Removables: Full-speed Ahead

Industry analysts have long predicted that developments in fixed prosthetics and better overall dental care would spell the demise of the removables market. But if you're worried about the future of this specialty, don't be.

Thanks to a growing demand from an aging population, an increasing consumer awareness of esthetic dentistry, and product and technological developments, the market is thriving. "It's a wonderful time to be in the removables market and there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future," says Tom Zaleske, owner of Matrix Dental Lab in Bensenville, Illinois and a technical consultant/product manager for Keystone Industries.

Respondents to a recent LMT e-mail poll concur: more than two-thirds of the laboratory owners/managers report that their removable business is either "good" or "booming." "We just ended our fiscal year and denture and partial sales are up 20% from the prior year—that's without a price increase,"...