Glidewell Dental Lab

What Glidewell Dental Lab does

Glidewell Dental Lab (legal entity James R. Glidewell, Dental Ceramics, Inc.) is the largest U.S.-based full-service dental laboratory, founded in 1970 and headquartered at 2201 Dupont Dr., Irvine, California. The company fabricates and distributes dental prosthetic restorations and clinical products, serving approximately 80,000 practicing dentists annually across the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Its core lab service accepts physical cases and digital intraoral scans from nine major scanner brands (Alliedstar, CEREC, DEXIS, Heron IOS, iTero, Medit, Planmeca, Trios, and others), processed 3M+ intraoral scans in 2024, and offers next-day crowns starting at $89 with a $20 per-unit savings on digital case submissions across BruxZir, Obsidian, IPS e.max, and implant crown cases. The company is privately held with no disclosed external investors and was founded by Jim Glidewell, who remains President.

The company's technology stack combines machine-learning-powered restoration design (integrated since 2014) with CAD/CAM workflows, chairside milling, 3D printing, and the glidewell.io In-Office Solution that bundles fastscan.io intraoral scanning, fastmill.io in-office milling, fastprint.io 3D printing, and the April 2026-launched fastsmile.io 3D facial scanner into a same-visit chairside workflow. The proprietary portfolio spans material brands (BruxZir zirconia, Obsidian lithium silicate, Vivaneer veneers, CLEARsplint), implant systems (Glidewell HT, Hahn, Inclusive, Newport Surgical), occlusal and sleep appliances (Comfort H/S bite splint, Silent Nite, dreamTAP, OASYS Hinge), clear aligners, and FDA 510(k)-cleared products including a 2024-cleared antimicrobial denture resin. The ORB Sport Smart Mouthguard, launched October 2024 from the May 2023 ORB Innovations acquisition, marks Glidewell's entry into smart oral devices and consumer wellness.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: per-unit lab restoration services (transaction-fee model), hardware and material sales via the Glidewell Direct e-commerce storefront, in-office digital equipment sales (glidewell.io / fastsmile.io / fastmill.io / fastprint.io / fastscan.io), design-as-a-service (SimpliOne), continuing education (AGD PACE-accredited courses, nine annual symposia), and consumer products (ORB Sport). The company operates a multi-entity corporate structure with at least eight disclosed wholly-owned subsidiaries (Glidewell Asia, Dentalium Dental Ceramics, JRG Dentalium, Crown World, Prismatik Dentalcraft, New West Dental Ceramics, Las Vegas Digital Dental Solutions, CloudPoint Ventures), dedicated offices in the U.S., Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and channel partnerships with Swiss implant company TRI and major intraoral scanner manufacturers. Distribution runs through a U.S.-based call center, the My Account digital portal, the Glidewell Direct storefront, direct scanner integrations, and international field offices.

Name

Glidewell Dental Lab

Legal name

James R. Glidewell, Dental Ceramics, Inc.

Website

https://glidewelldental.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Glidewell Dental Lab is the largest U.S.-based full-service dental laboratory, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Irvine, California. It fabricates prosthetic restorations and provides AI-powered digital dentistry solutions, equipment, and materials to approximately 80,000 practicing dentists annually across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Laboratory Services

NAICS

Dental Laboratories (339116), Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112)

SIC

Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Crown & Bridge (Fixed Prosthetics) Fabrication (HLABAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

CAD/CAM Digital Design & Milling Centers (HLABAJAE), Implant Prosthetics & Abutment Fabrication (HLABAJAC)

Keywords

• Dental laboratory services
• Dental implant manufacturing
• Crown and bridge restorations
• Digital dental solutions
• Restorative dental materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dental Lab Restoration Services: Primary revenue stream; dentists ship physical cases or submit digital intraoral scans and Glidewell fabricates and returns crowns, bridges, implants, dentures, veneers, and other prosthetic restorations. Next-day crowns start at $89. Scale: ~80,000 dentists served annually and 3M+ intraoral scans processed in 2024.
2. Glidewell Direct E-Commerce (Clinical & Lab Products): Online storefront (glidewelldirect.com) selling clinical products, equipment (mills, scanners, 3D printers), materials, and consumables directly to dental practices.
3. In-Office Solution Hardware & Software Sales (glidewell.io, fastsmile.io, fastmill.io, fastprint.io, fastscan.io): Sale of in-office digital dentistry equipment including the fastsmile.io 3D Facial Scanner (1.8 lb), fastmill.io milling units, fastprint.io 3D printers, fastscan.io scanning solutions, and the integrated glidewell.io chairside suite.
4. Continuing Education & Symposia: Revenue from paid dental CE courses (live and online), the Glidewell Symposium flagship event, and nine annual regional symposia across the U.S.
5. Design-as-a-Service (SimpliOne™): Outsourced CAD design service for dental restorations on demand.
6. Smart Oral Device Products (ORB Sport™): Sales of the ORB Sport™ Smart Mouthguard — a mouth-worn fitness/sports tracking device — leveraging technology acquired from ORB Innovations Ltd.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Glidewell Dental Lab is the largest US-based full-service dental laboratory, manufacturing and fabricating custom dental restorations (crowns, bridges, implants, dentures, veneers, occlusal appliances) for dental practices. Dentists submit physical impressions or digital intraoral scans; Glidewell designs and delivers finished prosthetics, with next-day crowns starting at $89 and proprietary materials like BruxZir zirconia. The company also sells in-office digital dentistry equipment (glidewell.io, fastscan.io, fastmill.io, fastprint.io, fastsmile.io), clinical products via its Glidewell Direct e-commerce store, and offers continuing-education programs for dentists.

Product overview

Glidewell operates as a multi-brand dental laboratory platform rather than a single product. Its core platform is the glidewell.io™ In-Office Solution — a connected chairside ecosystem bundling fastscan.io intraoral scanning, AI-powered design, fastmill.io in-office milling, fastprint.io 3D printing and (as of April 2026) the fastsmile.io 3D facial scanner — which is supplied alongside a deep catalogue of in-office materials (BruxZir® zirconia, Obsidian®, CAMouflage® NOW, BioTemps NOW, BruxZir NOW, etc.). Underpinning the lab service are brand portfolios across Crown & Bridge (BruxZir, Obsidian, Vivaneer), Implant Solutions (Glidewell HT™, Hahn™, Inclusive®, Newport Surgical™, Glidewell Digital Full-Arch / Stackable, Glidewell Tooth Replacement Solution, TRI partnership), Occlusal Appliances (Comfort H/S, CLEARsplint, Clear-Lock), Sleep Dentistry (Silent Nite, EMA, TAP/dreamTAP, OASYS Hinge), Orthodontics (Glidewell Clear Aligners), Removables (Simply Natural, Reflex Plus, Smile Transitions, antimicrobial denture resin) and Sports/Wellness (Playsafe, ORB Sport). Cross-cutting platform services include the AI-driven Glidewell Signature™ guided restorative workflow and the SimpliOne™ outsourced design service, all wrapped in the Glidewell Education ecosystem (AGD PACE CE, symposiums, Chairside magazine/podcast, Guiding Leaders program) and the Glidewell Direct e-commerce storefront.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BruxZir®: Zirconia crown, bridge, and full-arch implant prosthetic product line.
• glidewell.io™
• Glidewell HT™ Implant
• Comfort H/S™ Bite Splint
• fastsmile.io™
• fastscan.io™
• fastmill.io™
• fastprint.io™
• ORB Sport™
• Hahn™ Tapered Implant
• Inclusive®
• Obsidian®
• SimpliOne™
• Glidewell Signature™

Products and services

• Dental Lab Restoration Services (crown, bridge, implant, denture, veneer, occlusal appliance fabrication)
• BruxZir® Zirconia (solid zirconia restorative material)

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000,000+ intraoral scans processed in 2024
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability8 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• TRI (Swiss Implant Company)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Announced in April 2025: Jim Glidewell, founder and president of Glidewell Laboratories, announced a partnership with Swiss-based implant company TRI. The partnership enables TRI customers to access Glidewell's dental lab services. TRI is an international dental implant company and this represents a flagship strategic channel partnership that extends Glidewell's reach into TRI's implant customer base.
• ORB Innovations Ltd.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023In May 2023, Glidewell acquired ORB Innovations Limited, a UK start-up specializing in smart oral health technology. The acquisition marked Glidewell's first venture into smart dental technology and accelerated the launch of ORB's mouth-worn fitness tracker. ORB Innovations is now a Glidewell subsidiary (referenced in the privacy policy as an affiliated entity).
• Dentsply Sirona (CEREC)coreTechnology or IntegrationGlidewell is registered as a "Favorite Laboratory" within the Sirona Connect / CEREC Connect portal. Dentists select Glidewell as their lab of choice and submit digital scans directly. CEREC is a product of Dentsply Sirona.
• Align Technology (iTero Element)coreTechnology or IntegrationGlidewell Lab ID 318; dentists contact Align Technology to add Glidewell to their list of "Favorite Labs" or invite via [email protected]. Direct digital integration enables seamless intraoral scan transfer.
• 3Shape (Trios)coreTechnology or IntegrationGlidewell is available as a connected lab inside 3Shape's Trios scanner workflow. Dentists add Glidewell under Settings → Connections → Labs, request connection, and submit cases under the "Scan & Send" menu.
• 3DISC (Heron™ IOS)coreTechnology or IntegrationDentists add Glidewell as a lab of choice in the HeronCloud™ interface by clicking "Connections" and "Add Connection"; cases are sent to Glidewell through the Heron portal.
• Medit (Medit i900 / fastscan.io)coreTechnology or IntegrationDentists log in to their Medit account at meditlink.com to submit cases; Glidewell also co-markets a branded fastscan.io Scanning Solution featuring Medit i900.
• DEXIScoreTechnology or IntegrationDentists invite Glidewell as a partner via DEXIS IS Connect using the email [email protected]. Once approved, Glidewell is selectable when completing the digital Rx.
• Planmeca USAcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlanmeca Romexis customers can send scans securely through Planmeca Romexis Cloud and complete digital Rx within the Planmeca Romexis application. Planmeca is a product of Planmeca USA.
• AlliedstarcoreTechnology or IntegrationDentists log in to Alliedstar AS Connect, add Glidewell as a partner via "My Partner" menu, and submit digital scans directly to the lab.
• CloudPoint Ventures (dba HyperScan CT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCloudPoint Ventures, Inc. DBA HyperScan CT is listed as a Glidewell subsidiary in the privacy policy, indicating it is an internal affiliate rather than an external partner.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• National Dentex Labs: One of the largest U.S. dental laboratory networks offering crowns, bridges, implants, and removable prosthetics to dentists nationwide. Directly comparable to Glidewell in lab-services scale, restorative product mix, and dentist-customer focus.
• Modern Dental Group: Hong Kong-listed global dental prosthetic and lab services company with U.S. and European operations. Directly comparable in lab fabrication, digital dentistry adoption, and multi-region footprint serving dentists and DSOs.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsply Sirona: Largest global manufacturer of dental equipment and consumables, including the CEREC chairside CAD/CAM system that competes with Glidewell's in-office solution. Overlaps with Glidewell in digital impressions, in-office milling, and restorative materials.
• Align Technology: Maker of the Invisalign clear-aligner system and iTero intraoral scanners. Comparable to Glidewell in iTero-Glidewell lab integration, digital orthodontic/restorative workflows, and clear-aligner competition (Glidewell Clear Aligners).
• 3Shape: Danish manufacturer of Trios intraoral scanners and CAD/CAM dental design software (including 3Shape Automate, an outsourced design service). Directly comparable to Glidewell in scanner-to-lab workflows and design-as-a-service competition.
• Envista Holdings: Diversified dental products company spanning implants, orthodontics, and consumables (Nobel Biocare, Spark, Kerr). Comparable to Glidewell in implants and digital restorative solutions across the same dentist customer base.
• Straumann Group: Global premium dental implant leader with growing digital and clear-aligner businesses. Overlaps with Glidewell in implant restorations, guided surgery, and restorative workflows sold to the same dentist and specialist customer base.
• ZimVie: Spun-off dental and spine business with a meaningful implant portfolio. Comparable to Glidewell's implant solutions and biologics categories (Glidewell HT, Hahn, Inclusive) competing for the same dental implant customers.
• Henry Schein: Largest U.S. dental distributor with technology, supplies, and practice solutions. Comparable as a broad dental channel that competes for the dentist wallet share Glidewell targets with Glidewell Direct.
• Patterson Companies: Major U.S. dental and animal-health distributor offering equipment, supplies, and technology services. Comparable to Glidewell in serving dental practices with restorative materials, scanners, and CAD/CAM equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/glidewelldental
• Facebookfacebook.com/glidewelldental
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glidewell-dental-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/glidewelldental
• Xx.com/GlidewellDental

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glidewell Dental Lab