An Illinois periodontics practice is adapting to rising operational costs as the industry is affected by federal tariffs and inflation.
Hunter Ratliff, the director of practice operations at Pure Perio in Glenview, Ill., recently spoke with Becker’s to discuss how the practice is dealing with these challenges.
Editor’s note: This response was edited for length and clarity.
Question: How is inflation and/or tariffs affecting operational costs at your practice?
Hunter Ratliff: Our periodontal practice has experienced significant cost pressures over the past five years, with the most substantial impact occurring in the biologics and implant manufacturing sectors. While the current year overall has shown some stabilization compared to the immediate post-COVID period, the cumulative effect continues to challenge our operational budget.
The most pronounced increases have come from implant manufacturers, one of which implemented an average 3.5% price increase effective January 2025. However, the percentage increase alone does not capture the full financial impact. They also discontinued their “free goods” programs, with our practice now bearing the full cost of items that historically were provided as part of our purchasing agreements. The elimination of value added benefits has materially affected our cost structure.
According to their official communication, these increases are attributed to “rising costs of raw materials, inflation and other factors that impact the operational side of our business.” While tariffs were not specifically cited, the unknown threat of tariffs on raw materials likely played a significant role.
Biologics have been equally affected across the board. Bone grafting materials, membranes and growth factors have all experienced price increases.
Interestingly, our consumable costs, including gloves, masks and other disposables, have remained relatively stable over the past year. Price increases in this category have been minimal and manageable. This contrasts with the 2020-2024 period, during which we experienced consumable cost increases ranging from 5%-50% depending on the product category.
While we have worked to absorb as much of these increases as possible, the sustained cost pressures ultimately necessitated fee adjustments in 2025. We remain committed to providing comprehensive periodontal patient care. However the economic reality is that these increased operational costs are being transferred to the patients though fee structures that reflect the true cost of delivering care.
