Is a 'free' intraoral scanner really free?

Usually not in the way it sounds. Most 'free scanner' offers are provided in exchange for a monthly minimum amount of lab work sent to that specific lab — so the scanner cost is recovered through your ongoing spend, not waived outright. Read the commitment terms, not just the headline offer.

What does a lab-minimum commitment actually mean?

It means agreeing to send a set amount of work — or spend a set amount — to one lab every month, usually for a fixed term, in order to keep the scanner or the deal's pricing. If your case volume dips below that in a quiet month, you may still owe the minimum.

What happens if I want to switch labs after taking a free scanner deal?

It depends on the contract, but many arrangements tie the scanner (or a penalty) to the commitment term — so leaving early can mean losing the hardware, paying it off, or being locked in for longer than expected. Always check the exit terms before you sign, not after.

Can I use my existing scanner with a different lab?

In most cases, yes. The major intraoral scanners — iTero, Medit, 3Shape, Dentsply Sirona and others — can export or share files with labs outside a single closed ecosystem. If a lab tells you their system only works with their own scanner, that's worth asking more questions about.

What should I ask before signing any lab-scanner deal?

Ask exactly what the monthly minimum is, what happens if you don't hit it, what the contract term is, what it costs to leave early, and whether the scanner still works with other labs afterwards. A lab confident in its service shouldn't need a locked-in commitment to keep your work.

Is there an alternative to a scanner-tied lab deal?

Yes — working with a lab that accepts any major scanner, with no contract and no monthly minimum. You keep the flexibility to send one case or fifty, and to use whichever lab suits a particular case, without a hardware deal dictating where your digital work has to go.

Free Scanner, Lab Minimum: What to Check Before You Commit

By Bridge Dental Laboratory · 13 August 2026

Digital scanning has made “free scanner” offers a common way for dental labs to win new practices — hand over a scanner, and the practice sends its digital work back in return. It’s a straightforward-sounding trade. But “free” is doing a lot of work in that sentence, and it’s worth understanding exactly what you’re agreeing to before you sign.

What a “free scanner” deal usually involves

In almost every version of this offer, the scanner isn’t a gift — it’s provided in exchange for a monthly minimum commitment: an agreed amount of lab work (or spend) sent to that lab, usually for a fixed term. The scanner’s cost is recovered through that ongoing commitment rather than waived outright. That’s not necessarily a bad deal, but it is a contract, and it’s worth reading as one.

The questions worth asking first

Before taking on any scanner-tied lab arrangement, it’s worth getting clear answers to:

What exactly is the monthly minimum, and what happens in a quieter month if you don’t hit it?
What’s the contract term — how long are you committed for?
What does it cost to leave early — do you keep the scanner, pay it off, or lose it?
Does the scanner work with other labs, or is it tied into one lab’s own system?
Is the pricing genuinely competitive, once the commitment is factored in — or is the “free” hardware offsetting a higher effective cost per case?

A lab confident in the quality of its work shouldn’t need a locked-in commitment to keep your business. That’s a reasonable thing to expect an answer to.

Why the exit terms matter more than the entry offer

Most practices read the headline offer carefully and the exit terms much less carefully — understandably, since nobody signs up planning to leave. But the exit terms are where a scanner-tied deal can become expensive or awkward: losing the hardware, owing out the remaining commitment, or discovering the scanner doesn’t export usefully to anyone else. If you ever want to move some work elsewhere, try a different lab for a specific case type, or simply aren’t sending enough volume some months, those terms are what you’ll actually be living with.

The alternative: no hardware, no minimum

You don’t need a scanner deal to send digital cases at all. Any major intraoral scanner — iTero, Medit, 3Shape, Dentsply Sirona and others — can send a case to whichever lab you choose, with no lab-specific hardware and no ongoing commitment attached. That means:

Using the scanner you already have, or choosing one independently of any single lab
Sending as much or as little work as suits your practice, with no monthly quota
Trying a lab on a single case before deciding whether to send more
Working with more than one lab, by case type, without a contract stopping you

How we work

We accept scans from every major intraoral scanner, with no portal fees, no contract and no monthly minimum — see how our digital workflow and scanner guides work. If you’re weighing this up for your own practice, our page on switching dental labs covers exactly how to move at your own pace, one case at a time.