May 27, 2025
Every dentist has a supplier they swear by.
In fact, studies show that 85% of dentists report strong brand loyalty to their suppliers, citing trust in quality and consistent service as key factors. Yet many procurement platforms present an unnecessary (unsaid) ultimatum:
"Switch to our preferred suppliers or forget about significant savings."
This approach ignores the reality of dental practice operations. Forcing supplier changes costs practices between $5,000 to $10,000 per transition, which, in most cases, will effectively negate the promised savings.
Our position: You shouldn't have to abandon trusted relationships to control costs.
Method's supplier-agnostic approach eliminates this false choice. We empower you to work with your preferred suppliers while uncovering optimization opportunities you never knew existed.
In this article, we’ll explore why forced switching is a subpar approach, and instead, you should be finding ways to work more intelligently with partners who already understand your practice.
Constantly switching suppliers isn't necessarily a cost-saving silver bullet that some procurement platforms make it out to be. In fact, it often creates a cascade of hidden expenses that can quickly eat away at any savings you might achieve.
Think about the administrative nightmare alone. Every time you switch suppliers, your team needs to:
But the real costs run much deeper than administrative headaches.
When you're constantly chasing the lowest price by hopping between suppliers, you lose something invaluable: consistency.
Your long-time supplier knows exactly which composite to send as soon as you say, 'I need A2 composite capsules. They understand your practice’s specialty and connect you with the right products and manufacturers.They know whether you're managing your supply spend within a monthly budget. That institutional knowledge disappears the moment you switch to another vendor chasing a $5 discount on impression materials.
Another thing other platforms won't tell you: they limit your view of the total marketplace. By restricting which suppliers you can see and work with, these systems create an artificial scarcity that prevents you from understanding true competitive pricing. Imagine trying to gauge real estate values by only looking at three houses in town.
When you can't see the full marketplace, you can't make truly informed decisions about where the best value actually lies.
That includes the value of maintaining relationships with suppliers who have proven themselves reliable partners in your practice's success.
Strategic partnerships with suppliers can make or break your practice's efficiency and profitability.
Consider what happens when you need a Maryland bridge cement on a Friday afternoon for a Monday morning case.
With a strong friendship with an established supplier, they’ll move mountains to make it happen because they understand that your success directly impacts theirs. They'll expedite shipping or waive rush fees. We’ve even heard of some hand-delivering critical items when needed and possible.
That’s just one situation, however. The best supplier relationships provide ongoing value that extends far beyond the transaction:
Your trusted sales rep can alert you when new products launch, recommend cost-effective alternatives to expensive name brands, and help you navigate product recalls or discontinuations before they impact patient care.
When equipment fails or products don't perform as expected, having a direct line to knowledgeable support staff who understand your practice's specific needs is invaluable. No waiting on hold for generic customer service representatives who've never set foot in a dental office.
Many suppliers offer continuing education credits, expedited equipment service, service discounts, software licenses, or practice management consulting as part of long-term partnerships. These perks, while not always reflected in product pricing, can represent thousands of dollars in annual value.
Remember: supplier diversity strengthens your practice.
While single-sourcing might seem simpler, working with 2-3 primary suppliers creates healthy competition while maintaining strong relationships. This approach provides redundancy for critical supplies and gives you negotiating leverage based on established trust and proven purchasing patterns.
The most successful dental practices don't just maintain supplier relationships—they actively leverage them for mutual benefit. Here's how to transform your supplier partnerships into competitive advantages:
Establish 2-3 primary vendors to prioritize purchasing decisions and create clear benchmarks for price negotiations. When suppliers know they're designated partners, they're more motivated to provide exceptional service and competitive pricing.
Use pricing intelligence during supplier conversations. Instead of accepting quoted prices at face value, approach negotiations with:
"We’ve seen some more competitive pricing elsewhere, but we’d really like to keep the business with you—any chance you can work with us on the price?"
Quickly evaluate savings potential when your trusted rep suggests less expensive alternatives that deliver similar clinical outcomes, making informed switches within existing relationships.
Regular monitoring helps identify opportunities for spend avoidance, like preventing unnecessary purchases or optimizing order quantities before they impact your bottom line.
Ensure you receive proper credit for damaged items, short shipments, and price adjustments through comprehensive reporting, protecting margins while demonstrating to suppliers that you're a sophisticated customer.
Here's where Method fundamentally differs from other procurement platforms: we believe your choice of suppliers should remain exactly that: your choice.
Being truly supplier-agnostic means we integrate with your existing vendors without requiring you to switch or add new ones. Whether you've worked with Schein, Patterson, Benco, or Darby for decades or prefer more regionalized full-service suppliers, Method adapts to your established relationships rather than forcing you to adapt to ours.
Our platform provides real-time pricing transparency across all your preferred suppliers simultaneously. You get a dashboard that shows you not just what you're paying for dental composites from your primary supplier, but what every supplier in your network is charging for the same products.
To reiterate, this visibility doesn't force you to switch, but you can be empowered to make informed, real-time decisions.
Our platform also analyzes your purchasing patterns and spending data to identify optimization opportunities while respecting your supplier preferences. Instead of automatically redirecting orders to our "preferred vendors," we arm you with competitive intelligence.
For example, if analysis shows you're paying 15% above market rate for certain endodontic supplies, we provide the data you need to negotiate better pricing with your trusted supplier—or to make an informed decision that the premium is worth it for the relationship value your practice receives.
No software tool should dictate who your practice does business with. Period.
We’re not talking about data points to be optimized away by an algorithm here.
Supplier relationships represent years of trust, personal connections, and mutual understanding.
That’s why Method's supplier-agnostic philosophy is built on this fundamental truth: technology should expand your options, not restrict them.
We believe that procurement platforms should adapt to your practice's established relationships, not force your practice to adapt to some platform's preferred vendor list.
