Nicola Bound explains why regular equipment servicing minimises inconvenient and costly breakdowns
Dental equipment is a vital component to any dental practice, as well as an important investment for dentists and practice owners. Well-maintained equipment is central to the smooth running of a practice and helps to ensure patients always receive excellent, safe and comfortable care.
Regular servicing and maintenance of equipment is essential to keep it working correctly and reliably at all times. This also helps to prevent expensive breakdowns that cause a loss of revenue and disrupt patient treatment.
Why servicing matters
Dental equipment can fail unexpectedly – and often at the worst possible times – and there is always an underlying cause. The main reasons for machine breakdowns include irregular servicing, lack of preventative maintenance and failure to follow manufacturer guidelines.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (1998) requires that manufacturers’ recommendations are followed regarding servicing schedules to ensure all equipment complies with current standards and is safe for use.
Best practice dictates that equipment should be serviced according to manufacturer recommendations, or at least once a year. The more the equipment is used, the more frequently servicing will be required.
Of course, well-maintained equipment is also more likely to last longer, which can mean a more sustainable use and a better return on investment.
Costly breakdowns
Unexpected downtime caused by equipment breakdowns can be very costly for a practice. For a broken piece of key equipment, such as a dental chair, it can take several days for an engineer to fix the problem.
For example, according to an analysis conducted by Software of Excellence (2013), a surgery generating £180/hour would lose £1,440 in just one day of downtime. That is valuable time and money lost for treating patients, not to mention the additional costs of rescheduling cancelled appointments with dissatisfied patients.
Taking into account appointment slots that rescheduled patients then occupy, this loss of revenue can potentially double, along with the additional cost of administrative time.
Last-minute cancellations cause stress and disruption for patients, especially when they have arranged their busy schedules around their appointment. This can result in unhappy patients leaving the practice, as well as negative feedback online that can damage a practice’s hard-earned reputation.
According to www.nationalstrategic.com, people with heightened customer experiences, whether positive or negative, are more likely to leave a review online. And according to loop-digital.co.uk, a significant 78% of consumers use the internet to find out information on businesses, including dental practices.
Dedicated service plans
Routine service visits can prolong the life of valuable equipment and minimise inconvenient and costly breakdowns.
Regular equipment servicing can help to:
- Ensure compliance
- Reduce practice downtime
- Enhance efficiency
- Save on overall costs
- Increase equipment lifespans
- Practise more sustainably.
Henry Schein service contracts can help to prolong the use of all types of equipment and maintain the value of investment to deliver a superior patient experience.
Testimonial
Madalina Ignat, Principal Dentist at Emicare Dental and Spa Centre, values the service she receives from Henry Schein: ‘If we have any issues or anything we need support with, the Henry Schein support team is very responsive, sending an engineer promptly to check on any problems. This is very reassuring as no practice wants to spend a day unable to treat patients.’
How we can help
Henry Schein accredited engineers are trained by partner manufacturers and always use manufacturer-recommended service kits and parts for all equipment supported by Henry Schein to ensure an optimum level of service.
In addition, while carrying out the service, they will advise on any other parts or remedial action required, helping to improve overall equipment performance.
As dental practices continue to adopt more digital technology and equipment, service visits will become even more indispensable, as a broader range of servicing expertise will be required.
Henry Schein service contracts will be there to support customers as their equipment needs evolve.