Tips for Buying Safe and Affordable Dental Supplies

With COVID-19 increasing demands on the supply chain, avoid the temptation to turn to unknown sources for cheap dental supplies. Using unfamiliar suppliers presents risks to healthcare providers- risks that distributors like DHP can help to reduce.

Recognize the Risks

1. If the offer is too good to be true, it most likely is.
2. Be cautious of promises to fulfill large, unrealistic volumes or deals that guarantee immediate delivery.
3. Question requests for advance or urgent payment.
4. Many top dental supply and equipment manufacturers have a rigorous process for vetting their supply distributors. This process is to protect you, the dental professional, and your patients. Using fraudulent products, also known as grey market products, could harm your patients or your staff.

Take Steps to Protect Your Practice

1. Contact the manufacturer or your dental supply dealer about the "too good to be true offers." Many manufacturers often have an area on their websites devoted to listing their authorized supply dealers. It's a good idea to audit your dealer for this authorization occasionally. 
2. Regulations!!! The buzzword of the year. Regulators maintain online databases of rules, approvals, suspect sources, etc. It is best to go straight to these sources to validate the information. 
3. Order from trusted distributors ONLY! You may find that you are paying a bit of a premium, but you are also receiving critical services that are not always tangible. Such services include inventory audits for quality, product compliance auditing, supply chain integrity management, and more. 

Protecting your dental practice against fraudulent products does not mean that you must sacrifice the good deals.

Source Affordable, Safe Dental Supplies

1. Choose the best dental supply dealer for your practice. Bigger is not always better. Ask yourself, "does my supplier have my practice's success in their best interest?" Independent dental supply dealers like DHP not only have access to the name-brand dental supplies you need, but they can provide unique, custom services that larger dealers don't have the time to offer. Custom services often include a dedicated account manager assignment. These individuals are empowered to help you with the deal searching so that you can practice dentistry.
2. Ask your dental supply dealer about private label equivalents. Many consumable goods have a lower cost equivalent that can save you money without sacrificing quality. Brand name dental supplies to price compare with private label equivalents would be nitrile gloves, latex gloves, exam masks, sterilization pouches, saliva ejectors, impression trays, and carbide burs.
3. Sign-up to receive additional savings opportunities through your dental supply dealer. Look for newsletters, promotional email registrations, flyers, or promotion ads on their websites. Don't forget to Like, Follow, and Share their social media platforms. Some incentivize or release contests via social media to those that stay engaged.

Conducting a small audit on your current dental supply buying procedures may pay-off. Maybe the savings would be enough to expand your practice, hire an associate or buy new equipment. For whatever reason, you owe it to yourself and your dental team to take the time to insure best dental supply procurement practices.

Cheers to practicing safe dentistry!
Chloe Sims
Marketing Director- DHP