This UK restoration lab guide sets out what our implant dental lab fabricates: the restorative parts that sit on the fixture, crowns, bridges, abutments and full-arch frameworks. We take your scan and prescription, then deliver a fit that seats first time.
Implant Restoration Options at a Glance
| Case type | When it is used | What we need | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single crown + abutment | One missing tooth, healthy adjacent teeth | System, platform, scan or impression coping | Stock or custom abutment by aesthetics |
| Custom abutment | Angulation, emergence or aesthetic margin control | Scan body or impression, soft-tissue detail | Milled titanium or zirconia |
| Implant bridge | Multiple adjacent units on two or more implants | Verified impression, passive-fit records | Passive fit is the whole case |
| All-on-4 / full-arch | Edentulous or terminal dentition | Verified jig, bite, tooth position | Plan and verify before milling |
| Bar / overdenture | Removable full-arch retained on implants | Implant positions, retention preference | Retention set to patient dexterity |
UK Context: Registration and Case Types
We are a GDC-registered (216535) implant crown laboratory and DAMAS/DLA member, MHRA-compliant for the custom-made devices we fabricate, covering the full range of implant work: single implant crowns, implant retained dentures and full-arch restorations. Whether your team searches for a dental laboratory for implant cases, a dental lab for full arch restorations, a dental lab for implant retained dentures, or simply an implant restorations lab, the same case protocol applies, scans from iTero, 3Shape TRIOS, Medit or Dexis, and a 10 working day turnaround by tracked courier to and from practices across England.
This is the hub for our implant work. Every step below links to a deeper guide, from torque figures to abutment components. If you already run a crown and bridge caseload, our crown and bridge lab covers the conventional side.
What an Implant Restoration Lab Actually Produces
An implant restoration lab sits downstream of the surgical phase. You place the fixture and let it integrate. We build everything that connects to it and shows in the mouth. The fixture is the implant. The restoration is our job.
Our implant prosthetics lab output falls into a few clear groups, and the same scan and prescription can lead to any of them depending on the case.
- Single units: an implant crown on a stock or custom abutment, screw or cement retained.
- Short-span bridges: two to four units splinted across two or more implants.
- Full-arch frameworks: screw-retained bars and bridges for fixed full-arch rehabilitation.
- Removable on implants: overdentures retained by locators or bars.
Each of these maps to a deeper guide further down this page.
Screw-Retained or Cement-Retained
This is the first decision on most single units, and it shapes the whole prescription. Tell us which you want, or tell us the constraints and we will recommend one.
- Screw-retained: retrievable, no cement to trap in the sulcus, ideal when access allows a straight or angled screw channel. Our default for most posterior cases.
- Cement-retained: useful when the screw access would emerge through an aesthetic facial surface, or when interocclusal space is tight. Needs careful cement control at the chairside.
Angled screw channel abutments now let us keep many anterior cases screw-retained where they would once have been cemented. If you are unsure, send the scan and we will flag the access angle before we design.
The retention choice also drives how much we torque the final restoration, which we cover in our torque guide below.
Abutment Selection: Stock, Custom or Ti-Base
The abutment is the connector between the fixture and the restoration, and choosing it well is most of the work in an implant crown lab. We pick based on emergence, angulation and the material on top.
- Stock abutments: fast and economical for well-positioned implants with a simple emergence profile.
- Custom abutments: milled to the soft-tissue contour for angulation correction and a natural emergence, the right call for most aesthetic and angled cases.
- Ti-base plus hybrid: a titanium base bonded to a zirconia or lithium disilicate suprastructure, combining a metal connection at the fixture with a tooth-coloured restoration.
Getting the components right means matching the exact platform and connection geometry of the system you placed. The full breakdown of parts lives in our guide to implant abutments and components.
Scanning, Scan Bodies and the Digital Workflow
A clean digital impression starts with the right scan body seated fully and screwed home. The scan body tells our software the exact position, depth and rotation of the fixture, so the design references the implant rather than guessing from the soft tissue.
We accept intraoral scans from 3Shape, Medit, iTero and Dexis. Send the implant scan, an opposing scan and a bite, plus the scan body code if it is not obvious from the file.
- Seat fully: a scan body that is not fully home throws the whole position off. Confirm it clicks and the screw is snug.
- Capture the emergence: scan the soft-tissue cuff before you place the scan body where the case allows it.
- Name the system: tell us the implant brand, line and platform so we order or mill the matching parts.
If you still take closed or open-tray impressions, that is fine, we pour and digitise in-house.
System Compatibility: Why We Need the Implant Details
There is no universal implant connection. Each system has its own platform diameter, internal geometry and screw. An implant restoration lab can only build parts that mate exactly with what you placed, so the single most useful line on a prescription is the system, line and platform.
We work across the major systems and their compatible component lines. If you give us the placement record or the sticker from the fixture box, we match the genuine or validated compatible parts and torque them to the manufacturer figure.
Get the system wrong and nothing seats. Get it right and the case is predictable.
Torque, Seating and Handover
Once we have built the restoration, the chairside handover depends on torquing each component to the correct figure. Under-torque and the screw loosens. Over-torque and you risk the screw or the fixture.
We supply the prescription with the relevant figures for the abutment screw and the prosthetic screw, matched to the system. Our full reference table is in the implant torque values guide.
- Abutment screw: torqued to the manufacturer figure with a calibrated driver, then often re-torqued after settling.
- Prosthetic screw: torqued, access channel sealed with PTFE and composite for retrievability.
Full-Arch and Implant-Supported Prosthetics
Full-arch is where the lab adds the most value, because passive fit across multiple fixtures is unforgiving. We verify the framework before we finish, using a verification jig or a sectioned-and-luted approach when the span is long.
Whether the plan is a fixed screw-retained bridge, a milled bar overdenture or a hybrid, the workflow and material choices differ case by case. We walk through each option in our implant-supported prosthetics guide.
Send us the case early on full-arch work so we can advise on implant number and angulation before the final impression.
Turnaround and Sending Your First Case to Flora
Implant work runs to a realistic schedule. We do not promise overnight turnaround, because passive fit and proper verification take the time they take. Most single implant restorations run to a similar timeline as our crown and bridge work, around ten working days, with full-arch cases planned around your stages.
Flora Dental Lab is DAMAS, DLA and GDC accredited. To make the first case easy, we will do your first implant restoration free, up to £100 in value, with no invoice and no contract. Send a scan or an impression and the implant details and we will take it from there.
- Scans we accept: 3Shape, Medit, iTero and Dexis, or a poured model.
- What to include: implant system, line and platform, retention preference and a shade.
- First case: free up to £100, so you can judge the fit before you commit a paid case.
If you also outsource fixed prosthetics, see our crown and bridge lab guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What services do implant dental labs offer?
An implant dental lab fabricates the restorative parts that connect to placed fixtures: implant crowns, short-span bridges, abutments (stock, custom and ti-base), full-arch screw-retained frameworks and implant-supported overdentures. We also advise on retention, abutment choice and system compatibility from the scan.
Should an implant restoration be screw-retained or cement-retained?
Screw-retained is the default where access allows, because it is retrievable and leaves no cement in the sulcus. Cement-retained suits cases where the screw access would emerge through an aesthetic surface or where space is tight. Angled screw channels now keep many anterior cases screw-retained.
What is the difference between a stock and a custom abutment?
A stock abutment is a prefabricated connector suited to well-positioned implants with a simple emergence. A custom abutment is milled to the soft-tissue contour to correct angulation and create a natural emergence. See our abutments and components guide for the full component breakdown.
Which intraoral scanners does the lab accept for implant cases?
We accept implant scans from 3Shape, Medit, iTero and Dexis. Seat the scan body fully and screwed home, capture an opposing scan and a bite, and tell us the implant system, line and platform so we match the correct parts.
Why does the lab need to know the implant system?
There is no universal implant connection. Each system has its own platform diameter, internal geometry and screw. We can only build parts that mate exactly with what you placed, so the system, line and platform is the most important line on the prescription.
How long does an implant restoration take and what is the torque?
Single implant restorations run to a similar timeline as crown and bridge work, around ten working days, with full-arch cases planned around your stages. We supply the correct abutment and prosthetic screw figures with every case. See our implant torque values guide.
