What In-House CAD/CAM Really Costs

CAD/CAM design is the heart of modern dental lab work — but for many lab owners, it's also a growing source of pressure. Teams are doing more cases, working faster, and trying to maintain the same high standards with less time and tighter margins.

While in-house design gives you control and consistency, it's not without hidden costs — both financial and operational.

The Numbers Behind the Work

• 📊 Labs spend up to 40–50% of their time on design-related tasks, especially for complex cases like full-arch restorations and implant planning.
• 📊 More than 60% of labs report regular design-related workflow bottlenecks, particularly during peak demand.
• 📊 Over 70% of lab managers cite burnout or overtime among their internal designers as a growing concern.

These aren’t problems caused by lack of skill — they’re the result of increasing demand, tight timelines, and high expectations.

The True Cost of In-House Design

Running a full design team in-house means investing in:

• 💰 Salaries and benefits
• 💰 Software licenses (EXOCAD, 3Shape, etc.)
• 💰 Hardware upkeep (scanners, printers, servers)
• 💰 Ongoing training and certifications
• 💰 Management time, especially when handling revisions or urgent fixes

These are all valid and necessary expenses for most labs — but they also add up. And when your team is already at capacity, every new case stretches those costs even further.

So Where Does Outsourcing Fit In?

Outsourcing doesn’t mean replacing your internal team. In the most successful labs, it means supporting them — giving them the space to focus on what they do best while offloading routine or time-sensitive work.

Here’s where outsourcing typically adds the most value:

• 🚀 Short-term overflow: When demand spikes and deadlines stack up
• 🚀 Complex cases: Full-arch, immediate loading, or cases needing deep expertise
• 🚀 Overnight efficiency: Getting files back by morning from designers in other time zones
• 🚀 Specialized software workflows: When your internal team isn't trained on a specific system

Outsourcing is a way to scale smarter — without compromising quality or overextending your people.

What Labs Often Overlook

Many lab owners hesitate to outsource due to concerns around:

• ❗ Loss of control
• ❗ File security
• ❗ Quality inconsistency

But with the right partner, these risks are reduced by structure — not guesswork.

Platforms like Dental Designers help labs:

• ✅ Work with verified CAD/CAM professionals
• ✅ Follow a standardized, traceable design process
• ✅ Receive print-ready files, fully aligned with lab preferences
• ✅ Avoid long-term commitments or unnecessary overhead

Final Thought

In-house design is valuable. It gives you culture, consistency, and hands-on precision. But as your lab grows, so do the demands.

The smartest labs aren’t replacing their teams — they’re building flexible systems around them.

If you're looking to scale without burning out your people or inflating your overhead, a hybrid model — part in-house, part supported — might be your best path forward.

🔗 Explore the approach labs across Europe are already using: www.dentaldesigners.io