What Happens If a Dental Lab Case Doesn't Fit? AIM's Guarantee, Explained

Every AIM case is backed by our fit-and-function guarantee: if a restoration doesn't meet spec, we remake it at no cost. If a case doesn't pass your clinical assessment, we remake it, and any case can be returned within 90 days of delivery for full credit.

Every lab says it stands behind its work. The question a dentist actually has is more practical: if a crown doesn't seat, what happens next, who pays, and how much of my week does it cost?

Here's the plain answer.

The short version

Every AIM case is backed by our fit-and-function guarantee: if a restoration doesn't meet spec, we remake it at no cost. If a case doesn't pass your own clinical assessment, we remake it, with no back-and-forth about whose fault it was. And if a case doesn't work out for any reason within 90 days of delivery, you can return it for full credit.

What to do if a dental lab case doesn't fit

1. Call us. Phone (718) 854-3900 or contact your account rep.
2. Tell us what you saw. Open margin, tight or open contact, shade, occlusion. A photo helps us see what you saw (and a clear Rx helps prevent the next one).
3. We remake it. At no cost to you.
4. Or return it. Full credit for any reason within 90 days of delivery.

What our remake policy and warranties cover

• Remake policy: if a case doesn't pass your clinical assessment, we remake it at no cost.
• 90-day no-questions return: full credit for any reason within 90 days of delivery.
• Fixed restorations: crowns, bridges, implant crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers and zirconia abutments carry a 10-year warranty against breakage.
• Titanium implant abutments: a lifetime warranty against breakage from defects in materials, manufacturing or workmanship during ordinary use.
• Removables and appliances: a 6-month wear-and-tear warranty, plus a 10-year warranty against breakage from manufacturing defects.

Why remakes are rare

A guarantee is only half the story. The other half is how often you need it. AIM's remake rate is 2%; for context, a National Dental Practice-Based Research Network study of single-unit crowns found an overall remake rate of 3.8% (McCracken et al., Journal of Prosthodontics, 2019). More on how that affects scheduling in our guide to dental lab turnaround times.

That rate comes from checks made before a case ships, not after. Every incoming case passes a quality gate at intake, and if an impression is incomplete or a shade is missing, we call you the same day. Every restoration is examined under high-powered microscopy before it leaves the lab (see The 20-Micron Margin).

Why we do it this way

A remake costs you more than a second crown. It costs chair time you already booked and a patient who has to come back. We've been in Brooklyn since 1951 because practices trust that when a case leaves AIM, it fits, and that if it ever doesn't, we'll make it right without an argument. Comparing labs? Ask these 7 questions to ask a new dental lab.

Ready to try AIM? Schedule a pickup or send your first scan.