys. Prices have increased across the board for all specialties and 70% of respondents say profitability has improved or remained stable over...
- December 2000
2000 Wage and Fee Survey
LMT Communications, Inc. · LMT Surveys · Dec 2000Going rates get going in Our 2000 Wage and Price Survey results are in: fees have increased, salaries for experienced technicians are up and wages for beginning technicians are stagnant. In April, LMT reported on the upbeat and optimistic outlook that laboratory owners have about the state of their...
