Argen
Argen is a family-owned, San Diego-headquartered dental laboratory supplier founded in 1970, serving dental labs and practices across North America and Europe with alloys, zirconia, resins, implant components, digital outsourcing, clear aligners, and precious-metal refining services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Argen does
Argen is a family-owned dental laboratory supplier founded in 1970 and headquartered in San Diego, California, with operations across the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The company sells a comprehensive portfolio of dental laboratory products — alloys (precious, non-precious, partial), zirconia discs and milled units, a broad resin catalog spanning model, surgical guide, splint, and characterization resins, abutment and implant components (marketed under the ArgenIS sub-brand), coins, and consumable supplies — alongside third-party dental lab equipment (scanners, mills, 3D printers, furnaces, suction units, software).
Beyond product distribution, Argen operates a digital manufacturing services business built on CAD/CAM, 3D printing, milling, SLM (Selective Laser Melting), and DPM (Digital Process Manufacturing) capabilities. This includes a Digital Outsourcing division that produces zirconia, custom abutments, screw-retained bars and bridges, milled metal, digital dentures, e.max, bite splints, PMMA, and VITA Suprinity units, as well as a Design Service Center offering intraoral and abutment design. Argen also manufactures custom clear aligners and runs an in-house precious metal refining operation that converts dental scrap into settlement payments — which can be credited directly to customer accounts.
Argen serves dental laboratories as its primary segment, with dental practices and dental industry professionals as secondary segments. The company distributes through its e-commerce storefront, telephone sales, and account-based ordering, with field sales and educational programming (webinars, lab trainings, CE credits, Argen University). The company operates multiple heritage DBA brands including Jelenko, Leach & Dillon, Aurium, Dent Gold, Wilkinson Dental Alloys, World Alloys, and Gateway Alloys. Argen Canada expanded its Canadian digital manufacturing footprint in 2025 via the acquisition of Dental Axess Canada's lab and denture clinic business.
Argen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Argen
- Legal name
- The Argen Corporation
- Website
- https://argen.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Argen is a family-owned, San Diego-headquartered dental laboratory supplier founded in 1970, serving dental labs and practices across North America and Europe with alloys, zirconia, resins, implant components, digital outsourcing, clear aligners, and precious-metal refining services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Argen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Dental Materials Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114), Dental Laboratories (339116), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)
- SIC
- Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), Jewelry, Precious Metal (3911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crown & Bridge (Fixed Prosthetics) Fabrication (HLABAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Orthodontic Appliances & Aligners Fabrication (HLABAJAD), Implant Prosthetics & Abutment Fabrication (HLABAJAC), Removable Prosthetics (Dentures/Partials) Fabrication (HLABAJAB), Dental Implants & Prosthodontic Components (Implants/Abutments/Prosthetics) (HLAHAEAE), Medical Devices & Dental (Production AM Parts) (IMAAAEAD)
Keywords
Where Argen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Argen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Dental Products Sales: Sale of dental laboratory products including alloys (precious, non-precious, partial), coins, zirconia (discs, milled units), resins (model, splint, surgical guide, castable, removables, try-in, tray, gingiva, veneers, temporary, permanent crown, cement, sports guard, ortho, accessories, characterization), abutment and implant parts (custom abutments, Ti bases, analogs, scan bodies, screws, tools, transfer posts, temp abutments, screw retained bars and bridges, multi-unit abutment, titanium milling blanks), supplies, digital outsourcing, and equipment (scanners, mills, printers, furnaces, suction units, software, tools and parts, accessories, computers).
- Precious Metal Refining Services: Refining of precious metal scrap from dental laboratories and practices. Revenue generated through refining process fees and treatment fees. Settlement can be made via check, ACH, wire transfer, coins, dental/jewelry alloys, or credit to customer account. Subject to minimum refining process fee of $75.00 per lot.
- Clear Aligners: Custom clear aligners manufactured for dental professionals to move teeth in small increments based on approved treatment plans. Additional white label packaging available at $5.00 per case.
- Equipment Sales: Third-party equipment sales including scanners (3Shape, Open Technologies), mills (Roland), furnaces (ShenPaz, Nabertherm), suction units (Quatro, BOFA), and HP PCs for CAM. Equipment comes with manufacturer warranties.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Precious Metal Refining - Process Fee |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Treatment Fees |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Settlement Payment Options |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Return Restocking Fees |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clear Aligner White Label Packaging |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | CAD Points for 3Shape Software |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Argen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Argen manufactures and supplies dental laboratories with a broad portfolio of products and services including precious and non-precious dental alloys, zirconia and resin materials, abutment and implant components (ArgenIS), clear aligners, and complementary services such as digital outsourcing, Design Service Center support, and precious metal refining.
Product overview
Argen is a family-owned dental laboratory supplies distributor with over 50 years of experience, operating primarily in North America and Europe. The company offers a broad portfolio of dental laboratory products and services organized around three pillars: (1) physical product categories including Alloy Products (precious, non-precious, partial, solders and wires), Zirconia Products (discs, shading liquids, equipment, milled units), Resin Products (temporary, permanent, surgical guide, splint, casting, and specialty resins), Abutment & Implant Parts under the ArgenIS sub-brand, Coins, and general Supplies; (2) digital manufacturing services including Digital Outsourcing (zirconia, custom abutments, milled metal, SLM, digital dentures, e.max, models, bite splints, PMMA, wax), a Design Service Center (intraoral design and abutment design), and Clear Aligners; and (3) a Refining service that converts precious metal scrap into cash settlements. Equipment is sourced from third-party manufacturers. The company also operates sub-brands including Leach & Dillon and Aurium. Argen Canada was expanded in 2026 through the acquisition of Dental Axess Canada's lab and denture clinic business.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ArgenIS: Implant solutions product line including custom abutments, titanium bases, and related implant parts.
- Argen University
Products and services
- Alloy Products
Quantifiable outcome
- Refining settlement payments typically completed within 5 business days of approval, often same day
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Argen
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Argen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Argen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Argen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Zirkonzahn: Zirkonzahn is a privately held manufacturer of zirconia, milling equipment, and CAD/CAM software for dental labs. Comparable niche focus on lab-side zirconia and milling workflows; competes with Argen's zirconia discs, milled units, and milling equipment lines.
- Align Technology: Align is the dominant manufacturer of clear aligners (Invisalign) and iTero intraoral scanners, with significant lab/manufacturing operations. Argen's in-house clear aligner manufacturing directly competes with Invisalign in the dental professional channel.
- VITA Zahnfabrik: VITA manufactures dental ceramics, zirconia, alloys, and the VITA Suprinity glass-ceramic that Argen explicitly resells as part of digital outsourcing. Overlap is direct in fixed-prosthetic materials for dental laboratories.
- Ivoclar Vivadent: Ivoclar is one of the world's largest dental materials manufacturers (alloys, zirconia, e.max, resins) and supplies dental labs globally. Argen's alloy/zirconia/resin portfolio and digital outsourcing directly overlap with Ivoclar's product lines.
- Zimmer Biomet Dental: Zimmer Biomet Dental manufactures dental implants, abutments, and related surgical/restorative components. Directly comparable to Argen's ArgenIS implant solutions product line covering abutments, Ti bases, and screw-retained bars.
Broad incumbents
- Straumann Group: Straumann is the global leader in dental implants and a growing player in digital dentistry (ClearCorrect aligners, intraoral scanners). Its implant and abutment products plus aligner services overlap directly with ArgenIS and Argen Clear Aligner offerings.
- Dentsply Sirona: Dentsply Sirona is the largest publicly traded dental products company, covering consumables, equipment, and implants for both labs and clinics. Its lab-side consumables (Ceramill, inLab) and CAD/CAM equipment compete directly with Argen's zirconia, resins, equipment, and digital outsourcing.
- Henry Schein: Henry Schein is the largest dental distributor in North America, supplying consumables, equipment, and technology to dental practices and labs. Competes with Argen on supply, equipment distribution, and increasingly on digital solutions.
- Patterson Companies: Patterson is a major North American distributor of dental supplies, equipment, and technology to practices and labs. Overlaps with Argen on consumables distribution, equipment resale, and emerging digital workflow offerings.
Emerging players
- Modern Dental Group: Modern Dental Group is a large global dental prosthetic manufacturer with strong digital production capacity for crowns, bridges, dentures, and aligners. Increasingly competes with Argen's digital outsourcing services on cross-border lab manufacturing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Argen social profiles
Digital presenceArgen compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Argen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Argen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Argen subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Argen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Argen M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Argen
What does Argen do?
Argen manufactures and supplies dental laboratories with a broad portfolio of products and services including precious and non-precious dental alloys, zirconia and resin materials, abutment and implant components (ArgenIS), clear aligners, and complementary services such as digital outsourcing, Design Service Center support, and precious metal refining.
Is Argen a public or private company?
Argen is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Argen founded?
Argen was founded in 1970. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Argen based?
Argen is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Argen make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dental Products Sales are the primary driver. The others are precious Metal Refining Services, clear Aligners and equipment Sales.
Who are Argen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Zirkonzahn, Align Technology, VITA Zahnfabrik, Ivoclar Vivadent and Zimmer Biomet Dental. Broad incumbents are Straumann Group, Dentsply Sirona, Henry Schein and Patterson Companies. Modern Dental Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does Argen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Argen.
What industry is Argen in?
Argen's product category is Dental Materials Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLABAJAA, Crown & Bridge (Fixed Prosthetics) Fabrication, with a secondary code of HLABAJAD, Orthodontic Appliances & Aligners Fabrication. Its NAICS code is 339114 and its SIC code is 3843.