A Shifting Landscape of Dental Supplies Ordering

This article presents my humble perspective on the daily observations of my team and me regarding dental practices nationwide concerning the procurement of dental supplies.

Quick Summary:

• Buying groups (GPOs) to get better pricing on common categories
• Ordering platforms to save staff time and reduce manual ordering work
• Smarter product choices (pay more for what matters, go generic on disposables)

Trend 1: Buying groups (GPOs) are growing (but setup is where offices lose savings)

One of the most significant trends I’ve noticed is the increasing popularity of buying groups. Especially after COVID-19, many dental practices are approached and express interest in saving money on supplies. Joining a buying group is a good starting point. Various options exist on the market, ranging from free memberships to monthly subscriptions ($125-$299/month). Most provide a wide range of savings options, including equipment, labs, credit card processing, and supplies. The following groups are encountered most frequently:

• Synergy Dental
• DentalWhale Savings Network
• SourceClub
• DSN (Dental Success Network)
• Kois Buying Group 
• Mari’s List (for Orthodontic offices)

However, when evaluating different groups, it’s evident that not all are the same. For example, if your practice frequently uses 3M products, Synergy might be a suitable option. But if you require the best prices across four main categories—Anesthetics, Disposables, Infection Control, and Gloves—then SourceClub is a more viable option. When evaluating a group, dental practices should ask the following questions related to their negotiated formulary:

• Which manufacturers offer the deepest discounts?
• How often are discounts negotiated?
• Is pricing volume-based?
• Does the buying group negotiate a percentage discount or a fixed price per product? (We recommend the latter.)

After posing these questions, practices can assess whether a particular group is beneficial. Most offices won’t utilize all vendors, focusing on one or two main suppliers to maximize savings.

Personally, I’m not fond of simply sending the ten most popular items for price comparison and receiving a clickbait response claiming substantial savings on all ten. What truly matters is the entire 12-month order history, considering volume, meticulously reviewed by the buying group.

One concern we have at Zen regarding buying groups is the setup process. Suppose you choose a group and are ready to proceed. What comes next? Who sets up new accounts or ensures existing accounts are linked with the buying group? Often, this step is overlooked, resulting in offices continuing to pay full price to suppliers after joining a group. Another issue relates to ensuring practice staff knows to order from new vendors. Sometimes, a doctor may not even inform the ordering personnel of the change. This issue is easily addressed with established systems, like ZenOne. However, in the absence of such systems, it’s crucial to have standard operating procedures (SOPs) reflecting the purchasing process (e.g., instructing the lead DA where to buy supplies).

By the way, many of the aforementioned issues will likely be resolved by AI very soon!

Trend 2: Ordering platforms are replacing manual price shopping

Labor costs are driving the adoption of tools that reduce manual work. This trend is evident. When an assistant earns $12/hr, they can conduct price shopping extensively. However, at $20-$25/hr, this isn’t as feasible. At this point, most offices expect staff members to undertake higher-skill tasks, including managing the schedule. This begs the question: who then handles ordering, and when? This is where ordering platforms come into play. While we believe Zen is the best (apologies for the humble brag), other platforms on the market cover a full range of services, from ordering and inventory to payment processing.

Some examples include:

• Dentira
• Torch Dental,
• Method,
• CureMint,
• WellPlaced,
• Ordo, and
• SupplyClinic
• etc.

When selecting the right ordering platform for the practice, several considerations are crucial:

• Data ownership: Ensure the practice owns all data and can access the entire database at any point.
• Setup cost: There shouldn’t be a setup cost to start using an ordering platform.
• Trial period: Request a free trial to assess usability before committing.

Every dental practice should adopt an ordering platform for ease of use and to start collecting data. Having a wealth of data will be invaluable for future developments. You’ll have something to train AI on!

Trend 3: Practices are mixing premium + generic to control supply spend

Private practices are becoming savvier about where to save and are utilizing their freedom to invest in products that make a difference. We’ve noticed a trend where high-cost, high-quality products are purchased more frequently, while practices save money on disposable items by opting for generic brands. The five categories experiencing the most significant shift to generic brands are Disposables, Hygiene and Preventative, Infection Control, Anesthetics, and Gloves. This strategy keeps practices well below 5% of their collections and enables doctors to use high-quality products. It’s a win-win! One small caveat: practices below 5% typically do not, at least intentionally, utilize free goods offers.

Buying Group vs Ordering Platform: What to Choose (simple checklist)

If you only remember one thing:
A buying group helps you get better pricing. An ordering platform helps you save time and control the process.

Choose a Buying Group if:

• You’re mostly happy with how you order today, but you want better discounts
• You buy a lot in a few big categories (like gloves, infection control, anesthetics)
• You can follow a clear vendor/formulary list (so you actually get the discounts)

How to evaluate a buying group (example: SourceClub, Synergy, DSN, Kois):
Ask these questions before you join:

1. Which manufacturers get the deepest discounts for what we actually buy most?
2. Is the price a fixed “contract price” per item, or just a % off list price? (Fixed is usually clearer.)
3. How often do prices change or get renegotiated?
4. Do we have to hit volume tiers to earn the best price?
5. Who will set up the accounts and make sure discounts are active on day 1?

Choose an Ordering Platform if:

• Ordering is eating up staff time (or it’s falling on one person)
• You want simple reordering + fewer mistakes
• You want better visibility into what you buy, from who, and at what total cost (including shipping)

Minimum features to look for:

• You can keep your existing suppliers (you’re not forced into one distributor)
• You can see pricing clearly (and compare total cost)
• You can export your data anytime (you own your data)
• You can try it first (free trial)

Quick money reality check:
A Planet DDS write-up of a procurement survey reported that many groups place dental supply spend around 4%–6% of revenue, and even small improvements can make a big difference.

FAQ: Dental Supply Ordering

What is a dental buying group (GPO)?
A buying group combines purchasing volume across many practices to negotiate better prices and perks.

How do I evaluate a buying group like SourceClub?
Use a checklist. Focus on discounts for what you buy most, how prices are set (fixed price vs % off), and who ensures discounts are actually active in your accounts.

What is a dental supply ordering platform?
It’s software that helps you place orders, track spending, and reduce busywork—so ordering doesn’t depend on one person remembering everything.

Do dental supply subscription services help?
They can help for repeat items (like PPE) because they reduce “remember to reorder” mistakes. But you still need to compare total cost and avoid over-ordering.

What’s the easiest way to choose the right option?
If you mainly need lower prices, start with a buying group. If you mainly need less work and more control, start with an ordering platform.

How can ZenOne help with the setup problem?
ZenOne helps you standardize where to buy, keep ordering consistent, and reduce the “we joined but didn’t actually use it” problem with simple processes.

We will continue to track these and other trends from our practices and share our findings.

If you want a simple way to keep ordering consistent, see How ZenOne works.

Tiger