For Independent Dental Labs

Your dentists are leaving for Dandy. Not because of quality.

Your craftsmanship hasn't changed. But how dentists submit cases, track orders, and communicate with labs has. The labs that can't keep up are closing. You don't have to be one of them.

What the numbers say

46%

of independent dental labs have closed since 2004. Down from 7,855 to 4,216.

$750M

Dandy's annual revenue. Built in 5 years by offering dentists a better workflow, not better crowns.

$50K

Average annual account lost from a single missed deadline. Patient in the chair, case not ready, dentist gone.

$3K/mo

Lost to remakes that nobody can track. Which technician? Which case type? Which dentist sends bad impressions? No data, no fix.

Sound familiar?

Lab owners and technicians sharing what their day actually looks like.

"Handwritten tickets stapled to cases. Excel spreadsheet on one computer that only one person can access at a time."

Lab owner, interviewed by software developer

"No way to track where a case is in production without literally walking around asking 5 different people."

Same lab owner

"He's losing about $3,000 every month on remakes but has no idea why. Can't fix what you can't measure."

Lab operations report

"I worked for a mid-sized lab for almost 3 years. We survived 2 LMS transitions. Both software created bottlenecks in production and were behind the modern times in many ways."

Former dental lab project manager

"Does my lab management system allow me to manage my lab?"

Lab owner evaluating software options

Dentists want YOU.
They just need you to catch up.

Here's what dentists actually say about choosing between independent labs and big corporate operations.

"I like my small lab over any of the big guys I've tried. They answer immediately and respond right away to texts."

Dentist on Reddit, January 2026

"I try to use regional labs, but they have to be big enough to embrace technology."

Dentist on Reddit, June 2025

"Most of the offices use another lab for their important cases and important clients."

Dentist discussing Dandy alternatives

"Dandy's customer service has gone to shit. I can't reach people half the time I need to resolve issues."

Dentist, former Dandy user, January 2026

You don't have to become Dandy. You have to match what Dandy does well - seamless case submission, real-time tracking, clear communication - while keeping what you do better: quality, relationships, and a technician who knows each dentist by name.

What this could look like

Based on what lab owners describe in forums and industry discussions, here's the kind of software that's missing. Nothing is set in stone. The right version comes from real conversations.

Digital case submission Your dentists submit cases from their phone or computer, just like Dandy offers, but they work directly with you. No middleman taking a cut.
Case tracking from submission to delivery No more walking the floor asking 5 people. See every case, its status, its deadline, and who's working on it.
Remake tracking that reveals patterns Find out why you're losing $3K/month. Which dentist sends bad impressions? Which case type has the highest redo rate? Data you can act on.
Invoicing that takes minutes, not hours Stop spending 10-12 hours at the end of every month going through handwritten tickets. Cases automatically roll into invoices.

Vendor-neutral. This works with your existing equipment and software. Not locked to 3Shape, not locked to any brand. Your lab, your setup.

See where your lab stands

Four quick questions. Takes 30 seconds. See how your workflow compares.

How do dentists currently submit cases to your lab?

How do you track cases through production?

How do you handle invoicing?

How often do dentists ask if you accept digital impressions?

I want to build software for labs like yours. But I need to understand how your lab actually works first.

20 minutes. No pitch. Your input shapes what gets built.

Book a conversation

Who's behind this

Christo Wilken

I'm a software engineer based in Germany. I've been digging into what's happening to independent dental labs, and I think the technology gap is a solvable problem.

I've read the forums, studied the numbers, and looked at every piece of lab management software on the market. The pattern is clear: your craftsmanship is excellent, but your workflow is stuck in 2005. And the existing software options are either vendor-locked, outdated, or built for someone else's lab.

I want to build something that actually fits how independent labs work. But I'm not going to guess what that looks like. The first step is talking to lab owners who live this every day.

Your dentists are leaving for Dandy. Not because of quality.

Sound familiar?

Dentists want YOU.They just need you to catch up.

What this could look like

See where your lab stands

Christo Wilken

Your craftsmanship deservesa workflow to match

Dentists want YOU.
They just need you to catch up.

Your craftsmanship deserves
a workflow to match