Survey Reveals 58% of Dentists Have Lost a Patient Due to Poor-Fitting Prosthetics

New research report from Dandy examines the impact of remakes on restorative dentistry; finds 22% of fast-growing dental practices send half to three-quarters of prosthetics back to the lab

NEW YORK, March 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Every dentist knows the frustration of receiving a poor-fitting crown or implant from the lab. But a new research report from Dandy, the fully digital dental lab, has now revealed that poor fit has a direct impact on patient retention, especially for fast-growing practices.

Dandy’s report investigates the extent of prosthetic fit issues for dentists across the U.S. and their impact on dentist practice performance. According to the survey of 137 dentists:

• 94% have had to order a remake
• One in four (23%) have had to re-make a prosthetic three or more times
• The problem is even more pronounced for dentists whose practices are growing quickly, with 22% of them sending more than half (50–75%) of their prosthetics back to the lab
  
  

The survey found that sub-par prosthetics are directly impacting dentists’ productivity.

• Over half (51%) report spending more than an hour a week dealing with remakes.
• More than three-quarters (79%) report having spent more than 30 minutes chairside addressing an issue caused by an ill-fitting prosthetic for a single patient and 28% have spent more than one hour.
  
  

But it’s not just the dentists’ time that’s lost. Lab work issues have a direct impact on patient experience. A majority of dentists (58%) say they have, or suspect they have, lost a patient to another provider due to a restoration that didn’t fit properly. Dentists whose practices have grown significantly over the past year are even more likely to feel the impact: 74% of them have, or suspect they have, lost a patient for this reason.

Broader Financial Pressure for Dentists
More broadly, Dandy found that 97% of dentists faced growing costs over the past 12 months, predominantly related to dental supplies (reported by 80% of dentists), followed by personnel (64%) and administrative expenses (56%). Many have seen this reflected in their take-home pay: while 67% said their practice has grown over the past year, a much smaller percentage (52%) said their personal income has grown, indicating that costs are increasing faster than revenue and dentists are paying the price personally.

Solving the Remake Problem
Dentists attributed remakes to a variety of factors: chiefly in the clinic-to-lab workflow. The most common cause was inaccurate impressions or scans (34%), followed by lab fabrication issues (31%). Just 12% of dentists cited patient-related issues such as anatomical challenges.

Respondents were optimistic that technology could help. Nearly half (42%) said they’d reduced their remake rate by using intraoral scanners, while 53% said they expected AI to improve the fit of lab-produced prosthetics.

“Amid rising costs, efficiency is crucial for dentists today; but that shouldn’t mean compromising on quality,” said Cong Yu, Head of Engineering at Dandy. “Technology is improving every step of the restoration process, from scan to lab to installation, making it economically possible to deliver high-quality restorations the first time around, every time. For example, our AI Scan Review analyzes scans in real-time, flagging crown preparation issues while the patient is still in the chair, and AI-powered quality control in the lab ensures each device is perfected to a high level of accuracy. By eliminating remakes, we’re helping dentists to deliver a better patient experience and save time so they can grow more profitably.”

Read the Report
The full report: “Solving the Squeeze: Eliminating the Toll of Dental Prosthetic Remakes” at https://bit.ly/4dsSM3Q

Survey methodology
Dandy conducted an online survey of 137 dentists across the U.S. in Q3 2025.

About Dandy
Dandy is building the modern operating system for dentistry, powering the world’s most advanced dental labs. Dandy partners with dental practices to transform their business with state-of-the-art intraoral scanners, always-on expert guidance, and precision manufacturing accelerated by AI, 3D printing, and other state-of-the-art technologies seamlessly orchestrated by Dandy's proprietary software. Dandy empowers dentists with technology, innovation, and world-class support to achieve more for their practice, their people, and their patients. With unparalleled quality, efficiency, and experience, Dandy makes the business of dentistry pain-free. To learn more, visit meetdandy.com or our LinkedIn page, www.linkedin.com/company/dandyofficial/.

Media Contact
Chloe Wallach
Firebrand Communications
dandy@firebrand.marketing
415-848-9175

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