Boise Dentist Blog
The professional blog of Doctors Dan Bruce, Steve Bruce, Rosa Pothier and Rob Ririe
Lead in Dental Lab Work Made in China
A recent story in the news and on the ADA website reports the findings of a dentist who tested dental work done in China. The dentist found unacceptably high levels of lead in a crown (210 ppm) and bridge (160 ppm), although the report does not mention where the lead was found (in the metal portion of the work or in the porcelain shading). The crowns came from US certified labs, but the source of the lead is still to be discovered. Want to read more, check out the full ADA article here.
Our offices take pride in using only laboratories operating in the United States, and we almost exclusively use dental labs in Idaho. Not only do we know these labs to be safe, but we also have a close working relationship with them and communicate the details of every crown or bridge that they fabricate for us. Does it cost a little more to have work done by someone in the same city or state you live in? Yes, it is a little more. Do we think it is worth it? Definitely. We believe dental care is more about trust and relationships. We want our patients to be able to trust us and we need to have good working relationship with our laboratories in order to trust their work.