A trial order gives your dental lab or clinic a practical way to assess an outsourcing partner before sending regular case volume. The finished restoration matters, but so does the process behind it: Were the records reviewed? Were unclear instructions questioned? Did the case arrive as expected? Was feedback handled clearly?
At Times Dental Lab, we recommend choosing a representative case and agreeing on its requirements before production. This guide explains what to send, how we review the case, and what to check after delivery.
Quick Answer
To evaluate a dental lab trial order, choose a case similar to the work you expect to send regularly. Provide a complete prescription and working records, identify who can approve design questions, and confirm production and shipping expectations with us. After delivery, review the restoration, communication, packaging, and follow-up separately. One successful case is a useful starting point; it does not establish performance across every product category.
Choose a Trial Case You Can Evaluate Properly
A trial case should reflect the work you may outsource in the future. If most of your cases are posterior zirconia crowns, a representative crown is more useful than an unusually complex implant case. If you are evaluating removable work, choose a case for which your team can review the required try-in or approval stages.
Before sending the case, tell us:
· The product type and material requested
· Whether it is a digital or physical case
· The design preferences your team normally follows
· The destination country and required delivery date
· Who will review the finished work and provide feedback
Agree on evaluation criteria in advance. For a crown, your team might review margins, contacts, occlusion, shade, and finishing. For a denture, the relevant checks will differ. A trial is most useful when both sides know what a satisfactory result should look like for that product.
Send the Prescription and Working Records
Please use one case ID consistently on the prescription, files, photographs, and any physical items. Include the restoration type, tooth number where applicable, material, shade, and special instructions. Depending on the case, we may also need the working scan or impression, opposing arch, bite record, shade photographs, implant system details, or an existing restoration for reference.
For a digital trial case, send the prescription and case details with your files through one of the channels in our trial order guide: email to cases@times-dental.com; 3Shape using the account cases@times-dental.com; or Medit using the account jimmy@times-dental.com. Please use the same case ID in the prescription and file submission so we can match the records. The FDI World Dental Federation policy on CAD/CAM dentistry describes how digital impressions and computer-aided design fit into restorative workflows; the scan files still need a clear manufacturing instruction.
If the case requires impressions, models, bite records, or other physical items, contact us before shipping to confirm what to send and where to send it. The CDC guidance for dental laboratories emphasizes communication between the dental practice and laboratory about cleaning and disinfection of items sent off-site. Please follow the requirements that apply to your practice and destination, and tell us how any clinical items have been handled.
Our How to Send a Dental Case guide explains the general submission process. If a margin is unclear, a bite record is missing, or the prescription conflicts with the files, we will ask for clarification before production.
What We Confirm Before Production
We review the submitted records against the prescription and requested product. For a trial case, we also confirm the points that will affect your evaluation: material and design instructions, whether an approval preview is needed, the person authorized to answer questions, and the expected production and shipping schedule.
If information is incomplete or contradictory, we will contact your designated approval person before proceeding. A useful trial shows not only what we manufacture, but also whether we identify and communicate a problem while it can still be corrected.
Production time depends on the product and the information required for review. We will confirm the schedule for your case; international transit time should be considered separately from laboratory production time.
Production Inspection and Shipment
Once the case details are confirmed, we manufacture according to the approved prescription and records. The checks before shipment depend on the product. They may include case identification, material and design requirements, margins, contacts, occlusion, adaptation to the working model, surface finish, and packaging.
Trial cases follow the same quality-control approach as regular production. These laboratory checks do not replace your own receiving inspection or a dentist's clinical assessment where one is required. Our article on quality control in dental lab outsourcing explains how case review, production checks, and feedback fit together.
After final inspection, we arrange shipment according to the agreed plan and provide tracking information when it is available. If you are sending physical records to us, review the packing and labeling steps in our international dental case shipping guide.
Evaluate the Trial After Delivery
Ask the person who normally accepts this type of work to review the case. Record feedback under four separate questions:
· Product: Did the restoration match the prescription, material, design, and expected finish? What adjustments, if any, were needed?
· Communication: Did we identify missing information early, ask specific questions, and follow the agreed approval route?
· Delivery: Were the case identification, packaging, tracking, and arrival condition satisfactory?
· Repeatability: Are the instructions and preferences clear enough for the next similar case, or do they need to be documented more precisely?
Specific feedback is more useful than “good” or “not good.” If a contact needs adjustment, identify the tooth and surface. If the shade differs from the expectation, send photographs with a useful shade reference. If the delivery date caused a problem, distinguish production time from courier transit time. Please include the case ID with every follow-up so we can match your comments to the original instructions.
If the Trial Case Has a Problem
Tell us what happened and when the issue was noticed. Send the case ID, a clear description, and photographs showing the relevant area. Depending on the problem, we may ask for updated scans or impressions or for the original item to be returned for review.
We will compare the issue with the original prescription, submitted records, and finished item before confirming the next step. A request for an adjustment or remake is reviewed according to its cause and the applicable terms; it is not automatically treated as a manufacturing defect. For removable cases, our repair, reline, rebase, and remake guide explains why these requests need to be distinguished.
When Should You Send More Cases
Review the first case together before increasing volume. Confirm which instructions worked, which questions delayed production, and what preferences should be recorded for future cases. If you plan to outsource several product types, evaluate them separately: a crown trial does not tell you everything about implant, removable, or orthodontic workflows.
The purpose of a trial is to establish a working process you can repeat. A finished restoration provides one piece of evidence; the way both teams submit, clarify, approve, inspect, and discuss the case shows whether the partnership can support regular work.
Start a Trial Order with Times Dental Lab
To discuss a trial order, email your product type, destination country, expected case mix, and representative case details to mail@times-dental.com. Submit digital case files by email to cases@times-dental.com, through 3Shape using the account cases@times-dental.com, or through Medit using the account jimmy@times-dental.com. Include the case ID and prescription. For physical impressions or models, contact us first to confirm the receiving details and what the package should contain. We will review the case and confirm any missing information before production.
