Great Lakes Dental Technologies

What Great Lakes Dental Technologies does

Great Lakes Dental Technologies Ltd. is a private, employee-owned dental laboratory and product distributor headquartered in Tonawanda, New York. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes custom dental appliances and dental equipment, serving general dentists, orthodontists, dental and orthodontic laboratories, dental sleep medicine practitioners, and TMD/orofacial pain specialists. Its core business operates through three revenue streams: (1) custom dental appliance fabrication including clear aligners, splints, retainers, sleep apnea devices, expanders, and orthodontic appliances; (2) distribution of dental equipment, supplies, intraoral scanners, 3D printers, thermal forming machines, and consumables; and (3) fee-based educational services including hands-on training courses and the Great Lakes eLearning platform.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on digital dental fabrication: 3D scanning, CAD/CAM design, laser sintering, and 3D printing. Its proprietary Great Lakes Digital Portal accepts STL files from any of 13 integrated intraoral scanner platforms (including 3Shape, iTero, Medit, Sirona, Carestream, Shining 3D, and others). Notable proprietary offerings include AccuGUARD 3D-printed splints ($95/appliance, 4-day turnaround), laser sintered nylon splints and metal appliances, the Custom MARPE bone-borne expander with configurable TAD placement, and the Memotain nitinol lingual retainer (1% breakage rate vs. 10% industry standard). The company holds FDA establishment registration, ISO 9001 certification, and a GSA schedule contract, supporting regulatory credibility.

The go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (toll-free 800-828-7626), direct-to-practitioner e-commerce (greatlakesdentaltech.com), event-driven hands-on training at Tonawanda facilities, and embedded digital case submission through scanner partner platforms. Pricing is transactional and unit-based across a broad catalog: consumables (DentaSOAK, ComfortTrack material), custom appliances (quote-based per case), and capital equipment ranging from $3,040 (MiniSTAR S) to $10,307 (BioStar 4-Aligner). The company is a reseller for major scanner brands (TRIOS/3Shape, Shining 3D) and a fabrication licensee for SCHEU-DENTAL's Memotain technology. Founded circa 1960 and operating for over 60 years, Great Lakes positions itself as a comprehensive single-source partner for digital dental appliance fabrication and equipment across orthodontic, sleep, TMD, and general dentistry use cases.

Name

Great Lakes Dental Technologies

Legal name

Great Lakes Dental Technologies Ltd.

Website

https://greatlakesdentaltech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Dental Technologies is an employee-owned dental laboratory and product distributor in Tonawanda, NY that designs, manufactures, and distributes custom orthodontic appliances, sleep/airway devices, TMD splints, dental equipment, and intraoral scanners for general dentists, orthodontists, dental labs, and sleep medicine practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orthodontic and Dental Appliance Manufacturing

NAICS

Dental Laboratories (339116), Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114)

SIC

Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)

akta.pro primary industry

Orthodontic Appliances & Aligners Fabrication (HLABAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Occlusal Splints, Night Guards & Mouthguards Fabrication (HLABAJAI), Medical & Dental 3D Printing Services (patient-specific devices, dental labs) (IMAAADAG)

Keywords

• Orthodontic appliances
• Custom dental fabrication
• Clear aligner systems
• Sleep apnea devices
• Dental laboratory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tonawanda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dental Equipment and Supplies Sales: Sale of dental equipment, orthodontic supplies, operatory equipment, lab equipment, 3D scanners, thermal forming machines, impression materials, brackets, archwires, and consumables through e-commerce and sales team.
2. Custom Dental Appliance Fabrication: Fabrication and sale of custom dental appliances (splints, aligners, expanders, retainers, sleep appliances, functional appliances) submitted by dental practices and labs via physical models or digital scans. Revenue per appliance with pricing varying by type and complexity.
3. Educational Services and Training: Fee-based training courses (wirebending, retainer fabrication, removable appliance fabrication, soldering) and eLearning courses for dental professionals. Training classes scheduled monthly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Dental Technologies designs, manufactures, and distributes custom orthodontic and dental appliances, sleep/airway devices, and TMD/bruxism splints for dental practices and laboratories. The company operates as both a custom fabrication lab accepting physical and digital case submissions, and a distributor of dental equipment (intraoral scanners, thermal forming machines, 3D printers) and consumables (aligner materials, brackets, archwires). It also provides educational services including eLearning courses and hands-on training classes.

Product overview

Great Lakes Dental Technologies is a dental laboratory and product distributor offering a comprehensive portfolio of orthodontic appliances, sleep/airway devices, TMD/temporomandibular disorder splints, and dental equipment. The company operates as both a custom fabrication laboratory (accepting physical and digital case submissions) and a distributor of branded products. The product portfolio is organized into several integrated categories: (1) Clear aligner systems under the smart moves® brand (complete, classic, and exceed Tx) that work with the Pre-aligner Therapy protocol for case preparation; (2) Sleep and airway appliances including Nylon Sleep Herbst, OrthoApnea NOA, Panthera X3/Classic, TAP series, EMA, dreamTAP, and Medley appliances; (3) TMD/Bruxism splints in both 3D-printed AccuGUARD, laser sintered nylon, and traditional acrylic formats; (4) Orthodontic products including exceed bracket systems (Aesthetic Express, BioTru, EasyClip+), Gummetal archwires, and expansion screws; (5) Maxillary skeletal expanders including Custom MARPE (with 2-8 TAD configurations) and MSE; (6) Fixed appliances including Memotain nitinol lingual retainers and laser sintered metal appliances; (7) Intraoral scanners (TRIOS, Shining 3D Aoralscan series) integrated with their digital submission portal; (8) Thermal forming equipment (BioStar, MiniSTAR) for clear aligner and retainer fabrication; (9) 3D printing solutions (LuxCreo system); (10) Support services including Great Lakes Digital Portal for STL uploads, TeleDENTAL remote consultations, eLearning courses, and prescription programs (Master Rx, Appliance Protection). The company accepts digital case submissions from 13 intraoral scanner platforms including 3Shape, iTero, Medit, Sirona, Carestream, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• smart moves®: Clear aligner product line including smart moves complete, smart moves classic, and smart moves exceed for anterior tooth movement through full arch alignment.
• Great Lakes TeleDENTAL
• exceed®
• AccuGUARD

Products and services

• smart moves Complete Clear Aligner System Full-arch clear aligner treatment system that integrates realistic aligner treatment plans with sophisticated 3D software. Compatible with any intraoral scanner, featuring a predictability index for realistic treatment projections. For orthodontists and dental practices offering clear aligner therapy.
• smart moves Classic Clear Aligner System Clear aligner system designed for anterior tooth movement using a combination of hard/soft aligners, suitable for minor tooth alignment cases. For dental practices offering limited orthodontic treatment.
• AccuGUARD 3D Printed Flat Plane Appliance Technician-designed, software-optimized 3D-printed upper splint with flat occlusal surface providing protection against nighttime bruxing and grinding. Four-day in-lab turnaround, priced at $95 with 1-year warranty. For dental practices treating TMD and bruxism patients.
• AccuGUARD 3D Printed Deprogrammer Full-coverage 3D-printed upper splint with anterior discluding element providing posterior disclusion. Can be used as therapeutic or diagnostic appliance for facial pain relief. For dental practitioners diagnosing and treating TMD.
• Great Lakes Custom MARPE Custom Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expander with configurable TAD placement (2, 4, 6, or 8 mini-screws). Features digital implant planning and CBCT verification with 7-day turnaround from clinician approval. For orthodontists treating maxillary transverse deficiency.
• Memotain Nitinol Bonded Lingual Retainer Fixed lingual retainer made from Nitinol memory alloy at 0.4mm x 0.4mm thickness, featuring 1% breakage rate versus 10% for conventional retainers. Includes selective smoothing of interdental areas for customized positioning. For orthodontic retention.
• Nylon Splints (Laser Sintered) Laser sintered nylon appliances including deprogrammers, flat plane splints, and full contact splints with anterior guidance. Strong, lightweight, and flexible with optimized undercut retention designed in software. FDA-cleared and biocompatible. For TMD and bruxism treatment.
• Nylon Sleep Herbst Appliance Durable sleep appliance in white medical-grade nylon less than 1mm thick, featuring PDAC approval for Medicare reimbursement (Code E0486) with 2-year warranty. Allows lateral/vertical movement with telescopic advancement up to 4mm. For dentists treating obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.
• OrthoApnea NOA Mandibular Advancement Device Mandibular advancement device for treating obstructive sleep apnea and snoring, featuring two low-profile splints holding the jaw in controlled forward position. For dental sleep medicine practitioners.
• Panthera X3 Sleep Apnea Device FDA-approved digital sleep apnea device for treating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea by positioning the lower jaw forward. For dental sleep medicine practitioners.
• TAP 3 Sleep Appliance Third-generation Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP) for sleep apnea and snoring treatment with adjustable mandibular advancement. For dentists treating sleep-disordered breathing.
• MSE Maxillary Skeletal Expander Bone-borne skeletal expander for maxillary transverse deficiency treatment, PDAC verified for Medicare reimbursement. For orthodontists performing skeletal maxillary expansion.
• Traditional Splints (TMD/Bruxism) Wide range of TMD splints and deprogrammers including Full Contact Splint (Spear/Tanner styles), Dawson Academy B-Splint, Flat Occlusal Plane, Gelb Splint, Kois Deprogrammer, and Anterior Repositioning Splint. For dentists treating temporomandibular disorders and bruxism.
• Laser Sintered Metal Appliances Digitally designed metal appliances including expanders and space maintainers with laser sintered bands for accurate, precise fit. Eliminates need for separators and band fitting appointments. For orthodontic practices.
• Great Lakes ComfortTrack Clear Aligner Material Clear aligner thermoforming material in 0.76mm/125mm round format (10/pkg) for fabricating clear aligners using thermal forming machines. For dental laboratories and practices fabricating aligners in-house.
• exceed Aesthetic Express Patient Kits Aesthetic orthodontic bracket patient kits for indirect bonding procedures. For orthodontic practices offering aesthetic fixed appliance treatment.
• TRIOS 6 Wireless Intraoral Scanner Wireless intraoral scanner from 3Shape for digital impressions. Part of Great Lakes scanner portfolio integrated with digital case submission workflow. For dental practices adopting digital impression workflows.
• Aoralscan Elf Intraoral Scanner Wireless intraoral scanner from Shining 3D for digital impressions. Special order item with delivery time information available by phone. For dental practices adopting digital impression workflows.
• BioStar 4-Aligner Thermal-Forming Machine Positive pressure thermal-forming machine for clear aligner fabrication. Features 4-aligner capacity with advanced pressure technology. Priced at $10,307.15, phone ordering required. For dental laboratories and practices producing aligners.
• MiniSTAR S with Scan Technology Thermal forming machine with integrated scanning capability for dental appliance fabrication. Priced at $3,040.90, in stock with same-day shipping. For dental laboratories fabricating appliances.
• LuxCreo Digital Dental System Digital dental printing solution combining 3D printing hardware and proprietary materials for dental appliance fabrication. For dental practices and laboratories implementing in-office 3D printing workflows.
• Wire Bending Robot II Automated wire bending robot for fixed lingual retainer fabrication, ensuring consistent precision in wire forming. For orthodontic laboratories.
• DADO Laser Welder Laser welding equipment for dental laboratory soldering and welding applications. Priced at $5,200.00. For dental laboratories performing metal appliance fabrication and repair.
• Gummetal Archwires Nickel-free titanium molybdenum alloy archwires for orthodontic treatment, marketed under Gummetal brand. For orthodontic practices.
• Custom Dental Appliance Fabrication Services Custom dental appliance fabrication services accepting both physical models (via mail) and digital scans. Design technicians review cases and contact prescribers with questions. For dental practices and laboratories outsourcing appliance fabrication.
• Great Lakes eLearning Courses Online educational courses for dental professionals to learn appliance fabrication techniques at their own pace, accessible via learn.greatlakesdentaltech.com. For dental staff and practitioners seeking continuing education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 40% of dental practice patients may have occlusal pathology; 80% of these can benefit from occlusal splint therapy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SCHEU-DENTALcoreTechnology or IntegrationSCHEU-DENTAL is the original manufacturer/licensor of the Memotain nitinol bonded lingual retainer (FDA Device Listing D267631), which Great Lakes fabricates and distributes. Memotain features a 1% breakage rate versus 10% for conventional retainers based on SCHEU-DENTAL statistical data from a 30,000-retainer sample.
• 3ShapecoreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes accepts digital case submissions directly from 3Shape platform. Extensive integration with 3Shape scanning workflows including detailed upload instructions for digital models and occlusal splint scanning guides using 3Shape scanners.
• iTerocoreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes accepts digital case submissions from iTero intraoral scanners. iTero is listed as a supported platform for uploading digital models for appliance fabrication.
• MeditcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes accepts digital case submissions from Medit intraoral scanners. Partnership referenced in the Clear Aligner Market report noting Angelalign's software integration with Medit, though Great Lakes independently supports Medit file uploads.
• Sirona (Dentsply Sirona)coreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes accepts digital case submissions from Sirona intraoral scanners as a supported platform for uploading digital models for appliance fabrication.
• Carestream DentalcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes accepts digital case submissions from Carestream intraoral scanners. Supported platform for uploading digital models for appliance fabrication.
• Shining 3DcoreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes distributes Shining 3D scanners and accepts digital case submissions from Shining 3D intraoral scanners. Dual relationship as both product reseller and digital integration partner.
• 3ShapecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGreat Lakes distributes TRIOS intraoral scanners (3Shape product) as a reseller. Website features dedicated TRIOS scanner product category and scanner-specific digital submission guides.
• United States Postal Service (USPS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGreat Lakes integrates USPS return shipping labels on its website for US customers mailing physical case models. Pre-printed shipping labels streamline the case submission process for physical impressions and models.
• LuxCreocoreTechnology or IntegrationGreat Lakes offers the LuxCreo Digital Dental System as a featured product category for 3D dental printing solutions, indicating a product distribution/integration relationship.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Align Technology: Maker of Invisalign clear aligners and iTero intraoral scanners. Most direct competitor to Great Lakes' smart moves clear aligner line and broader orthodontic appliance portfolio. Operates at vastly larger scale with global brand recognition.
• Henry Schein: Largest distributor of dental supplies, equipment, and practice solutions to dental offices and labs in North America. Overlaps with Great Lakes in distribution of dental equipment, scanners, and consumables though at much broader portfolio scale.
• Patterson Companies: Major dental and animal health products distributor supplying equipment, consumables, and digital solutions to dental practices and laboratories. Comparable channel overlap with Great Lakes' equipment distribution business.
• Dentsply Sirona: Global manufacturer of dental equipment, consumables, and digital solutions including CEREC same-day crowns and SureSmile clear aligners. Overlaps with Great Lakes in dental equipment manufacturing, intraoral scanners (Sirona), and clear aligner competition.
• Solventum (3M Oral Care): Recently spun off oral care business of 3M includes Clarity clear aligners, orthodontic brackets, and oral care products. Direct competitor in orthodontic products and clear aligner category with broader portfolio and global scale.

Direct peers

• Glidewell Laboratories: One of the largest dental laboratories in the US, offering custom crowns, bridges, implants, splints, and digital dental solutions. Directly comparable to Great Lakes as a multi-category dental lab and product manufacturer serving general dentists and specialists.
• National Dentex Labs: National network of dental laboratories providing crowns, bridges, implants, and removable dental appliances. Direct competitor in custom dental appliance fabrication with comparable B2B service model targeting dental practices.
• Modern Dental Group: Global dental prosthesis manufacturer and distributor with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Comparable to Great Lakes in custom dental appliance manufacturing, particularly orthodontic and prosthetic devices.
• SCHEU-DENTAL: German dental technology company that originally developed Memotain nitinol retainers (now fabricated/distributed by Great Lakes). Closely comparable as a specialty orthodontic product manufacturer with overlapping appliance categories and direct technology partnership.

Emerging players

• Ultradent Products: Privately held dental manufacturer specializing in professional dental materials, equipment, and endodontic/restorative products. Comparable as a privately held, multi-category dental product company serving dental professionals with proprietary brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/greatlakesorth
• Facebookfacebook.com/GreatLakesDentalTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-dental-tech
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatlakesdentaltech

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Dental Technologies