How to handle expiry dates in your dental supplies store

Article topics

1. Understand the manufacturer’s guidelines
2. Manually audit your items
3. Place small, frequent orders
4. Implement a first-in, first-out model

When you run a dental supplies store, you’ll sell a lot of products that have expiry dates, like cements, composites, and bonding agents.

It’s vital to manage these expiry dates carefully. This is so you can ensure you don’t accidentally sell expired or soon-to-expire items to your customers, or waste money and time disposing of products.

Here’s what you need to know about managing expired items and ensuring your customers get the best quality products.

1. Understand the manufacturer’s guidelines

One of the first things you need to do when you stock a new product is to read the manufacturer’s guidelines carefully.

When a manufacturer assigns an expiry date to a product, they are guaranteeing that the product will remain sterile, safe, and perform to specifications, as long as it is stored according to guidelines.

High temperatures, moisture, and direct light can all affect the expiry date of specific products.

You need to ensure products are stored according to the manufacturer’s instructions and carry out and log regular checks. This is so you can prove the right actions were taken if there’s a customer dispute.

2. Manually audit your items

Good inventory management software helps you track and manage stock levels. This means you can log expiry dates and send a warehouse alert when a particular product is due to expire.

However, it’s still important to carry out manual audits so that you can spot any products with short-term expiry dates that your inventory management software hasn’t picked up.

As well as your usual stocktake to determine stock levels, carry out a monthly or bi-monthly audit focusing on expiry dates. That way, you can identify any products that are due to expire soon and safely dispose of out-of-date items.

While it’s vital to check the expiry date of the product first and foremost, also look for any telltale signs that the product is not fit for sale. For example, an unusual smell, discolouration, or a change in texture.

3. Place small, frequent orders

When you sell products with a short expiry date, it’s best to order small amounts frequently. This reduces the time the products sit in your warehouse, maximises the amount of time customers have to use them, and minimises the risk of waste.

For this strategy to succeed, it’s vital to have a solid relationship with suppliers. A good supplier will ensure your products arrive swiftly, and will be willing to negotiate on the minimum order quantity you can place.

You may also choose to work with multiple suppliers to ensure flexibility on delivery dates.

4. Implement a first-in, first-out model

A ‘first-in, first-out model’, or FIFO, is when your oldest inventory is sold first. This means your oldest products are more likely to be dispatched to customers before they expire.

An alternative version of this method is ‘first expired, first-out’, or FEFO. This is when you focus specifically on expiry dates rather than the age of the product, as the oldest product may not necessarily have the most short-term expiry date.

Key elements of FIFO include:

• Physical stock rotation. Placing new stock behind existing stock in your warehouse, so the oldest stock is picked first
• Training employees. When you carry out onboarding, explain why expiry dates are so important and how staff can play their part in making your warehouse more efficient
• Using visual aids to identify the shelf-life of products. Some dental suppliers use stickers, for example, placing a green sticker on products with an expiry date of two years or more, and a red sticker on products with an expiry date of six months or less. This means employees can identify expiry dates at a glance when carrying out auditing or making up orders
• Segregation of near-expiry stock. Dedicating a specific, signposted area for products that are close to their expiry date

You are allowed to sell products with a short shelf-life, as long as:

• You clearly communicate what the expiry date is
• The product has not expired and is still fit for purpose
• You may offer the product at a discount to encourage a quick sale

Alternatively, there are charities which are happy to take dental products that are due to expire soon. For example, Dentaid may have the capacity to accept certain medicines and consumables as long as they are not out of date.