Outsourcing Dentistry

There is a rising trend for some dentists and dental labs to send their crown and bridge work to countries outside the United States because of the extremely low costs.  They can get a Chinese-made crown for $13.  Unfortunately, many dental labs in China and India are producing poor quality restorations made in sweatshops, utilizing substandard metals like lead that can have increased health risks  and cause metal allergies to the patients that are receiving these crowns.   Make sure your dentist knows where their lab work is going and as a patient, request a materials certificate verifying the quality of the restorations.  Be careful, because you get what you pay for.