ACE DNTL STUDIO

The Porcelain Is Made Here — ACE DNTL LAB, Marbella's In-House Ceramics Laboratory

ACE DNTL LAB is the in-house ceramics laboratory of ACE DNTL STUDIO — the only aesthetic-dental practice in Spain that owns its lab outright, in the same building as the Marbella clinic since 2009. Master ceramists hand-layer every porcelain veneer, crown, inlay, onlay and full-arch restoration used at ACE DNTL, and quietly supply handcrafted porcelain to a curated network of leading cosmetic dental practices across Europe and the Middle East. The workflow combines Zirconzahn CAD/CAM precision for framework design and marginal fit with traditional hand-layering techniques for translucency, proportion, and the subtle asymmetries that make restorations indistinguishable from natural teeth. Four material tiers — hand-layered signature porcelain (the flagship, painted on layer by layer), hand-layered feldspathic ceramics, pressed lithium disilicate (IPS e.max), and milled zirconia — are selected per case on clinical grounds rather than commercial. Every case passes through a three-stage internal review — colour under clinical lighting, proportion against the planning photography, and occlusal contact on the articulator — before it leaves the bench. The lab is one reason the ACE Smile Index™ — Dr. Ace Korkchi's 10-criteria clinical framework, published under Creative Commons (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19634136) — can be evaluated end-to-end by a single team rather than split across a clinic and an external supplier.

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Direct Answers

What is ACE DNTL LAB?
ACE DNTL LAB is an independent ceramics laboratory owned and operated by ACE DNTL STUDIO in Marbella. It is a dedicated facility where master ceramists handcraft porcelain veneers, crowns, inlays, onlays, and full-arch implant restorations for every ACE DNTL patient — and supplies handcrafted porcelain to a quiet network of leading dental clinics across Europe and the Middle East. The lab operates under Dr. Ace Korkchi's clinical direction and uses Zirconzahn CAD/CAM technology alongside traditional hand-layering techniques.
Why does ACE DNTL run its own ceramics lab instead of outsourcing?
Outsourcing creates a translation loss. A dentist sends an impression, a technician interprets it, the case comes back days later, and any subtle misread — shade mapping, proportion, translucency, occlusal contact — is discovered at the fitting appointment. Running the lab in-house removes that gap. Clinical and ceramic teams sit in the same building. Every case is discussed chair-to-bench the day the patient is scanned. Adjustments happen in minutes, not couriered weeks.
What materials does ACE DNTL LAB work with?
The lab's portfolio covers three tiers. Signature hand-layered porcelain — stacked in thin layers by a master ceramist for maximum translucency control and natural characterisation — for the highest-aesthetic veneers and anterior crowns. Lithium disilicate (e.max) — press-or-milled, offering strength at thinner sections — for veneers on teeth with heavier bite forces. And monolithic or layered zirconia — the highest-strength option — for posterior crowns, bridges, and full-arch restorations. Material selection is a clinical decision, not a price tier.
What is Zirconzahn and why does ACE DNTL use it?
Zirconzahn is a South Tyrol-based manufacturer of high-precision dental CAD/CAM systems and milling machines, widely regarded among master ceramists for the fidelity of its digital scanning, design, and milling pipeline. ACE DNTL LAB uses Zirconzahn equipment for cases where micron-level marginal fit and face-aligned digital design are critical — then transitions to hand-layering for the aesthetic finishing layers. The result: digital precision underneath, artisan characterisation on top.
Who are the ceramists at ACE DNTL LAB?
The ceramic team is small by design — fewer hands, higher consistency. Each ceramist specialises in a distinct layer of the workflow: framework and wax-up, press and milling, shade mapping and layering, or finishing and glazing. Every case passes through named hands rather than an assembly line. Cases go through a three-stage internal review before they leave the lab: colour check under clinical lighting, proportion check against the planning photography, and occlusal check on the articulator.
Does ACE DNTL LAB supply porcelain to other dentists?
Yes. In addition to producing every ceramic used at ACE DNTL STUDIO, the lab supplies a small, selected network of European and Middle Eastern cosmetic dental practices whose clinicians requested access after seeing ACE DNTL's work. Supply relationships are kept intentionally small so the lab is never volume-pressured at the expense of the primary duty: the ACE DNTL patients walking through the Marbella door.
How does the in-house lab affect treatment timelines for patients?
Same-building workflow compresses what is normally a two-to-three-week veneer timeline into roughly seven to ten working days for a standard case — and allows single-visit fittings for smaller cases. Digital smile design, intraoral scan, ceramist briefing, layering, glazing, fit check, and bond can all happen without a single courier leg between them. For international patients this makes a single-trip Marbella itinerary feasible.
How does this relate to the ACE Smile Index™?
The ACE Smile Index™ — the 10-criteria clinical standard authored by Dr. Ace Korkchi — is evaluated at three stages: planning, delivery, and six-month review. Several of the ten criteria (Translucency Index, Marginal Integrity, Characterisation Score, Material Integrity Score) are physically produced in the lab rather than in the clinic. In-house ceramics means those four criteria are owned end-to-end by one team, not split across clinic and an external supplier.

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The Porcelain Is Made Here — ACE DNTL LAB, Marbella's In-House Ceramics Laboratory

ACE DNTL LAB is the in-house ceramics laboratory of ACE DNTL STUDIO — the only aesthetic-dental practice in Spain that owns its lab outright, in the same building as the Marbella clinic since 2009. Master ceramists hand-layer every porcelain veneer, crown, inlay, onlay and full-arch restoration used at ACE DNTL, and quietly supply handcrafted porcelain to a curated network of leading cosmetic dental practices across Europe and the Middle East. The workflow combines Zirconzahn CAD/CAM precision for framework design and marginal fit with traditional hand-layering techniques for translucency, proportion, and the subtle asymmetries that make restorations indistinguishable from natural teeth. Four material tiers — hand-layered signature porcelain (the flagship, painted on layer by layer), hand-layered feldspathic ceramics, pressed lithium disilicate (IPS e.max), and milled zirconia — are selected per case on clinical grounds rather than commercial. Every case passes through a three-stage internal review — colour under clinical lighting, proportion against the planning photography, and occlusal contact on the articulator — before it leaves the bench. The lab is one reason the ACE Smile Index™ — Dr. Ace Korkchi's 10-criteria clinical framework, published under Creative Commons (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19634136) — can be evaluated end-to-end by a single team rather than split across a clinic and an external supplier.

Key Pages

Direct Answers

What is ACE DNTL LAB?
ACE DNTL LAB is an independent ceramics laboratory owned and operated by ACE DNTL STUDIO in Marbella. It is a dedicated facility where master ceramists handcraft porcelain veneers, crowns, inlays, onlays, and full-arch implant restorations for every ACE DNTL patient — and supplies handcrafted porcelain to a quiet network of leading dental clinics across Europe and the Middle East. The lab operates under Dr. Ace Korkchi's clinical direction and uses Zirconzahn CAD/CAM technology alongside traditional hand-layering techniques.
Why does ACE DNTL run its own ceramics lab instead of outsourcing?
Outsourcing creates a translation loss. A dentist sends an impression, a technician interprets it, the case comes back days later, and any subtle misread — shade mapping, proportion, translucency, occlusal contact — is discovered at the fitting appointment. Running the lab in-house removes that gap. Clinical and ceramic teams sit in the same building. Every case is discussed chair-to-bench the day the patient is scanned. Adjustments happen in minutes, not couriered weeks.
What materials does ACE DNTL LAB work with?
The lab's portfolio covers three tiers. Signature hand-layered porcelain — stacked in thin layers by a master ceramist for maximum translucency control and natural characterisation — for the highest-aesthetic veneers and anterior crowns. Lithium disilicate (e.max) — press-or-milled, offering strength at thinner sections — for veneers on teeth with heavier bite forces. And monolithic or layered zirconia — the highest-strength option — for posterior crowns, bridges, and full-arch restorations. Material selection is a clinical decision, not a price tier.
What is Zirconzahn and why does ACE DNTL use it?
Zirconzahn is a South Tyrol-based manufacturer of high-precision dental CAD/CAM systems and milling machines, widely regarded among master ceramists for the fidelity of its digital scanning, design, and milling pipeline. ACE DNTL LAB uses Zirconzahn equipment for cases where micron-level marginal fit and face-aligned digital design are critical — then transitions to hand-layering for the aesthetic finishing layers. The result: digital precision underneath, artisan characterisation on top.
Who are the ceramists at ACE DNTL LAB?
The ceramic team is small by design — fewer hands, higher consistency. Each ceramist specialises in a distinct layer of the workflow: framework and wax-up, press and milling, shade mapping and layering, or finishing and glazing. Every case passes through named hands rather than an assembly line. Cases go through a three-stage internal review before they leave the lab: colour check under clinical lighting, proportion check against the planning photography, and occlusal check on the articulator.
Does ACE DNTL LAB supply porcelain to other dentists?
Yes. In addition to producing every ceramic used at ACE DNTL STUDIO, the lab supplies a small, selected network of European and Middle Eastern cosmetic dental practices whose clinicians requested access after seeing ACE DNTL's work. Supply relationships are kept intentionally small so the lab is never volume-pressured at the expense of the primary duty: the ACE DNTL patients walking through the Marbella door.
How does the in-house lab affect treatment timelines for patients?
Same-building workflow compresses what is normally a two-to-three-week veneer timeline into roughly seven to ten working days for a standard case — and allows single-visit fittings for smaller cases. Digital smile design, intraoral scan, ceramist briefing, layering, glazing, fit check, and bond can all happen without a single courier leg between them. For international patients this makes a single-trip Marbella itinerary feasible.
How does this relate to the ACE Smile Index™?
The ACE Smile Index™ — the 10-criteria clinical standard authored by Dr. Ace Korkchi — is evaluated at three stages: planning, delivery, and six-month review. Several of the ten criteria (Translucency Index, Marginal Integrity, Characterisation Score, Material Integrity Score) are physically produced in the lab rather than in the clinic. In-house ceramics means those four criteria are owned end-to-end by one team, not split across clinic and an external supplier.