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Jun 17, 2022
So, after years of working with a bunch of dentists in the same clinic, you’re finally on your way to launching your own practice! Don’t get too excited yet, though, as there are lots of things to take care of before you can start.
First things first, you need to have an organized dental inventory template in place. It is crucial to keep everything in order. No matter how small your office may be, you need an exhaustive list of supplies, equipment, and assets to manage. Otherwise, you’ll mess up big time.
Sure, managing dental inventory can be quite a chore. It takes a lot of patience and planning, especially since you’re dealing with a range of tools, materials, and equipment.
As overwhelming as it sounds, there’s no need to fret. Digital Resource is here to make your life much easier as we walk you through the nuts and bolts of creating a dental inventory template. Trust us, we’d love nothing more than to help you streamline your inventory system.
Before we can get into that, though, let's talk a bit about the importance of dental inventory management.
Dental inventory management is essential for the success of any dental practice. Here are some of the benefits it can bring to dental practitioners like you:
Effective dental inventory management can improve the efficiency of a practice by reducing the time spent searching for supplies, waiting for orders, or dealing with expired items. When all your dental supplies are organized and properly stocked, you and your dental assistant can easily find what you need and focus on patient care, rather than inventory management.
Knowing your practice's supplies, what you need, and when you need them can control your inventory costs - helping you save money in the long run. By tracking inventory levels, you can reduce waste, eliminate redundancies, and prevent emergency orders.
On the other hand, without proper inventory management, supplies in your dental clinic may either be over- or under-ordered. This may lead to increased costs or delays in treatment, hurting your practice.
If your dental office has all the necessary supplies and equipment readily available, you can perform procedures more efficiently and effectively, thus producing satisfied patients and increasing their odds of coming back.
Also, an inventory control system ensures you don't have to worry about using expired or damaged supplies anymore. You can breathe easy knowing that your patients won't ever face these issues.
Having the right dental supplies on hand allows you to provide more treatment options. This means more patients coming into your dental clinic and better retention rates!
Dental supplies come with expiration dates and must be stored correctly to maintain their efficiency and safety. And so, by monitoring your inventory regularly, you get to lower any risk of violating those regulations.
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Start by making a list of things you’ll need to buy for your clinic – supplies, paraphernalia, equipment, everything.
Regardless of your specialty, you’ll need mouth trays, dental surgical kits, dental tips, disposable bibs and gloves, professional-grade toothpaste, positioning devices, evacuators, mixing pads, and so on.
If your dental office specializes in prosthodontics, their list should include dentures, adhesives, articulators, flasks, denture brushes, and impression materials. Orthodontists, on the other hand, will need wires, brackets and chains, stick ties, wax, tissue guards, and the rest of the materials designed to align teeth.
If you offer x-ray services, you’ll obviously need an x-ray machine, imaging supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep you and your patients out of harm’s way.
Let’s not forget about your admin team. List down all the supplies and technology they’ll need, such as computers, printers, phones, papers, pens, file folders, drawers, and notepads.
Also, see to it that you categorize your items. For example, you can separate items that take up a lot of shelf space, those with a short shelf life, as well as those that cost a fortune.
Now that you have a clear idea of what you’ll have to buy for your practice, the next step is to make your dental inventory template. You can either use a spreadsheet or input data directly into a dental inventory app.
Irrespective of how you plan to create your template, it’s important to include every miniscule detail of the things you’ll be purchasing – including its name, stock keeping unit or SKU, serial number, item location, expiration date, quantity in stock, minimum quantity, vendor details, and other details you find significant.
Some people prefer relying on software or an inventory management app to get the job done. Spreadsheets are easy to lose, and they’re more prone to human error. Besides giving you peace of mind, using an inventory app will make your life way more convenient.
That said, some people prefer the great control and customization that spreadsheets offer. If you choose to go down this route, you’ll want to start with a dental inventory template. Sortly has prepared two, one for Excel and one for Google Sheets.
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Calendars help you keep track of all the things that can go wrong with items in your inventory. Along with helping you restock when you’re running low, you can also see when something is:
This allows you to keep productivity up and costs down.
Again, if you don’t like doing things manually, feel free to use inventory software or apps such as Simplex Himes, Sowingo, and Curve Dental.
They allow you to monitor your stock levels and all the important dates, sending you (or an assigned member) personalized in-app notifications and email alerts at the right time.
Since you’ll be super busy taking care of your patients, it’s best that you assign a staff member to take charge of dental inventory management and procurement.
Having a designated person overseeing your inventory and orders ensures that there’s a lesser chance of double orders and that nothing is left out.
They’ll be able to provide accurate details for timely purchases. And, since they’ll know your inventory inside out, they can be your go-to person if you’re having trouble finding a particular item.
With so many businesses that sell dental supplies, it can be tempting to buy from one that provides the biggest discounts.
But before you can hit the “purchase” button, you have to be 100% sure that those products are high-quality and that they come from a reputable company.
The best dental supply companies not only offer a vast selection of products, but they also offer fast delivery and great deals. Here are five of them:
Whether you’re looking for dental materials, infection prevention, disposables, large equipment, or advanced technologies like lasers and CAD/CAM, Patterson Dental has it all. It ships throughout the US, although free shipping isn’t available on every order.
What makes Metrex a favorite among dental professionals is that they specialize in moderately priced, high-quality dental equipment. They are usually known for their infection control products, enzymatic detergents, hand hygiene products, and disinfectants.
Oral surgery, periodontics, orthodontics, implant dentistry, endodontics, and prosthodontics – they are all covered by Pearson.
No one does it well like Midwest Dental when it comes to last-minute orders. The company delivers products in the quickest way possible, with 98% of orders shipping the same day. And, if an item is temporarily out of stock, a service rep will recommend a substitution or other delivery options.
For a small dental practice, Safco would be the perfect choice. It offers quality products at reasonable prices. Plus, they offer free same-day shipping with no extra handling fees or surcharges.
An industry leader since 1985, Mydent International produces more than half of the consumables used in dental surgery and related work. Among its specializations are preventatives, impression materials, infection control products, disposables, and equipment.
With the rising number of inventory management system solutions available in the market, you might find yourself wondering which one's the perfect choice for you. While we can't exactly answer that question for you, we do have three options that are totally worth considering. Let's look at them:
Dentrix Ascend is a cloud-based system that offers a range of features, including automated inventory tracking, low inventory alerts, and customizable reorder points. It also provides real-time inventory reports, making it easy for you to manage your inventory levels and avoid running out of essential supplies.
Another cloud-based dental inventory management solution, Denticon allows practices to track inventory in real-time, automate ordering, and generate detailed reports on inventory usage and cost. Dentists can also set up automatic reorder points to guarantee that they always have the supplies they need.
Open Dental is an open-source dental inventory software that offers a range of features, including automated inventory tracking, real-time inventory reports, and customizable reorder points. It also enables dental practitioners to track inventory across multiple locations, making it an ideal choice for multi-practice dental groups.
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We’re not a dental supply company, and we’re not trying to sell you these products. Instead, we’re collaborators who are here to help dental practices succeed in other ways.
From optimizing your dental website and managing your online reputation to improving your social media presence, our dedicated team of specialists here at Digital Resource will do everything they can to take you to the top.
Reach out to us today to learn how!
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!
