Smooth running

Effective maintenance of equipment in a dental surgery or laboratory is essential to the smooth functioning of both. Without strict adherence to scrupulous maintenance procedures, dentists run the risk of equipment breakdown and even complete failure, causing inconvenience to staff and patients. 

A dentist’s instruments and equipment represent a significant financial investment, and most dentists cannot afford the expense of costly repairs and replacements. Dental instruments, and especially hand pieces, are intricately designed with sensitive inner workings that are difficult and time consuming to replace, and easily damaged by age and frequent use. Faulty equipment has the potential to cause injury physically and biologically, so your patient’s health is very much at risk if strict maintenance protocols are not adhered to. It goes without saying prevention is better than cure with regards to surgery equipment. 

To facilitate efficient instrument maintenance, dentists should carefully consider any new equipment that they purchase and assess the items’ quality.  From June 1998, all medical devices must have a ‘CE’ mark to show that the item has been manufactured to high standards, and that it complies with health and safety standards. This legislation was brought in with the express purpose of protecting the public and the user from inferior products that could fail. Care should be taken to ensure that new instruments are compatible with equipment already in place and that it is fit for purpose, remembering that the cheapest product is not necessarily the best option.