Our In-House Dental Laboratory
The only dental practice in South Carolina where the dentist who treats you also designs and fabricates your restoration — in the same building, on the same day.
Why a Dentist + Certified Dental Technician Changes Everything
When you need a crown, bridge, denture, or implant restoration, the question you should ask is simple: do you want a dentist who understands conceptually what needs to happen and then sends the case to someone else to build it — or do you want a dentist who has both the medical credentials and the hands-on mastery to do it himself?
Most dental offices send their lab work to an outside laboratory, often hundreds of miles away. The technician building your restoration has never seen your mouth, never met you, and relies entirely on an impression and a few written notes. If the fit isn't right, the piece ships back, gets remade, and ships again. That cycle adds two to four weeks per round trip.
Dr. Daniel Meader holds both the Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) credential and the Certified Dental Technician (CDT) credential — the same board certification held by the master ceramists in commercial dental laboratories. He is the only dentist in South Carolina with both. With 30+ years and well over 10,000 restorations fabricated by hand, the person who prepares your tooth, takes your impression, and understands your clinical needs is also the person who designs, fabricates, and finishes the restoration. Not conceptual understanding outsourced to a stranger — hands-on mastery from the same person, every step.
What Our Lab Produces
Every piece listed below is designed and fabricated in our laboratory at 3727 Rosewood Drive — never outsourced.
Crowns
Porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, and zirconia crowns. Shade-matched chairside for seamless blending.
Learn about crowns →Bridges
Fixed bridges that span missing teeth. Custom-contoured pontics for natural gum contact and aesthetics.
Learn about bridges →Dentures & Partials
Full dentures, partial frameworks, immediate dentures, and implant-supported overdentures. Same-day repairs for all types.
Learn about dentures →Implant Restorations
Custom abutments, implant crowns, and All-on-4 prosthetics. The same person who places your implant fabricates the final piece.
Learn about implants →Porcelain Veneers
Ultra-thin porcelain shells hand-layered in-house for lifelike translucency and color depth.
Learn about veneers →Same-Day Repairs
Cracked denture bases, broken teeth on dentures, loose clasps, and temporary crowns — repaired while you wait.
Emergency repairs →How the In-House Lab Process Works
- 1
Preparation & Impression
Dr. Meader prepares the tooth (or takes impressions for dentures) and captures a detailed impression or digital scan. Because he's also the lab technician, he already knows exactly what the final piece needs to achieve.
- 2
Design & Fabrication
Working in the laboratory steps away from the treatment room, Dr. Meader designs the restoration, selects materials, and fabricates the piece — layering porcelain, pressing zirconia, or processing acrylic depending on the case.
- 3
Try-In & Adjustment
You return for the fitting. If anything needs tweaking — shade, contour, occlusion — Dr. Meader adjusts it immediately in the lab. No waiting weeks for a remake from an outside facility.
- 4
Final Delivery
The finished restoration is polished, glazed, and cemented permanently. For denture repairs, the entire process often happens in a single visit.
See the Difference: Real Patient Results
When Dr. Meader repairs a fractured tooth, the restoration is sculpted, layered, and shade-matched by hand — right here in the lab, with you in the chair. The result is a repair that other dentists often say isn't possible. These photos show an actual patient's front tooth before and after cosmetic bonding by Dr. Meader.
This restoration was photographed immediately after placement, before final color blending is complete — the bonding material continues to integrate with the natural tooth shade over the following days. The finished result is virtually undetectable. This represents a fraction of what Dr. Meader's CDT training and in-house lab make possible every day.
In-House Lab vs. Outside Lab: What Patients Experience
| Factor | In-House Lab (Us) | Outside Lab (Most Practices) |
|---|---|---|
| Crown turnaround | Days (often same week) | 2–4 weeks |
| Denture repair | Same day | 3–10 business days |
| Shade matching | Matched by the fabricator with you present | Photos and notes sent to a remote technician |
| Fit adjustments | Immediate (same appointment) | Requires remake and reshipping |
| Appointments needed | Typically 2 | 3–4 if adjustments needed |
| Cost | No outside lab markup | Lab fees passed to patient |
Services That Benefit from the In-House Lab
Any procedure that involves a custom-fabricated restoration benefits from having the lab on-site. These services see the biggest difference in turnaround time and fit quality:
Experience the In-House Lab Difference
Faster results, fewer appointments, and precision you can feel. Book online or call to schedule your visit.