5 Warning Signs it's Time to Upgrade Your Dental Equipment

5 Warning Signs it’s Time to Upgrade Your Dental Equipment
August 14, 2017 Vividus Admin

Do you have a sneaking suspicion that your dental equipment might not be working to its full potential? Or perhaps you’ve meant to upgrade your equipment, but have constantly put the issue on the backburner, in light of more demanding problems? It’s important that your equipment has your full attention, as it’s responsible for a large chunk of the smooth running of your practice. Here are a few warning signs that you should be looking out for daily, to ensure that you know exactly when it is time to upgrade your equipment.

1. Patient infection.

Patient infection is definitely the most serious issue that a dental practice faces. One major cause of patient infection is the incorrect cleaning and sterilisation of dental instruments such as handpieces. This is why it’s so important that your autoclave is reliable, frequently serviced and well taken care of! If there are any reports of patient infection, you should have a trained technician look over your autoclave ASAP. Autoclaves that are not running at their full potential will not be sterilising your instruments correctly.

Take the stress out of organising frequent equipment services by renting rather than buying outright. Find out more.

2. Frequent equipment failures.

If you find that certain pieces of equipment are breaking down quite frequently, it might be time to upgrade. Getting a technician out to fix equipment regularly is costly and having certain machines out of action can disrupt your patient schedule. Upgrading is often the cheaper option in the long run.

Buy equipment through Dental Depot, and you’ll have trained technicians on-call to fix any equipment failures, should they occur. Better yet, they’ll swap out faulty machines for working ones while they’re being fixed, so you’re not experiencing any patient downtime.

3. Your machines are not compatible with your computing systems.

If you’re using the latest patient information systems for admin, they may not streamline with older equipment. The latest technology will seamlessly transfer information from the machines you use most often, to your computers, and patient files. Did you know that you can now get intraoral cameras with wi-fi incorporated?

4. It’s difficult to find new parts for outdated equipment.

If manufacturing companies have stopped making parts for a machine that you’re using in your practice, that’s a definite warning sign. We aren’t saying that your equipment should have a short lifespan, but that you should always be open to investing in newer models. Finding technicians trained in servicing older equipment can be challenging and costly, as can tracking down new parts. Upgrading to a newer machine can end up being cheaper in the long run, and will provide you with more efficient technology to make your working day easier; it’s win-win!

Dental Depot only uses the highest quality brands, and have connections to manufacturing companies, so replacement parts are always available to track down. Our service team are authorised and factory trained, so are qualified in servicing all the equipment we sell and we only ever use OEM parts, not aftermarket ones.

5. You’re finding it difficult to hold onto returning customers.

If you’re starting to wonder why many of your patients fail to return after their first visit to your practice, it may be time to look at your equipment. Is it outdated? Outdated equipment not only looks clunky (and in turn, doesn’t inspire confidence in your patients) but also fails to work efficiently. This can cause discomfort for your customers as it means they’re sitting in the chair longer than they need to.

Upgrading your equipment doesn’t have to happen all at once. Call Dental Depot, and one of our qualified and experienced Equipment Specialists will give you a realistic evaluation of your equipment and can help you with an asset management plan.