Zenith doesn’t publish a dental laboratory price list. We quote per case, because the same prescription line (“posterior crown”, “implant crown”, “six veneers”) can hide very different amounts of work. The fee is set mainly by the material, the number of units, whether the case arrives as a scan or an impression, the design and approval work involved, any implant components, the level of aesthetic characterisation and the turnaround you need. Send us the case details and we’ll come back with a clear figure agreed before we start.
Below, each driver in turn, so that whichever lab you use, you can read a quote properly and compare like with like.
Why a single price list rarely matches the case in front of you
A price list is useful for the simplest, most repeatable work. It gets less useful the moment a case has something unusual about it: a short clinical crown, a shade that needs custom characterisation, an implant at an awkward angle, or a patient who needs to approve a design before you prepare. Those cases carry extra design time, extra communication and sometimes extra components, and a flat list either ignores that or pads every line to cover it.
Our own FAQ puts it plainly: fees are structured around case complexity, materials and the services provided, and pricing is agreed in advance, particularly for implant, full-arch and planning-intensive cases. For implant work, planning, surgical guides and restorations can be bundled or itemised, depending on what suits the case.
The cost drivers behind dental lab fees
Material, and what the raw material costs
Material choice is the most obvious driver of dental lab fees for crowns. Full-contour zirconia, layered ceramic, lithium disilicate, PFM and high-translucency feldspathic porcelain each involve different blanks or ingots, different processing and different finishing time. Alloy restorations add another variable: where an alloy contains precious metal, part of the lab’s cost moves with the metal market, so a quote from one month may not hold unchanged the next.
Brand and grade matter too. Two quotes for “zirconia” can mean different products with different translucency and strength profiles, so check what’s actually specified. If you’re still deciding on material for a given tooth, our comparison of e.max vs zirconia crowns covers the clinical trade-offs.
Material also shapes the remake risk. A multicentre audit of more than 40,000 indirect restorations found that remake reasons were patterned by material: shade mismatch was more frequent with lithium disilicate, and proximal-fit problems more frequent with monolithic zirconia.¹ That’s worth bearing in mind when you weigh a cheaper option against the chance of seeing the case twice.
Number of units and case scope
Multi-unit cases don’t scale in a straight line. A bridge or a full arch needs a shared path of insertion, consistent contacts and occlusion across every unit, and more verification before it leaves the lab. Full-arch implant restorations sit at the far end of this, which is why we agree timelines and fees for those case by case rather than from a table.
Digital or analogue inputs
How the case reaches the lab changes the work involved. A conventional impression has to be disinfected, poured, trimmed and sectioned into dies, and often scanned in the lab before any CAD design can start. An intraoral scan skips most of that, although some cases still need a printed model, for example to check contacts or finish layered ceramic.
The evidence on cost points the same way. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of implant-supported fixed prostheses found digital workflows cut laboratory working time, and reported higher direct laboratory costs for conventional workflows than for hybrid or digital ones.² Scan quality matters as much as the format: in a US practice-based network, clinicians who used optical impressions only reported the lowest crown remake rates,³ and a follow-up study linked higher impression quality and optical imaging to better clinical fit.⁴
If your practice is still weighing the switch, our guide to digital dental impressions goes through the clinical side. We accept scans from 3Shape, iTero, Medit, DS Core, Carestream and Smilecloud.
Design time and approvals
Every CAD/CAM restoration is designed before it’s milled or printed, and that design time varies a great deal. A posterior monolithic crown on a clean preparation is quick. An anterior case that needs a digital smile design, a mock-up for the patient and one or two rounds of revisions is not. Our CAD/CAM dentistry article explains where design sits in the workflow.
At Zenith, a digital design preview comes back within 24–48 hours for collaborative approval, and for aesthetic cases we plan in Smilecloud so you can show the patient the proposed result before you prepare. That approval step costs design time, but it’s also the point where problems are cheapest to fix.
Implant components and scan bodies
Implant restorations bring hardware into the quote. Depending on the system and the design, that can mean a titanium base, a custom abutment, screws, analogues for a printed model, and the correct scan body library for the design software. Ask whether components are included, whether they’re original or compatible parts, and which implant systems the lab supports before you compare two implant crown quotes.
Aesthetic characterisation and layering
A monolithic crown with surface stain and glaze is largely a CAD/CAM product. A layered anterior crown or a set of feldspathic veneers is hand work: build-up, firing, contouring and characterisation to match a specific shade and surface texture. The more custom characterisation a case needs, the more bench time it takes. Our services page sets out the materials we work with for crowns, bridges, veneers and implant work.
Turnaround
Zenith runs three turnaround tiers: Standard 7–10 days, Express 5 days and Rush 2–3 days. Faster tiers mean reprioritising design and bench time, so if a case needs Express or Rush, say so when you ask for the quote and we’ll confirm what’s feasible for that case.
The hidden cost of remakes
The fee on the lab invoice isn’t the whole cost of a restoration. When a crown doesn’t seat, you lose the appointment slot, book another, and ask the patient to come back, sometimes with a temporary that’s already been in longer than planned. The multicentre audit above describes remakes as bringing increased chairside time, laboratory costs and patient dissatisfaction.¹ The leading reasons were margin-fit discrepancy, proximal-fit issues and improper fit, and the authors pointed to clearer laboratory prescriptions and digital workflows as addressable targets.¹
This is why we’d suggest looking at remake rate alongside the fee. Zenith’s remake rate is 2%, against an industry average of 8–12%. A slightly cheaper unit that comes back more often can end up costing the practice more once chair time is counted.
What to ask any lab when comparing quotes
Comparing fees only works if the quotes describe the same thing. Before you decide, ask:
- Which material, brand and grade? “Zirconia” or “e.max” alone isn’t enough to compare.
- What’s included? Models, design previews, revisions, implant components, custom shading and return delivery can all be in or out.
- What’s the remake policy? How are remakes caused by laboratory error handled, and what happens when the clinical situation has changed?
- What turnaround applies? Is the quoted fee for standard turnaround, and what changes if you need it sooner?
- Which scanners and file types are accepted? A lab that can’t take your scans directly adds a step you may be paying for.
- Who do you speak to about the case? Direct contact with the person designing it saves back-and-forth.
We cover the non-price side of this decision (communication, digital capability, clinical understanding) in our guide to finding a dental lab in the UK.
How Zenith quotes a case
Zenith was founded by a practising dentist, with 5+ years of clinical experience and teaching in periodontology and 10+ years of digital laboratory work in CAD/CAM and smile design. We quote the way we’d want a lab to quote us: per case, with the material, what’s included and the turnaround spelled out, and the fee agreed before work begins.
On remakes, our position is simple: remakes related to laboratory error are addressed promptly, and remakes due to a change in clinical circumstances are discussed openly before we proceed.
The quickest way to a quote is to send the case. Email your scan or case details to cases@zenithdental.co.uk (we aim to respond within 4 hours), call +44 113 548 2598, or get in touch through our contact page.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about working with Zenith Labs.
How much do dental labs charge?
It depends on the case. The main factors are material, number of units, whether you send a scan or an impression, design and approval work, implant components, aesthetic characterisation and turnaround. Because those vary so much, the most reliable figure is a quote for the specific case rather than a generic price list.
Why doesn’t Zenith publish a dental lab price list?
Because a single list can’t reflect what a case actually involves. A posterior monolithic crown and a layered anterior crown with a Smilecloud design and patient approval are both “a crown” on a list. We quote per case and agree the fee in advance, so you know exactly what’s included.
What affects dental lab fees for crowns?
Mainly the material (zirconia, lithium disilicate, layered ceramic or PFM, plus brand and grade), whether it’s monolithic or layered, the amount of custom characterisation, whether the input is a scan or an impression, and the turnaround. Implant crowns add components such as titanium bases or custom abutments.
Is digital lab work cheaper than conventional?
Often the lab work involved is less. A 2025 systematic review of implant-supported fixed prostheses found digital workflows reduced laboratory working time and reported higher direct laboratory costs for conventional workflows.² Some digital cases still need printed models, so ask how the lab handles your specific case.
What should I compare when looking at lab quotes?
Compare like with like: the exact material brand and grade, what’s included (models, previews, components, delivery), the remake policy, the turnaround the fee assumes, and which scanners the lab accepts. A lower fee with a higher remake rate can cost more once chair time and extra appointments are counted.
How do I get a quote from Zenith quickly?
Email the scan or case details to cases@zenithdental.co.uk or call +44 113 548 2598. Include the teeth involved, preferred material, implant system if relevant, shade or aesthetic notes and your required date. We aim to respond to case submissions within 4 hours.
Sources
- Alkadi L, Alsuhaibani M, Altuwaijri K, et al. The Saudi Dental Journal, 2026: “Prevalence and associated factors of laboratory remakes in fixed prosthodontics: a multicenter audit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia”: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12901796/
- Bessadet M, Auduc C, Drancourt N, Nicolas E, El Osta N. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2025: “Comparative analyses of time efficiency and cost in fabricating fixed implant-supported prostheses in digital, hybrid, and conventional workflows: A systematic review and meta-analysis”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39069390/
- McCracken MS, Litaker MS, George AJ, et al. Journal of the American Dental Association, 2017: “Impression Evaluation and Laboratory Utilization for Single-Unit Crowns: Findings from The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network”: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5793929/
- McCracken MS, Litaker MS, Thomson AES, Slootsky A, Gilbert GH. Journal of Prosthodontics, 2020: “Laboratory Technician Assessment of the Quality of Single-Unit Crown Preparations and Impressions as Predictors of the Clinical Acceptability of Crowns as Determined by the Treating Dentist”: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7147961/