Instruction control

Which instruction did the laboratory accept?

A clinic sends a crown order with shade A2. The laboratory accepts it. The clinic then requests A3 in a later message. There are now two distinct records: the instruction the laboratory accepted and the instruction the clinic wants next.

Replacing A2 in the original order hides that distinction. A production technician returning to the case could reasonably believe A3 was included in the earlier acceptance. Keeping the message only in an inbox creates the opposite problem: the order still says A2 while the coordinator believes the change is settled.

A clearer handoff preserves the accepted instruction and records the proposed change beside it. The revision identifies the changed field, who requested it and whether the laboratory has reviewed it. If production has already started, the laboratory’s response also needs to address the effect on timing and scope. A software edit alone cannot settle those questions.

For a clinic coordinator, the useful check is simple: can the case record answer “What was accepted, what changed, and who needs to respond?” For laboratory intake, it is whether the version sent to production matches the version actually reviewed.

ConnectDent’s local demonstration retains an acceptance snapshot and returns a material instruction change for laboratory review. It illustrates the administrative record with sample cases; the dentist remains responsible for the prescription and the laboratory for fabrication.

Which instruction did the laboratory accept?

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