As a dentist who built a practice from scratch many years ago, and now someone who is focused on the sales/marketing side of the industry, I completely understand that it is important to control costs. Today, the average general dental practice operates at approximately 70% overhead (up 15% from just 15 years ago). Obviously, supplies are the (most) important component of operating a practice, and responsible for a significant % of the expenses that comprise the aforementioned overhead numbers we are currently seeing. This leads us to a long standing problem within the dental industry…gray goods.