Wednesday 11 January 2012

Factors to consider when buying Dental Equipment

Some of things to consider when you buy that new piece of  equipment for your surgery may appear to be obvious, but  here are few thoughts before you sign on the dotted line


Comfort -Who's more important you or your patient ?
Your comfort and ease of use of the equipment go with out saying. What about your patients comfort?.
One suggestion is that, when you are in the showroom discussing colour, price and other options on your new chair or package. Rather than standing, use that time to recline in the chair while you talk to the sales person. If after ten minutes or so, you are beginning to feel uncomfortable, perhaps its time to look at another chair. As specially if you do implants or long procedures, where your patient is sat for long periods of time!. 

Haggling for that big discount can be costly
Discounting at the big exhibitions is always hotly  contested and quite often where the majority of the sales can take place. But consider this one factor, before grabbing that big discount.
If the equipment breaks down, how long will it take for an engineer to come out ?. However tempting it is, to go for that big discount, calculate how long  it will take for that discount to be eaten up, by time spent cancelling a patient list and waiting for an engineer?. Ask whether you can speak to an engineer over the phone ?. As a good engineer will ask lots of questions before setting off to you and may be able to help you solve the problem there and then. There is nothing worse than opening an invoice, for work to clean a filter or switch something off and back on again. Ask for a reference from someone who has  bought equipment off the company before. If they say it took them two weeks to send an engineer out or they had to deal with a call centre, you do not have to do the maths to see the shine fading on that big discount.

Size isn't everything, but flexibility might be !
The size of your surgery will dictate how much room you have for cabinetry. But do not be tempted just to go for lots of cabinets. Even if you have the surgery area and your bank account can afford it. In my experience lots of cabinets generally means more places to stash rubbish or bits and pieces you never need ( Trust me I have seen in lots of cabinets). Plus you may end up stretching or twisting for things unnecessarily. Consider a mobile cabinet with its own work surface that slides under the main work surface and blends in with the other cabinets in the run. This gives you or your DSA another work surface to work from which you do not have to twist or stretch to reach. Plus if you are in a multiple surgery practice and have to move surgeries temporarily, the cabinet may be able to be wheeled in to the other surgery with you. ( If it's a one level practice). Plus the garage space left when it is out being used, gives you leg room for a desk area in your main cabinet run, particularly useful where space is at a premium.