[responsive-slider id=2064]
Two seasoned dental technicians have rebranded their laboratory to highlight the artistry, clinical performance and old-world values of customer service, offering a new option for dentists around Central Florida.
Ron Rebeck and Joe Mulligan both graduated from formal dental-technician programs, and each has more than 40 years of experience as a dental technician.
Rebeck and Mulligan had been operating separate dental labs since the 1980s — Rebeck ran Rebeck Dental Lab, and Mulligan ran DeBary Dental Arts. Both labs were located in DeBary and DeLand through the years.
Now, they have combined forces to operate Better Days Dental Lab, which opened in a nondescript office park in DeLand on July 1. Better Days is not open to the public; it deals directly with dentists.
During their long careers, the two techs heard repeatedly how dental restorations — i.e., crowns and bridges that are permanently installed in a patient’s mouth — were being delivered to dentists with obvious deficiencies in function, aesthetics and fit, as well as poor on-time performance and customer service.
Some labs have begun to use computer-assisted design and computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) as an easy way to grow their business without the need for experienced dental techs.
“When we first got into this business, there was a lot of talk about machines doing this work. Now it’s happening,” Rebeck told The West Volusia Beacon one day recently. “We put the craftsmanship into the restorations.”
The CAD/CAM restorations are basically “stamped out” in a lab, Mulligan explained.
“They’ll work, but they won’t look as ‘toothy,’” he told The Beacon.
By contrast, Rebeck and Mulligan bring their experience to the latest technology and are a part of every case and every phone call for every customer. They choose to stay focused on providing restorations with great function, aesthetics and fit.
They make only bridges and crowns that a dentist prescribes, and no full or partial dentures that can be removed. They are prohibited by law from dealing directly with the public.
Rebeck and Mulligan don’t know what dentists pay for restorations, so they cannot compare their prices. But they are confident the quality of their work — resulting in fewer, if any, adjustments when the dentist installs the restoration — should make up for any higher cost.
“We’re not a high-priced dental lab,” Mulligan said. “We’re right in the middle.”
The partners are trying to generate business from dentists throughout Central Florida, but would like to get more business locally. And while they can provide restorations for out-of-area dentists, they maintain that working with local dentists is better for things such as matching the colors of the restoration and the patient’s neighboring teeth.
“We’re a DeLand business and support local businesses,” Mulligan said. “We hope local dentists will support us.”
“You would be surprised to see how great even CAD/CAM restorations, like full-contour zirconia crowns, can look, fit and function in the hands of highly experienced dental technicians like us,” Rebeck said. “And that’s what we can offer you going forward working with us … Better Days.”
Dentists can reach Better Days at 386-738-3086 or 800-932-7335 or by emailing info@BetterDaysDentalLab.com.
