Dental distributors

A dental distributor sells consumables, materials, instruments and equipment to your practice. This overview compares national distributors that sell to dental practices across the US on the same criteria: assortment areas, the manufacturers they say they carry, how your practice can order, delivery terms in the US, and whether they describe technical service themselves. Item prices are not compared; stated per-order fees are shown where we found them. Implant systems have their own subguide.

As of October 18, 2026, three of the seven distributors state a fixed per-order fee (fee $12.95 per order sales tax not stated¹, fee $10.99 per order sales tax not stated² and fee $14.95 per order sales tax not stated³). None of the seven publicly describes loaner equipment while your own is being repaired, or training tailored to your practice.

Which national distributors are compared?

The overview covers seven distributors, in alphabetical order. This is how they describe their assortment:

• Benco Dental: Benco sells dental supplies and equipment, with vendor and private label products, equipment and technology showrooms, practice design and consulting⁴Provided by the vendor
• Dental City: Restorative materials, infection control products, preventives, endodontics, orthodontics, PPE, handpieces, small equipment, office supplies and disposables; over 40,000 unique products²⁰Provided by the vendor
• DHP (Dental Health Products): Dental supplies, equipment and practice solutions, with on-site equipment service and handpiece repair⁴⁷Provided by the vendor
• Henry Schein: The US dental site offers dental supplies and a full line of equipment and technology, with office design services, delivery, installation, preventive maintenance and ongoing service for practice equipment⁴¹Provided by the vendor
• Practicon: Practicon develops and markets its own «practical innovations» for dental practices, sold alongside brand-name supplies³⁴Provided by the vendor
• Safco Dental Supply: Safco's site sells dental supplies, products and equipment, with dental equipment repair and maintenance services and new equipment solutions¹²Provided by the vendor

For Pearson Dental Supply we found no public description of its assortment areas when we searched on October 18, 2026. Its brand list is in the table.

Shipping, cut-off times and fees

If your practice orders supplies every week, cut-off times, shipping fees and minimum orders are what you notice day to day. This is what the distributors state:

• Benco Dental: Benco uses commercially reasonable efforts to ship within agreed timeframes but does not guarantee arrival; drop-shipped products follow the manufacturer's shipping terms; hazardous material fees and a shipping charge for weight-sensitive items (such as lab stone) apply⁹Provided by the vendor Expedited shipping can be requested and is billed at prevailing expedited shipping rates; it may not be available for some products⁷Provided by the vendor
• Dental City: Orders placed by 5 pm ET ship the same day; 2-day delivery to the contiguous US on most items; no extra shipping fee for backordered items; standard orders do not include free shipping²⁶Provided by the vendor Only with the paid Keys to the City membership: free shipping on orders over $200 within the contiguous US; orders under $200 pay a flat $10 shipping fee; hazardous material and special handling fees may apply²³Provided by the vendor
• Henry Schein: Continental US: all orders are subject to a handling charge that includes freight, except extra carrier charges for special delivery services and hazardous shipments; special orders carry extra freight charges; delivery dates are not guaranteed⁴⁴Provided by the vendor
• Pearson Dental Supply: Pearson aims for a 2–3 business day average time to ship; shipping costs vary by product weight and distance; heavy cases, equipment, hazardous and refrigerated items and residential deliveries may cost extra; no delivery to PO boxes or hotels; domestic minimum order $25³¹Provided by the vendor Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost³⁰Provided by the vendor
• Practicon: Practicon ships to the continental US, and to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands for an extra $25.00 on top of ground rates⁵²Provided by the vendor UPS Next Day or FedEx Priority for next-business-day delivery by 10:30 a.m. (in most cases) is available for an additional charge³⁷Provided by the vendor
• Safco Dental Supply: Orders under $99 carry a flat $14.95 service fee; C.O.D. orders add a $20.00 fee, waived over $500; in-stock orders placed by 4:30 PM Central (Mon–Thu) or 3:30 PM Friday ship the same day¹⁷Provided by the vendor Free shipping on orders over $99¹⁴Provided by the vendor Premium shipping services such as Next Day Air are available for an additional charge¹⁵Provided by the vendor

For DHP (Dental Health Products) we found no public description of delivery times or shipping fees when we searched on October 18, 2026. DHP ships domestic orders only (no shipments outside the US)⁵³Provided by the vendor

Returns

This is what the distributors state about returns:

• Benco Dental: Third-party products that can be restocked get full credit; returns after 60 days from invoice are credited less a 15% Benco restocking charge plus any manufacturer restock charge; Benco private label products: 30 days for large equipment and 120 days for other products if non-conforming⁸Provided by the vendor
• Dental City: Products can be returned within 30 days of purchase if unopened, undamaged and resalable; personalized, special order, pedigree and hazardous items are non-returnable; returns from ordering errors or change of mind may carry return shipping and a restocking fee²⁴Provided by the vendor
• DHP (Dental Health Products): A return authorization must be requested within 30 days of the invoice date; items must be unopened and resalable; all returns carry a restocking fee and the buyer pays return freight⁴⁸Provided by the vendor
• Henry Schein: Returns need prior authorization; products must have been bought within the previous 30 days, and returns after 30 days carry a restocking fee; shipping charges apply on all returns⁴²Provided by the vendor
• Practicon: Return within 30 days for exchange, credit or refund; after 30 days, items must be unused in original packaging within one year of purchase; original shipping is not refunded unless Practicon made an error³⁹Provided by the vendor
• Safco Dental Supply: Supplies can be returned or exchanged within 30 days of purchase; unopened supplies within a year for exchange or credit; equipment only within 30 days (opened/used equipment limited to 1 unit with a 20% restocking fee)¹⁶Provided by the vendor

For Pearson Dental Supply we found no public description of a return period when we searched on October 18, 2026.

Technical service and repair

Some distributors have their own service technicians for equipment, others work through partners. Five of the seven describe technical service publicly:

• Benco Dental: Benco states it has a national team of field service technicians covering all 48 states, with manufacturer's training, for equipment repair and maintenance¹⁰Provided by the vendor
• DHP (Dental Health Products): DHP offers on-site service for offices approximately 250 miles from each of its full-service branch locations, and works with certified independent service technicians across the US⁵⁰Provided by the vendor
• Henry Schein: Henry Schein In-Office Equipment Service offers manufacturer-authorized repairs and service, new equipment installation, manufacturer-trained technicians and preventive maintenance programs⁴⁵Provided by the vendor
• Pearson Dental Supply: Pearson services dental equipment installed at the location of an active and established Pearson account, through its equipment service department³²Provided by the vendor
• Safco Dental Supply: The home page offers expert dental equipment repair and maintenance; the repair service page is titled «Dental Equipment Repair - On-Site & Fast Service»¹⁸Provided by the vendor

For Dental City and Practicon we found no public description of technical service when we searched on October 18, 2026.

Questions to ask before you request a quote

• Which products and brands does your practice use most, and does the distributor keep them in stock in the US?
• What account or contract pricing does your practice get, and can you see those prices before you order?
• How can your practice order: a web store with several users on one account, phone, an app, or a link to your purchasing system?
• What do shipping and small orders cost, what is the cut-off time for same-day shipping, and how are backorders and returns handled?
• Who installs and repairs your equipment where your practice is located, and can your practice borrow equipment while its own is being repaired?