An assessment of competitors in the online dental implant marketplace:
What makes a successful company tick?
Switching to an e-commerce marketplace is a guaranteed future for many industries, as technology increases its stronghold on our society. With a little guidance, this radical change can and should be a great one. There are a fair number of purchasing options available to dental implant professionals, but how do we know which one to choose and that we are making the right choice? This article seeks to compare some of the major online suppliers and how to get the most out of your e-commerce experience.
Why make the transition to buying online?
That old saying “time is money” speaks to us all, and even more so to business owners who need to invest time into purchasing their own supplies. Times are moving forward at lightning pace with the constant development of new technologies. It is vital for our peace of mind that we slow down and not race with time, but rather take back that which is ours. E-commerce allows consumers to cut down drastically on the amount of time spent purchasing supplies, leaving more free time for ourselves. Online consumers also frequently benefit from other perks, such as reduced prices and the convenience of having your products delivered directly to you and fast. It’s an approachable world of commerce, and a breath of fresh air.
The logistics of saving money: How online suppliers are able to help you save money
By establishing their business purely in the online market, e-commerce businesses are able to eliminate some of the key costly factors that are prerequisites of the offline market: mass advertising, sales representatives, exhibitions, conferences, and promotional events, to name a few.
From here, there is yet another step that some suppliers take, which is to offer universal pricing. While some suppliers base what they charge you on your physical location and quantity that you purchase, the businesses that offer universal pricing offer the same prices to everyone. That means no matter where you are in the world and no matter how much you order, you pay the same price as everyone else. That said, taking into consideration all the materials needed for a full standard dental implant process, you can see in the table below that there is a broad range of costs across the board depending on the producer.
| Product | Edison Medical™ | Straumann® | Nobel BioCare® | MegaGen® |
| Implant | $89 – $95 | $200 – $300 | $200 – $300 | $130 – $200 |
| Healing Cap | $11 – $20 | $30 – $45 | $30 – $45 | $20 – $30 |
| Impression Coping | $16 – $26 | $45 – $60 | $45 – $60 | $30 – $45 |
| Implant Analog | $14 – $17 | $35 – $45 | $35 – $45 | $20 – $30 |
| Titanium Abutment | $13 – $40 | $55 – $75 | $55 – $75 | $35 – $45 |
| Total Sum | $143 – $198 | $415 – $575 | $365 – $525 | $235 – $350 |
The lower prices seen here of Edison Medical™ caught our eye right off the bat. We decided to dig a bit deeper to understand how, with all elements related to quality being equal with that of its competition, Edison Medical™ is able to have such a substantially lower-priced product. The first apparent difference is that they are one of the companies offering a universal price system, which we can see in the smaller range of prices they offer, which is due to the range of product options on their website, rather than the range of prices they charge different clients.
Time’s no longer a-wastin’: how Edison Medical™ e-commerce structure helps you get back your time
Maximizing simplicity is truly important in the world of e-commerce, and that goal should be realized during your shopping experience. Offering a universal price on all products means you will never need to wait for a distribution company to identify you and your place of business, and then assign you a representative accordingly with whom you must place your order. At Edison Medical™ this expedited system is standard operation: choose your products and place your order immediately.
The issue of product compatibility presents another time-consuming dilemma for many restorative dentists and dental laboratories. Reaching out to different companies to ensure you are buying products compatible with the brands your office works with can quickly consume too much of your time. Edison Medical™ has solved this problem by offering a large variety of prosthetics, including some registered patents, which are compatible with all major implant brands, therefore allowing you to do all your shopping in one place. Time efficient and simplified, as it should be.
Proven quality: a promise that you are getting the best products
All Edison Medical™ products undergo rigorous testing in their German manufacturing facility and are FDA cleared, standing at the same caliber as the market’s strongest competitors. They are working with the finest quality materials and the most technologically advanced designs in implant dentistry, thanks to a talented R&D team. From the carefully thought-out and attractive packaging to the wide selection of each item Edison Medical™ offers, it is clear they aim for the highest customer satisfaction by making some of the best products on the market.
Our research has left us impressed. We found that Edison Medical™ is operating an online implant system that makes a convincing argument for transitioning to online purchasing of dental implant products, and sets an attractive business model for other online distributors.
