April 5, 2025
There's no end to the pressures for those running a dental practice.
You've likely felt the waves of many of them: rising supply costs that eat into your margins, growing demands for transparency from both patients and regulators, and the never-ending need for efficiency in a world where every minute counts.
It's enough to make even the most seasoned practitioner's head spin.
So what should your team do as you look toward the new year? Fortunately for you, our team at Method has the privilege of engaging with dozens upon dozens of dentists at practices of all sizes—whether single location practices or large DSOs.
The common trend is this: change is coming fast and not small tweaks here and there. We're seeing seismic shifts that are going to redefine how dental practices manage their supplies and operations.
In 2025, the practices that stay ahead aren't going to be the ones clinging to outdated systems and crossing their fingers. No, the winners will be the ones who embrace the key shifts coming down the pipeline.
You don't have to wait until 2025 to start preparing. Let's take a look at what we're seeing and hearing about what’s to come in the next year or so.
The days of relying on reps and outdated systems to place orders are numbered. Practices are realizing that those methods are slow, costly, and a headache to manage. Trying to adopt a multi-supplier approach is hardly possible with your staff trying to handle it manually.
Forget the future, the present is digital, and procurement platforms (like our own Method) are going to dominate.
Here’s why:
Price Comparisons in Real-Time:
Being able to see prices from multiple suppliers at once makes it simple to choose the best deal without all the back-and-forth.
Automated Ordering:
Make manual mistakes or missed reorders a thing of the past and embrace set-it-and-forget-it automation.
Transparency:
Many practices lack visibility into where their money is going. With modern dental procurement platforms, you’ll get a clear picture of every dollar spent (shipping fees, bulk discounts, etc) with no surprises. In a way, you can get visibility into pricing that has never existed previously.
According to a Planet DDS report, over 60% of dental practices will have shifted to digital procurement by 2025. Everyone is trying to cut costs and take back control over purchasing, and platforms like Method are making that easy.
No matter what kind of business, data is the single most valuable asset any business has. Practices should start using their data and relying on analytics to make smarter ordering decisions. This will allow your practice to optimize your entire supply chain.
A couple of things to call out:
McKinsey reported that companies using data-driven procurement save up to 15% annually.
However, Method customers tend to see an average of 20% savings. For a single location practice, that’s significant. For a multi-location DSO, those numbers add up fast. Every penny saved is a penny you can invest elsewhere in your business.
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword to pay lip service to. Patients care about it, and soon enough, they’re going to expect the practices they visit to care about it too. Sustainable procurement is going to have an indirect impact on how patients choose which practice they go to so better focus on it now rather than later.
Here’s a few potential trends we’re hearing about:
If you want to stay competitive, partnering with suppliers that align with your sustainability goals is a smart move.
For a long time, procurement has been seen as a cost center. Not exactly the most positive label. But fortunately, that’s changing.
Forward-thinking practices are treating procurement like a strategic function.
Why?
Because if you manage this function correctly, it becomes a competitive advantage.
As supply costs rise, the smartest practices will stop thinking of procurement as just another expense and start using it as a tool for growth.
Vendor competition is long overdue for a shift. After all, a lack of competition hurts innovation and customers. Procurement platforms like Method are making it easier for practices to work with multiple suppliers, putting them in direct competition.
This means you get better deals in a few ways:
A McKinsey article reports that industries using vendor competition platforms have cut supply costs by up to 12%.
And that’s just the beginning. But a word of caution: working with too many vendors can dilute your buying power, so be strategic as you choose your suppliers.
Artificial intelligence is changing literally everything. Procurement isn’t going to be an exception. AI-powered procurement platforms are going to make processes faster and smarter.
In 2025, Deloitte expects over 40% of dental practices to be using AI in their procurement process. It’s going to transform the way your practice operates and make everything more efficient and accurate.
If you haven’t invested in a procurement platform to order your supplies yet, you are stepping over dollars to try to save pennies.
In the wake of recent global disruptions, too many businesses have felt the pain of supply chain disruptions. While it’s not possible to account for every possible situation, all businesses including dental practices are realizing that a resilient supply chain is not just a nice-to-have — it's a must.
By 2025, we'll see a significant shift towards building robust, flexible procurement strategies that can weather any storm.
This makes it all the more important for practices to adopt multi-sourcing strategies, moving away from single-supplier dependencies. This approach will involve cultivating relationships with multiple vendors, ensuring that if one supplier faces issues, others can step in seamlessly.
Additionally, we'll certainly see a rise in the use of predictive analytics to anticipate potential disruptions before they occur.
Siloed systems and disconnected data have long overstayed their welcome. Over the next year or so, we’ll likely see more seamless integration between platforms. With regards to dental practices, procurement platforms will be seamlessly integrated with other commonly utilized systems. This will create a unified ecosystem that streamlines operations and enhances decision-making.
Why is this important? Think about how this will impact inventory management. As soon as a procedure is scheduled in the practice management system, you will be able to check inventory levels and, if necessary, trigger orders for required supplies. This proactive approach ensures that practices always have the right materials on hand without overstocking.
Follow that through to financial management systems. Procurement data will flow directly into accounting systems, providing real-time insights into spending patterns and profitability. Practice owners will be able to see how supply costs impact their bottom line instantly, allowing for more informed financial decisions.
Patient care will benefit too. With procurement joining other dental-specific dental software, practices can ensure they always have the specific materials needed for each patient's unique treatment plan. This could even extend to personalized products, with the system automatically ordering custom items based on patient records.
So, with all that in mind, what should you do next?
The most important step your practice should take is embracing digital procurement platforms. This gives you the ability to get you ahead of all of these trends whether that’s leveraging data, focusing on sustainability, or using technology to turn procurement into a strategic asset.
Platforms like Method are leading the charge, helping practices like yours save time, cut costs, and run smoother.
If you’re interested in hearing more, reach out to a Method expert today to learn more
