Are you starting a new dental practice or considering renovating an existing one? Do you want to give your patients the best possible experience when it comes to sitting in the dental chair? If you haven't looked at what's on offer in the dentistry market recently, you may be surprised when you see how comfortable and sophisticated some of the newer chairs on the market are.
Dental Chairs Have Come a Long Way
Dental chairs serve a specific purpose. They're designed to be reclined to keep the patient comfortable while giving the dentist the ability to see into the patient's mouth and use any suction devices, lights or other instruments they may need.
Older chairs still fill this purpose, but they're more likely to be far less comfortable for the patient than more modern chairs. They also have poorer ergonomics for the dentist and dental technicians too.
What To Look for in a New Dental Chair
If you're shopping for a new dental chair, your primary considerations should be whether the chair can support your desired operator configurations and whether it offers adequate patient comfort. There are also some other issues to consider as well. In general, you should look for:
- A chair that is comfortable for patients
- A design that is comfortable for you and your dental technicians/hygienists to use
- Optional but useful features such as foot controls
- Reliability
- Pricing
While most chairs look similar to each other, small things such as the position of the arms or the width of the chair itself could make a difference both to patient comfort and how you stand when performing dental work.
The location of the controls is an important consideration, too. While touch controls may look convenient in the brochure, foot pedals can be incredibly useful when you're performing intricate dental work.
Are Accessories Worthwhile?
Some vendors offer chairs with built-in (or optional) accessories such as folding arms with mirrors or lights. These can be useful in a dental surgery with limited space. However, if you already have a set of equipment you like and are comfortable with you may feel that spending extra on equipment just for the convenience of having it attached to the chair is an unwelcome expense at a time when there is other specialist equipment to consider.
Chairs with these optional extras can be useful for a new practice since you'll be getting most of the basics in one go. However, those optional accessories should be a secondary consideration after things like size and comfort.
Ease of Maintenance Matters
Your dental chair will be in use every single day, by multiple patients. This means it may get scuffed, have pastes or mouth rinse spilled on it, or otherwise become soiled.
Look for a chair made out of easy-to-clean but rugged material such as synthetic leather, so that you don't have to worry about having the cover or padding replaced after a short period of ownership. Wipe-clean off non-absorbent materials to protect you and your patients from the risk of spreading infections.
Compare Your Options to Find a Good Chair for Your Practice
Dental chairs are available in a huge variety of designs and configurations. It's a good idea to compare several types of chairs and consider both your own comfort and that of your patients when making a decision. If you're taller, you may need a chair with a lot of range in terms of height adjustments. A dentist that treats a lot of children may want a smaller chair so the patient can sit comfortably.
You can invest in durable dental furniture with MES Australia designed to last for years, even when constantly used by your patients. Take a look at our range of dental chairs and be sure to get in touch to learn more about what we have to offer.
For all your medical and dental supply requirements, please call us today on 1300 342 013 or leave an enquiry.
