Guides · Dental supply purchasing

How to compare dental supply prices across distributors

Dental offices often buy the same clinical item from more than one distributor. A useful comparison is not “gloves vs gloves.” It is the same manufacturer + manufacturer part number (MPN) + identical pack size, priced on the same date when possible.

Steps that keep comparisons honest

  1. Pull recent purchase lines from order confirmations, invoices, or an export (CSV). Keep supplier, description, pack, quantity, and unit price.
  2. Normalize the identity to manufacturer + MPN + pack. Distributor SKUs differ; MPN is the stable product identity when the pack matches.
  3. Ignore near-matches (different pack counts, private-label substitutes, or a similar description without the same MPN). Those are shopping decisions, not exact price deltas.
  4. Record the price-check date next to each alternate. Catalog prices move; a delta without a date is not reproducible.
  5. Treat historical Δ as history. A past difference does not guarantee the next order will clear at that price or that stock is available.

What SaveSame does with this method

SaveSame imports forwarded order emails or uploaded CSVs/PDFs, exact-matches manufacturer + MPN + pack against labeled public catalog sources (including Henry Schein, Patterson, and Net32 public pricing when available), and produces a savings report. Offices stay in control of purchasing — there is no automatic purchasing in the first version.

What this guide does not claim

No typical savings percentage, no invented “average office” totals, and no partnership with any distributor. Use your own purchase history for decisions.

Start free analysis — 7-day trial Try CSV analysis (no account)

After a 7-day card-required trial, SaveSame is $39/office/month. Cancel in one click. Historical price differences are not a guarantee of future savings. No automatic purchasing in v1. No patient records.

Related guides

Henry Schein®, Patterson®, Net32®, and other supplier names are trademarks of their respective owners. SaveSame is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a partner of those suppliers. SaveSame compares public or office-provided purchase data and never asks for a supplier password.