Dental supplies are used by dentists, orthodontists, and other oral health care professionals to maintain a healthy mouth and treat dental conditions. They include items such as dental gloves, toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, and anaesthetics. The dental supply chain includes the various organizations involved in production, distribution, and sale of dental products and supplies.
Buying Dental Supplies Online
Many dentists are finding that shopping for dental supplies online can be convenient and cost effective. However, it’s important to do a thorough analysis of the pros and cons before making the decision to buy online.
Dr Krell believes that the rise of e-commerce purchasing platforms is one of the biggest changes in the industry. He says that these digital platforms can help dentists save time and money by making it easy to compare prices from different vendors. However, he cautions that not all of these online platforms do a good job of vetting the products they sell or of ensuring that they come from accredited distributors. This could lead to clinicians purchasing grey market products that do not meet regulatory requirements.
Some dentists are also starting to use practice management software that comes with inventory management features. This can make it easier to track and reorder disposables and other supplies. However, Dr Krell warns that a downside to this approach is that it can make clinicians more dependent on these systems and less likely to take a careful physical count of their inventory. This can lead to over ordering of items and resulting in higher costs.