Most lab messaging leans on fear: “the industry is changing.”
This report takes a different stance: the next decade isn’t a crisis—it’s an opportunity… if you’re ready.
The headline claim is bold: 75% more revenue per surviving lab by 2031, not because labs magically improve, but because more demand flows to fewer labs with capacity.
The report cites ongoing lab decline (~2.8%/year) with projections trending toward ~5,100 labs by 2031—meaning less competition for labs that survive and invest.
US lab revenue is ~$7.3B today, growing (baseline) and reaching $9.5–$10.5B by 2031 with the demographic surge.
By 2030, 73 million Americans will be 65+, and unlike prior generations, many are keeping their teeth—driving more crowns, implants, and full-arch restorations.
This is critical because complex cases are the profit engine: the report notes implant/full-arch work can be multiples of standard crown revenue (and time).
The report’s core argument: in the Golden Age, the scarce resource isn’t demand—it’s capacity. Manual workflows consume 10–12 hours/day of non-production time across entry, portals, QC, comms, and rework—leaving many labs operating at ~65–70% effective capacity.
Automation recovers those hours and redirects them to production, pushing capacity toward ~85–90% and enabling ~25–40% throughput gains without hiring.
The report frames a permanent split:
This blog is a high-level summary. The full PDF includes the demand math, capacity equation, and a 2026–2027 action plan to capture displaced volume and win DSO relationships before contracts lock in.
