In this short article, we will be discussing some of the points that a dentist must look out for while buying dental material/supplies from any online dental store.
Online dental stores are very convenient to procure the necessary dental products. But as a Dentist & a Customer, you should always be careful of the loopholes. You should be able to choose a reliable online dental store.
This article will tell you the points that you must look for in any online dental store.
Introduction:
By many estimates, the annual dental products business all over the world is around 5 billion. Out of that 5 billion, the price share of India & China (including some other South Asian Countries) in around 3 billion.
Well, it is not a surprise considering the fact that the combined population of India & China is 3 billion. That is effectively a 3 billion force of consumers.
In India alone, the population and consumer base are more than 1 billion.
So to fulfill this huge of dental products & consumables all over the world, more and more online dental stores have come up. They promise of the most convenient and comfortable experience for a dentist. They claim to be the all in one solution to all the dental requirement for a dentist.
There are many benefits of regularly getting the dental supplies for your practice from the online stores compared to your local dental stores. You can read a complete comparison in the article below.
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If you are already ordering or planning to order your dental supplies from an online dental store, then as a responsible consumer you must be very careful. After all, it is you, who is going to spend his/her hard earned money.
So, whenever you are purchasing an online dental store always keep a watch on the points mentioned below to be on a safer side.
The basic 7 points that you must look out for are:
Appearance & style of the Website.
The range of reputed Dental Brands & Products.
A secure encrypted website – HTTPS://
Secure & Known Payment Gateways
Do not order in bulk when ordering for the 1st time.
Overall consumer reviews – at social media and feedbacks
Customer care & response
Let us discuss all the above points in detail
(1) Appearance & Style of Website: Though not a sure shot sign but still the design of a website can be indicative of the nature of the website. A well designed and managed website will appear organized, well arranged & will be assuring. 
If you notice that the website is not organized, having a lot of haphazard dental products and overall not appearing assuring, then it’s better that you avoid the site. (If an online dental store is not able to craft a good website, then there are doubts about their infrastructure).
(2) The range of dental brands: A good and reliable online dental company will have dental products from all the major known dental brands. There are a lot of counter fake dental products and instruments that are available in the market. So, always look for signature dental brands in an online store. 
No online dental store can display the logos of major dental products without permission. If you are still doubtful, then you can always email the dental product brands and ask them directly if they are selling their products via a particular online dental store.
(3) Look for HTTPS:// – Always look for the secure sign in the browser when visiting an online dental store. This is essential as you will be submitting your personal and payment details at the site. (for example, we have activated https:// protocol at DentalOrg.com as a sign of security for our visitors)
(4) Payment Gateways: The most Important aspect of any online dental store. Check that the online dental website is using a proper & secure payment gateway for processing the payments via your cards/bank account. If you notice that there is no proper payment gateway or no “HTTPS://” then it is not safe to enter your personal and payment dentils.
What is the problem when there is no HTTPS:// or Trusted Payment Gateway?
Whenever you are making a purchase at any online store, you are providing your personal details – like email, name, address, telephone/mobile number & your bank/card details.
Any website without HTTPS:// is considered unsafe as your details that you provide are not encrypted and can be viewed by others. When the site is HTTPS:// then the actions you take on the website are completely private. HTTPS:// certificate is provided by reputed security authorities like COMODO after thorough verification.
So, any online dental store with a good standing will have HTTPS://.
If not then you need to be careful.
Similarly, another and perhaps the most important aspect is the payment gateways. The end of your online dental purchase is when you provide your bank details/credit card/debit card for to complete the purchase.
The payment gateways provide the security so that you can complete the payment and the bank/card details provided by you are processed securely.
Some of the major payment gateways are Paypal, 2Checkout.com etc. Never go through an online purchase if you are in doubt about the payment gateway. If you feel something is not right then trust your instincts and do not enter your bank details.
(5) Never order in bulk When you are ordering for the first time. Order limited products. Do not order high price bulk when ordering for the 1st time. Check if the store is providing refunds and replacements for faulty products. All the major online dental stores in your country must provide the option of Cash/Payment on Delivery. So, if you are in doubt then always keep your initial 3 to 4 orders limited in nature & cash on delivery, until you are sure about a particular online dental store.
(6) Check for the reviews in the social media: If you want to get some general idea about a particular online dental store, then check for the responses of previous buyers in the official social media pages of the dental store.
Do not just go by random negative reviews. Read the reviews and notice the issues. If many people have complained about faulty dental products or other problems, then you have to be careful. Two points about social media reviews must alert you:
- If you notice the majority of the comments are negative then there might be issues with the store. Do not just go by random negative reviews.
- Read the reviews and notice the problem areas. If many people have complained about faulty dental products or other issues, then you have to be careful.
- If you notice a lot of comments by users, but no or very low number of replies by the company then it is a point of worry.
(7) Direct person to person customer representative: Always check that the dental online store has a dedicated team to provide the person to person customer care. If required, make a call listed for customer care to be sure. Never go for random big purchases without verifying the status of a customer care.
The above 7 points will give you a basic idea if a particular online dental store is reliable or not. Online dental stores are a very convenient way to ordering the dental products for your dental practice. But with every convenience, there are points to be careful of. We hope after reading this article you will be able to separate a good reliable online dental store from an unreliable one.
Conclusion:
Just like another profession dentistry also keeps undergoing changes. The ways of dentistry that were commonplace 5 years back are now outdated. Also, in the modern day dentistry, there is a lot more emphasis on the business aspect of dentistry. So, as a dentist, you need to adopt all the methods that can help in the growth of your dental practice. We hope that this article helps you in that direction.
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