CAD/CAM Restoration Calculator
Same-day crown cost: equipment, material, and time.
About this calculator
Cost per Restoration is a true per-unit figure -- Number of Restorations cancels out of the calculation entirely, since material, bur wear, design labor, and mill supervision costs all scale linearly with restoration count and the total is divided back down by that same count, leaving a batch of 1 and a batch of 40 with identical per-unit economics under otherwise-identical inputs. Dentist/Tech Rate ($/hr) carries the largest measured effect on Cost per Restoration at this calculator's default settings, since it prices both the CAD design time and a 15% mill-supervision allowance -- together outweighing the fixed Block/Disc Cost and prorated Bur Set Cost per restoration.
Material Type changes the underlying milling time, sintering time, and shrinkage compensation percentage the calculator uses (zirconia mills longer and requires roughly 20% oversize milling to compensate for sintering shrinkage, while composite mills fastest with no sintering step at all), which is why switching material without changing any dollar inputs still moves Cost per Restoration through the labor-time term. Overhead % is applied as a flat percentage markup on top of the combined material, bur, and labor costs, so it scales the entire per-unit figure up or down proportionally rather than affecting any single cost component in isolation.
Medical Disclaimer
This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of results from this tool.
Inputs
Results
Cost per restoration ($)
$96.36
How to Use This Calculator
- Select the Material Type and enter the Block/Disc Cost.
- Input the Number of Restorations and CAD Design Time in minutes.
- Enter the Dentist/Tech Rate ($/hr) and Bur Set Cost with restorations per set.
- Set the Overhead % to capture indirect costs.
- Review Cost per Restoration to set competitive in-office milling fees.
How the result changes with Dentist/tech rate ($/hr)
| Dentist/tech rate ($/hr) | Cost per restoration ($) |
|---|---|
| 75 | $69.06 |
| 113 | $82.89 |
| 225 | $123.66 |
| 375 | $178.26 |
What each input means
- Material type
- Select restoration material.
- Block/disc cost ($)
- Cost per milling block or disc (e.max ~$25-45, zirconia ~$15-35, composite ~$12-20).
- Number of restorations
- Number of crowns, inlays, onlays, or veneers to fabricate.
- CAD design time (min)
- Minutes per restoration for digital design/margin marking (typically 10-25 min).
- Dentist/tech rate ($/hr)
- Hourly rate for the person doing CAD design.
- Bur set cost ($)
- Cost for a diamond bur set (step bur + finishing bur).
- Restorations per bur set
- Expected bur set lifetime in number of restorations (30-50 typical).
- Overhead (%)
- Equipment depreciation, software license, utilities, etc.
What each result means
- Cost per restoration ($)
- All-in cost per crown/inlay/onlay including overhead.
- Total batch cost ($)
- Total cost for all restorations in this batch.
- Material cost ($)
- Block/disc material cost.
- Bur wear cost ($)
- Prorated milling bur cost.
- Labor cost ($)
- Design + mill supervision labor.
- Overhead ($)
- Allocated equipment and facility overhead.
- Milling time (min)
- Total milling machine time.
- Design time (min)
- Total CAD design time.
- Sintering/firing (hrs)
- Post-mill heat treatment time (zirconia sintering or crystallization firing).
- Active hands-on time (min)
- Total time requiring operator attention.
- Shrinkage compensation (%)
- Milling oversize percentage to compensate for sintering shrinkage (zirconia ~20%).
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters8 parametersMaterial type = 0, Block/disc cost ($) = 30, Number of restorations = 1, CAD design time (min) = 15, Dentist/tech rate ($/hr) = 150, Bur set cost ($) = 85, Restorations per bur set = 40, Overhead (%) = 30 = 8 input(s) provided
- Calculate Cost per restorationCost per restoration = totalCost / restorationCount96.36 = $96.36
- Calculate Total batch costTotal batch cost = directCost + overhead96.36 = $96.36
- Calculate Material costMaterial cost = blockCost * restorationCount30 = $30
Engine last updated . Checked against 1 independently-derived test — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does batching more restorations together lower the Cost per Restoration?
No -- material cost, bur wear cost, design labor, and mill supervision all scale exactly linearly with Number of Restorations, and the total is divided back down by that same restoration count, so Cost per Restoration comes out identical whether the batch is 1 restoration or 40. This differs from many manufacturing processes where larger batches lower per-unit cost through fixed-cost spreading -- there is no fixed setup cost in this model that a larger batch would dilute.
Why does Dentist/Tech Rate have such a large effect on Cost per Restoration?
Dentist/Tech Rate prices both the CAD Design Time and a 15% mill-supervision allowance during milling, so it feeds two separate labor components of the cost stack rather than just one. At this calculator's default settings, the combined labor cost from those two components outweighs the fixed Block/Disc Cost and prorated Bur Set Cost, which is why raising the hourly rate moves Cost per Restoration noticeably even when every other input stays put.
How does switching Material Type change Cost per Restoration if I don't change any dollar values?
Each material type carries its own built-in milling time and sintering time -- zirconia mills for roughly 18 minutes and requires an 8-hour sintering cycle with about 20% oversize milling to compensate for shrinkage, while composite mills in about 8 minutes with no sintering step. Since Dentist/Tech Rate is applied per minute of design and mill-supervision time, a material with a longer milling time increases the labor portion of Cost per Restoration even if every dollar input stays the same.
What does the Overhead % input actually apply to?
Overhead % is applied as a flat percentage markup on top of the combined material, bur wear, and labor costs (design plus mill supervision), representing equipment depreciation, software licensing, and utilities rather than any single line item. Because it scales the entire pre-overhead total, raising Overhead % moves Cost per Restoration proportionally regardless of which underlying cost components -- material, labor, or bur wear -- happen to make up the largest share.
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