What Canadian Dental Labs does

Canadian Dental Labs is a Calgary-headquartered roll-up platform of Canadian dental laboratories, formed in October 2021 by private equity firm Equicapita and BMO Capital Partners to consolidate the fragmented Canadian dental laboratory industry. The company holds controlling equity interests in four regional laboratory brands — Shaw Lab Group (Ontario, founded 1944, serving 1,500+ dentists), Protec Dental (British Columbia, founded 1983, serving 2,500+ dentists), Hallmark Dental (Atlantic Canada, founded 1981, serving 500+ dentists), and Universal Dental Laboratories (Alberta, founded 1970) — collectively employing over 480 team members and serving more than 4,500 dentists across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada.

The company provides custom dental restorations and prosthetics — crowns, bridges, dentures, orthodontic devices, and other lab-fabricated dental products — manufactured to dentist specifications through owned laboratory facilities. Its production technology stack is built around digital dentistry equipment, including 3D printers, digital lab scanners, computer-controlled mills, and CAD/CAM design programs, with Protec Dental cited as a Canadian market leader in dental lab technology. Distribution is B2B-direct through the network of owned lab facilities, supported by a professional marketing presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

The business model is sales-led with quote-based pricing on a per-case basis to dental professionals; revenue mechanics are essentially transactional/recurring-order rather than formal subscriptions. Growth has been almost entirely inorganic — three documented acquisitions plus a 2025-period addition of Universal Dental — funded by Equicapita's roll-up capital and BMO Capital Partners' co-investment, with the company explicitly positioning for further Canadian dental laboratory acquisitions and a stated vision of becoming the most sought-after dental laboratory group in North America.

Name

Canadian Dental Labs

Legal name

Canadian Dental Laboratories Limited Partnership

Website

https://canadiandentallabs.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Canadian Dental Labs is a Calgary-based roll-up platform of Canadian dental laboratories, operating Shaw, Protec, Hallmark, and Universal Dental. Backed by Equicapita and BMO Capital Partners, it serves 4,500+ dentists with custom restorations and digital dentistry services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Laboratory Services

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

CAD/CAM Digital Design & Milling Centers (HLABAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing for Dental Prosthetics (HLABAJAF), Model/Die Work, Scanning & Case Digitization Services (HLABAJAJ), Crown & Bridge (Fixed Prosthetics) Fabrication (HLABAJAA), Removable Prosthetics (Dentures/Partials) Fabrication (HLABAJAB)

Keywords

• Dental laboratory services
• Custom dental prosthetics
• Digital dentistry solutions
• Dental restorations manufacturing
• Dental lab technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dental Laboratory Services: Custom dental restorations, prosthetics, and dental laboratory services provided to dental professionals. Services include crowns, bridges, dentures, orthodontic devices, and other dental prosthetics manufactured to dentist specifications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Canadian Dental Labs provides custom dental restorations and prosthetics manufactured to dentist specifications, including crowns, bridges, dentures, and orthodontic devices. The company operates a network of regional dental laboratories serving over 4,500 dental professionals across Canada using advanced digital dentistry technology including 3D printing, digital scanning, CAD/CAM design programs, and milling equipment.

Product overview

Canadian Dental Labs operates as a unified dental laboratory network/platform comprising multiple acquired regional dental lab brands. The platform includes Shaw Lab Group (Ontario), Protec Dental (British Columbia), Hallmark Dental (Atlantic Canada), and Universal Dental (Alberta). The company offers digital dentistry services utilizing advanced lab scanners, 3D printers, mills, and design programs. Each subsidiary maintains its regional brand identity while benefiting from centralized resources, technology investments, and partnership within the Canadian Dental Labs umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shaw Lab Group: Leading network of dental laboratories in Ontario with locations in Toronto, London, Ottawa, and Kingston.
• Protec Dental
• Hallmark Dental
• Universal Dental

Products and services

• Shaw Lab Group Leading network of dental laboratories in Ontario with locations in Toronto (Head Office), London, Ottawa, and Kingston. Founded in 1944, serves over 1,500 dentists with technical leadership and customer service in custom dental restorations and prosthetics.
• Protec Dental Leading dental laboratory in British Columbia, founded in 1983, based in Vancouver. Serves over 2,500 dentists across Canada. Recognized Canadian market leader in dental lab technology including 3D printing and digital scanning. Has locations in Vancouver and Surrey.
• Hallmark Dental Laboratory Largest dental laboratory in Atlantic Canada, founded in 1981, based in Halifax, NS with locations in Halifax, NS and St. John's, NL. Serves over 500 dentists with cutting edge digital services and customer service.
• Universal Dental Laboratories Edmonton's leading dental laboratory, founded in 1970, offering full-service dental laboratory offerings in one convenient location. A leader in dental technology.
• Digital Dentistry Services Digital dental laboratory services including lab scanners, 3D printers, mills, and CAD/CAM design programs for dental prosthetics and restorations, supporting the production of crowns, bridges, dentures, and orthodontic devices across the Canadian Dental Labs network.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Shaw Lab GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading network of dental laboratories in Ontario with locations in Toronto, London, Ottawa, Kingston, and Brampton. Founded in 1944, serves over 1,500 dentists with established reputation for technical leadership. Now part of Canadian Dental Labs network.
• Protec DentalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading dental laboratory in British Columbia, founded in 1983 and based in Vancouver. Serves over 2,500 dentists across Canada. Canadian market leader in dental lab technology including 3D printing and digital scanning.
• Hallmark DentalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest dental laboratory in Atlantic Canada, founded in 1981 and based in Halifax. Serves over 500 dentists with long-standing reputation for technical leadership, customer service, and education. Locations in Halifax, NS and St. John's, NL.
• Universal Dental LaboratoriessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdmonton's leading dental laboratory and leader in dental technology, founded in 1970. Provides full-service offerings in one convenient location.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Aspen Dental Management: Large US-based Dental Service Organization supporting over 1,000 branded Aspen Dental practices. Relevant as a customer-side counterparty that increasingly brings lab work in-house, representing both a large procurement channel and a competitive threat to external labs like Canadian Dental Labs.

Broad incumbents

• Straumann Group: Global leader in dental implants and prosthetics with growing digital dentistry capabilities. Comparable as a premium incumbent in implant-supported restorations that compete for the same restorative case work CDL's labs perform.
• Dentsply Sirona: Global dental equipment and technology manufacturer whose CEREC chairside CAD/CAM systems and in-office mills enable dentists to fabricate restorations in-clinic. Highly relevant as both an incumbent supplier to CDL's labs and the principal disruptive force to external dental lab volumes.
• Envista Holdings: Danaher dental spinoff encompassing Nobel Biocare, Ormco, and KaVo Kerr, covering implants, orthodontics, and dental equipment. Broad incumbent across the dental value chain with material overlap to CDL's prosthetic and digital dentistry workflows.
• Henry Schein: Largest dental distributor in North America supplying equipment, consumables, and practice solutions to dental practices. Comparable as a broad dental industry incumbent sitting adjacent to CDL's lab-to-dentist value chain with potential to integrate lab services.
• Glidewell Laboratories: Largest privately held dental laboratory in the United States, offering crowns, bridges, implants, and digital dentistry services to dentists nationwide. Comparable as a scaled, technology-forward dental lab incumbent; differs as a single-brand national operator rather than a multi-brand roll-up.

Direct peers

• Modern Dental Group: Hong Kong-listed global dental laboratory group operating a roll-up of regional labs across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Directly comparable multi-region dental lab platform with similar product mix (crowns, bridges, dentures, clear aligners) and B2B dentist customer base.
• National Dentex (NDX): The largest dental laboratory network in the United States, built via an identical roll-up strategy of regional dental labs serving general dentists and specialists. Closest direct comparable to Canadian Dental Labs in business model, scale ambition, and PE-backed consolidation playbook.

Others

• Ivoclar Vivadent: Swiss dental materials and equipment manufacturer supplying ceramics, CAD/CAM blocks, and digital workflows to dental laboratories worldwide. Key upstream supplier to Canadian Dental Labs' fabrication operations and a comparable digital-dentistry technology provider.
• 3Shape: Danish digital dentistry company producing TRIOS intraoral scanners and CAD design software used in both dental clinics and laboratories. Comparable as a digital dentistry technology enabler, and the same technology stack that drives chairside disruption to external labs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/canadiandentallabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadiandentallabs
• Instagraminstagram.com/canadiandentallabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Canadian Dental Labs