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In the four years since I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Dental School, Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) have grown substantially. Analysts estimate that DSOs make up anywhere from 10 to 20% of the dental market, and continue to grow faster than private practices. So what do new dentists think of DSOs? I recently posted a thread on DentalTown to ask the active student Townies just that.

Three trends jumped out based on the responses:

1. Dental students generally view DSOs as a necessary stepping stone to private practice.

2. DSOs are not associated with quality dentistry, even among dental students.

3. DSOs reach out to dental students, unlike private practices.

This past weekend, Scott and I had the opportunity to visit Boston and attend the American Academy of Periodontics’ annual meeting in the Boston Convention Center. For Scott, a periodontist by training, it was a chance to reunite with old friends, mentors, and colleagues. For me, having spent four years as an undergrad in Boston, it was a chance to sleep on my friends’ couches and remind them why starting a company is so much more fun than law school.

Dentists are [finally] saving by buying online

Consumers around the world buy products online, and dentists are no exception. More and more, dental supplies can be found and purchased online, often for a fraction of the cost that traditional distributors charge.

In fact, many dentists are now waking up to the fact that the biggest dental supply distributors have been overcharging for years. (There is an ongoing class action lawsuit against Henry Schein, Patterson, and Benco for price-fixing and collusion.)

Simply put, it just doesn’t make sense to keep paying an extra 30% for the ‘luxury’ of purchasing through a sales representative. For the average dental practice, this amounts to about $20,000 per year in potential savings.  And today, offices don’t necessarily need a sales representative to learn what’s new in the dental world. Honestly, we all read about it on the Internet first anyway.

by Dr. Scott Drucker, DMD

I’ve spent much of the past three years building Supply Clinic from inception forward. In the same time period, I’ve finished periodontics residency and now practice part-time at a general dental practice in Chicagoland. My experiences give me a unique perspective into both worlds, and there’s so much more crossover than initially meets the eye. Both involve using multiple skillsets to lead a group of people, build a functional company, and make people happy.

Below are 5 lessons I’ve learned from starting a company, that are equally important to learn in order to run an effective dental practice:

All too often, the noise from the dental drill elicits a visceral reaction from our patients. A cringe, a grimace- we all notice it. But as dental professionals, we aren’t the least bit phased by the noise. The noxious sound is so commonplace, it’s almost as though we don’t even hear it.

Soon after entering a private practice setting, Boston-based periodontist Dr. Sam Shamardi became painfully aware of just how much dental professionals endure, and it wasn’t just the drills. “We are bombarded with noise from all directions- we’ve got handpieces, ultrasonic instruments, high speed suctions, lab trimmers, air blasters, the radio, T.V. And, of course, people are talking.”