About Us
In 1972, Lonnie Frangadakis founded his first dental laboratory. What he saw around him was a dental industry marked by depersonalized service—and by profits at the expense of quality. But Lonnie knew there was a place for something different.
Over the years, California Dental Arts has grown and thrived, through personal attention, craftsmanship, and top-of-the-line products. We’re always investigating techniques and equipment (and have happily adopted some of the newest). But we’ve never sacrificed the care that got us where we are.
If you’ve been to a jeweler, you know they explain the quality of a diamond through the four C’s: color, clarity, cut, and carat. Because we strive for the artisanship of a world-class diamond cutter, we aim for perfection in the four C’s used to judge every dental lab: craftsmanship, communication, ceramics and coping.
We’ve served Northern California (and the U.S.) for more than 30 years. Now, we’d like to show you how craftsmanship and individual attention can keep patients satisfied—and your practice successful.
Craftsmanship
To us, craftsmanship isn’t a slogan. It’s a work ethic. Here are just some of the ways our attention to detail gives you and your patients the lasting quality you’re looking for:
- When we make our models, we don’t hand measure—we machine-weigh the water/powder ration to the gram.
- While doctors use 3x loops to prep a tooth, we use a 10x microscope to meticulously trim and seal all margins.
- We don’t torch-cast our gold—we use an induction vacuum pressure-casting machine.
- When we build our cosmetic crowns, we use the techniques mastered at LVI, layering and cutting back the porcelain to build in mamalons. Then, natural internal stains are added, and incisal translucencies are applied to finish the crowns.
- Finally, nothing leaves our facility before it’s examined microscopically by Lonnie Frangadakis himself—still our sole owner—or one of his most trusted technicians.
The result of all this care and attention? Better first-time fits. And less chair time for your patients.
Communication
If your dental lab doesn’t take your interests to heart, all the technology in the world won’t help you get the results you want. That’s why we’ll consult with you directly on all of your cases—from the easiest to the most complex.
- Strategy consultations from senior technicians
- Diagnostic wax-ups
- Hand drawn models
- Digital shading
- Email incorporating real-time model photos
You can always call or email your senior technician for hand-drawn diagrams, diagnostic wax-ups, or a strategy consultation. Got a question about a model? We’ll instantly email you a detailed picture, eliminating any possible confusion.
The only thing that matters to us is that your work is done right. If there’s a problem, we’ll take care of it immediately—no blame and no charge. We won’t stop until you and your patients are happy.
Ceramics
The whole reason to use porcelain (ceramic) is because it can exactly replicate the look of a natural tooth.
That said, if you’re going to choose porcelain for dental prosthetics, why would you choose anything less than Noritake?
Noritake porcelain’s exceptionally fine particle size creates selective reflection. Without getting too deep into physics, that essentially means you get the opalescence and luster of real teeth.
But Noritake porcelain isn’t just pretty. It’s smart. Because smaller particle size means less wear and deterioration in the patient’s mouth. (It doesn’t hurt that our extra-high bonding temperatures make the porcelain more stable and resistant to fractures.)
Why be choosy about porcelain? Let’s just say certain parts of your home’s plumbing are porcelain. But you wouldn’t want them in your mouth. Case closed.
Coping
A dental prosthetic or implant may be a tiny piece of equipment, but it gets used a lot.
So materials count. We use just three: Empress, Gold, and 3M Lava Zirconia.
Empress porcelain needs no supporting coping, making it perfect for anterior restorations. This translucent, vivid material has long been admired for its beauty and fit.
We only purchase noble golds from a major U.S. provider to produce porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns. Though we’re experienced with all three materials, this is the one we know most intimately.
We know that all zirconias are not the same, so we only use 3M Lava. It creates a perfect color match for every patient, and lets us control everything from digital design to final coping (though we hope to get plenty of input from you). We were the first Authorized Lava Milling Center in Northern California, and we’re still the largest.