Blog

Three weeks ago, Jacob and I were contacted by Ann Lalezarian, a New York based hygienist, with a simple request to help her acquire supplies for her upcoming mission trip to Ecuador. Ann volunteers with Barbara Greene and Anita Roth for Blanca’s House, a medical and dental mission group that frequents Latin American regions deprived of dental care.  

I was immediately captured by Ann’s excitement, and by her dedication to get all the supplies needed to most effectively treat her future patients. Before even speaking with Ann, my mind was set on aiding her mission.

In a few weeks’ time, Scott and I will head to San Francisco for the annual California Dental Association (CDA) Northern California Dental Conference to show off Supply Clinic. We both attended Chicago Dental Society’s Chicago Midwinter Conference in February, but this will be our first time as exhibitors rather than attendees. We’re both quickly learning just how challenging planning a booth can be.

Yesterday was a bad day for software. United Airlines flights were grounded due to a technical “glitch.” The Wall Street Journal website was down with a 504 error. The New York Stock Exchange closed for hours due to an “internal technical issue.” And, strangest of all, I put through a small order on Supply Clinic and was quoted a shipping price that was a few cents higher than the price I actually paid.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve attended both a Techweek conference and a venture forum focused largely on industry startups. Two opportunities to represent Supply Clinic and explain why the dental supply industry is due for a paradigm shift. And in many respects, the two experiences could hardly have been more different.

In a way, it’s the difference between sawdust and fairy dust.

Last week, we had the honor of representing Supply Clinic at Techweek Chicago.

By 10AM on Thursday, our table was adorned with all sorts of dental supplies, from impression trays to face masks to OAP Cleaner. And we had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of attendees. Some weren't too interested in the dental supply market, but many were intrigued by Supply Clinic and its ability to bring a true marketplace to a broken system. The healthcare supply chain needs an overhaul, and our visitors recognized that. And everyone who stopped by our booth (we hope) had dentists.