We pay tribute to dentistry’s best new products and services in the same spirit that has animated Benco’s own work for nearly a century.

THE WORDS “INNOVATIVE” and “distributor” are rarely used in the same sentence—probably because most distributors are more focused on moving cartons than breaking new ground.

But Benco Dental isn’t most distributors. We’ve always aspired to be much more. As a matter of fact, many Benco firsts are things that dentistry now takes for granted: electronic ordering, customer loyalty rewards, in-house office design and a hub-and-spoke distribution network, to name just a few.

As a family business, we have the luxury of thinking in terms of decades, not quarters, so we can invest in cutting-edge products and solutions. Last year, nearly 22 percent of our sales stemmed from products or services launched in the past three years. That means one of every five dollars our customers spend is on what’s newest. That’s stunning, considering most dental consumables are old favorites that haven’t changed in years.

Driving innovation isn’t always profitable, of course, which is why not everyone does it. Offering customers new technology requires a substantial investment in inventory and training, which doesn’t always look great on a balance sheet. But our aim is to drive dentistry forward, thereby changing the lives of dentists and the patients they serve.

Consider OneVisit, for example—Benco’s groundbreaking open-architecture chairside CAD/CAM solution. Half a decade ago, we were the first company to put a stake in the ground for open, best-of-breed digital dental systems in which practitioners can lower their costs and improve their results by combining products from multiple manufacturers. Today, we’re proud that OneVisit is the market’s best solution for single-visit, single-unit posterior zirconia restorations (ask your Friendly Benco Rep for more information).

In this issue of Incisal Edge, we celebrate dentistry’s most exciting new products through our partnership with the Edison Awards, an internationally recognized symbol of excellence in innovation. (Also—surprise!—not every product in these pages is sold by Benco. We believe in shining a spotlight on dental innovations whenever and wherever they’re found.) You’ll read about 3D printing, which is key to the future of dental restorations, and profiles of the inventors who are creating the future of our profession.

Thank you for joining us on Benco’s nine-decade journey to advance the art and science of dentistry. Please reach out anytime with a thought, question or suggestion. We’d love to hear from you. •

–Chuck Cohen

–Rick Cohen

Founders

P.S.: Be sure to keep an eye out for Benco Dental’s 2018 Annual Report, which will be mailed to Benco customers in early March and contains many more details about how we’re Innovating Together.