North Texas Dentistry Volume 8 Issue 5 2018 ISSUE 5 DE | Page 7

hile each dental practice is unique, dental practices also
have a lot in common, especially when it comes to
spending. The equipment, services, and consumable
products that fall into the category of overhead expenditures
create an ongoing challenge to manage inventory, minimize
cost, and maximize efficiency.
W
Dr. Glenn Vo experienced this challenge firsthand over the last
decade in his own busy dental practice. Dr. Vo is also married
to a dentist, Dr. Susan Tran, and the couple often shared their
frustrations with the effort that was expended to inventory and
replenish consumables and the inconvenience of constantly
chasing the best prices for the products they ordered. They
agreed that there had to be a better way to manage this aspect
of business operations which too often took time away from
practicing dentistry.
About a year ago, Dr. Vo started an online group on Facebook
called Dental Garage Sale for dentists to buy or sell dental
equipment and supplies, a grassroots forum that quickly grew
in popularity among dental professionals. The associated dis-
cussion group became an important venue for interaction and
idea sharing, and ultimately served as a springboard for Dr. Vo’s
newest concept, a Facebook group called Nifty Thrifty Dentists.
“I am Nifty Thrifty. What that means is to be careful and smart
with your money. We’re Nifty Thrifty in our personal lives. We
look for great deals online. We negotiate for the best prices and
leverage for the best deal possible. If we can do that in our daily
lives, why not in the dental practice. To me, saving money
means I get to spend money on the things that count.”
The Nifty Thrifty Dentists Facebook group and website
(NiftyThriftyDentists.com) offer dentists the opportunity to
“To me, saving money means I get to spend
money on the things that count.”
leverage the enhanced buying power of a large group. As Dr. Vo
explains, “There are 19,000 dental professionals in the group.
About a quarter of those are in Texas and Oklahoma, and join-
ing forces with this massive community allows you to access
products and services at a greatly discounted rate. The size and
scope of this group gives us the leveraging power to negotiate
discounts and deals all over the U.S. In the beginning, there
were just a few vendors, but the list of participating companies
has rapidly expanded and more are getting on board every day.
Expanding membership is the engine of the group buying
concept. “The more people we have engaged in our sites, the
better discounts we can negotiate with vendors and suppliers.
I think the reason why Nifty Thrifty Dentists has been so well
received is that it’s really a win-win – it benefits both vendors
Denton Smiles Dentistry offers a full range of
dental services in a serene and peaceful envi-
ronment.
www.northtexasdentistry.com | NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
7