Big Savings, Built on Simple Math.
If you’re like most dentists I talk to, managing supply costs probably isn’t the part of the job that gets you excited. Between patient care, staff, scheduling, and everything else that comes with running a practice, digging through websites for deals or negotiating with reps can feel like a full-time job in itself. And even after all that effort, you’re often left wondering if you’re actually saving money.
Here’s the truth, you don’t need to chase discounts to take control of your supply costs — you just need a different framework. And believe it or not, it starts with a simple math equation.
I call it The 5% Plan. It’s built on one simple principle: if you base your monthly supply budget on the average of last three full months gross production and multiply that by 5%, then you’ll know exactly what you should be spending — and you’ll stop overspending without even trying.
From there, we layer on a few proven tactics to make those dollars stretch further:
- Locked-in pricing so you’re never surprised by sudden cost spikes
- Up to 10% in free goods every year, automatically
- Money-back guarantees on high-quality private-label products
- Service calls that cost you $0 instead of hundreds
- Expert guidance to help you make confident in- or out-of-network decisions
- Manufacturing rebate programs
When practices follow this approach — and track it with the monthly, quarterly, and annual reports I provide — they consistently keep supply spending right where it should be: about 5% of gross production.
The results aren’t small either. We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars reclaimed each year, money that can go back into your team, your technology, and your growth.
If you’re curious about how it works in real numbers, let’s sit down for 15 minutes. I’ll walk you through The 5% Plan, show you how we track and manage supply spend, and you can decide for yourself if this is the smartest way to run your practice.
Check back later for a real life 5% success story…
Jason D. Dempsey 