It’s no secret that light affects everyone and everything around us. But light might have a more significant effect on you than you realise. The quality of light that we work under greatly changes energy levels, moods and even our quality of life.
If you’ve been finishing work and feeling exhausted, the problem may be the lighting. Since we spend so much time at work, it should be no surprise that more thought should be put into the lights around us. The great news is, Dental Depot is here to help shed some light (no pun intended) on the topic, and help you, your patients and your staff feel better in no time.
Types of lighting
Before we delve into specific models and types of dental office operatory lights, you’ll need a firm understanding of the different types of lighting and how they work in conjunction with each other. In almost all dental offices, there’s ambient lighting and task lighting.
Ambient lighting’s primary purpose is to illuminate the entire space, while task lighting is used for (you guessed it!), specific tasks. Task lighting isn’t only operatory lights, it also includes desk lamps and any other lighting that may be present. These need to be balanced. If one is stronger than the other, it will result in eye strain and likely cause headaches/fatigue.
The worst lighting mistakes
Many dental offices make this huge mistake, and it’s an easy one to make: they only use ambient lighting within the space which is usually fluorescent. Multiple lighting sources not only have health benefits but there are many psychological benefits too.
Choosing the right dental operatory lights
When it’s time to choose your operatory lights, there are two main features that need to be considered: brightness and flexibility.
Brightness
Many Ophthalmologists will recommend a ratio of 10:1 when referring to operating to ambient light ratios. This is relatively standard in this field of work and should be adhered to. But what does this mean? Well, if your operating light outputs 5000 lumens, the ambient light should be around 500 lumens. Of course, different lights will come with different intensities, so some lights may need to be adjusted to reach the correct ratio.
Flexibility
An often overlooked, but crucial element of operatory lighting is flexibility. Having flexible lighting is important for getting different angles well lit and avoiding blinding yourself, your patients or your assistant’s in the process. Operatory lights can be mounted just about anywhere. They can be placed on ceilings, on walls, fixed to cabinets or even on the swing arms on chairs. When installing your lights, consider how you like to work and have the lights complement your working style. Often specialists will prefer to have their task lighting coming primarily from their loupe led lights. Dental Depot stocks a wide range of loupe lighting accessories.
No matter your preferred style of lighting setups, Dental Depot is here to provide the best dental equipment. From dental chairs to autoclaves to x-ray equipment, we supply and stock all the tools to take your dental practice to the next level!
