Guide · Working with the lab
What holds up a lab case, and how to prevent it
The check-in issues that put a case on hold at the lab, why each one stops production, and what to check before you submit the order to avoid them.
Short answer
A case goes on hold at check-in when something the restoration depends on is missing: a file that won't open, an unreadable margin or scan body, no opposing arch or bite, a shade with no guide or photo, no implant platform, or an unsigned prescription. A few minutes of checking before you submit prevents every one of them.
Step by step
- 01
Open the file before you attach it
Export the scan as STL or in your scanner's native format and open it in a viewer before attaching it. Make sure the prepared arch, the opposing arch and the bite are all there, and attach the file to the portal order rather than sending a link that may ask for a login or expire.
- 02
Find the margin and the scan body in the mesh
Rotate the mesh and follow the finish line all the way around, with no holes or blurred areas. On implants, the scan body shows in full, with no clipping or shadow. If anything is missing, rescan that area before the patient leaves.
- 03
Send the opposing arch and the bite
For digital cases, scan the full opposing arch and take a buccal bite on both sides. For analog cases, send the opposing model and a wax or silicone bite registration.
- 04
Record the shade by guide, with a photo for esthetic cases
Write down the code and the guide you used (A2 on VITA Classical, 2M2 on 3D-Master). For esthetic cases, attach a photo with the tab next to the tooth and give the stump shade when the restoration is translucent.
- 05
Give the implant brand and platform
For implant cases, put the brand and platform on the order. With analog impressions, send the impression coping or the analog. That is what decides the component and the screw that go with the restoration.
- 06
Sign the prescription
The prescription goes in signed, with your license number. It is the document that defines and authorizes the work, and without it the case waits at check-in.
Before you start
Every case goes through check-in before it joins the production queue: the file opens and is complete, the teeth are identified, shade and material are specified, and the implant component is in stock. When an item fails, the case goes on hold with the reason logged, and we contact you before it moves on.
Check-in matters because our quality control checks the restoration against what we received. If the scan doesn’t show the margin, a restoration can leave well finished and still be wrong. The issues below are the ones that put a case on hold, and all of them are fixed on your side, before you submit.
Why does each issue stop the case?
| issue | why the case stops | what to do |
|---|---|---|
| File won’t open or is incomplete | Without a complete mesh there is nothing to design on | Open the file before attaching; attach it to the order, not as a link |
| Unreadable margin or scan body | The design follows the margin; the scan body locates the implant in the file | Rescan the area before the patient leaves |
| No opposing arch or bite | Contacts and occlusion are designed against the opposing arch | Full opposing arch and a bite on both sides |
| Shade with no guide or photo | Shade is your call; the lab doesn’t choose it | Code and guide on the order; photo with the tab for esthetic cases |
| No platform or component | Each system has its own connection; the wrong platform means the wrong part | Brand and platform on the order; coping or analog with impressions |
| Unsigned prescription or no license number | It is the document that defines and authorizes the work | Signed prescription with your license number |
Our intraoral scanning guide for the lab covers margins, scan bodies, the opposing arch and the bite in detail. The shade guide shows how to photograph the tab in the same plane as the tooth.
What happens while the case is on hold?
The case stays at check-in, with the reason logged, until you reply. The sooner the issue is resolved, the sooner it joins the production queue.
You reply and attach the new file on the case itself, in the portal. Messages and files are kept there with the date and time, so the thread about a zirconia implant crown doesn’t get mixed up with another case.
It isn’t a local problem
In a survey published in the Journal of Indian Prosthodontic Society (2020), dental technicians reported that pontic design, a staining map and the margin type were on the work authorization in only 25% to 50% of cases. Check-in exists so that gap turns into a question before production rather than a remake after it.
Checklist before you submit
- File opened in a viewer, with the prep, the opposing arch and the bite
- Margin visible all the way around; scan body complete
- Shade code and guide; photo with the tab for esthetic cases
- Implant brand and platform (plus coping or analog for analog impressions)
- Signed prescription with your license number
- Patient identified by initials or chart number only
The full ordering walkthrough is in how to send a case to the lab.
Related services
Open a portal accountFrequently asked questions
Can't the lab just go ahead with what it has and adjust later?
Not when the missing item decides the restoration: margin, platform, shade or occlusion. A restoration built on a guess risks coming back from the try-in, and a remake costs more time than the question we ask at check-in.
Can the lab pick the shade for me?
No. Shade is a clinical decision, made with the patient in the chair. A photo with the tab helps us get the staining right, but what counts is the shade code written on the order.
How will I know my case is on hold?
We contact you before the case moves on, and the reason is logged on the case. Your reply and any new file can go on the case itself, in the portal, where messages and files are kept with the date, time and sender.
Sources
- A study to assess communication hindrances by the means of work authorization for fixed dental prosthesis — a survey · Journal of Indian Prosthodontic Society (2020)
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