Dental Chair Maintenance

Running a dental practice isn’t just about the clinical care of patients.  Without a doubt, the treatment of your patients is of utmost importance.  However there are other areas you need to focus on to be sure you’re running a successful business and doing right by your staff and patients.  One of these areas is the maintenance of your equipment as you can’t run your business without it!

Insurance is noticing a claims trend in the area of faulty or damaged dental chairs, and this is quite often due to the chairs not being maintained as they should.  These claims are often very costly due to the sometimes extensive damage to more than just the chair.

Example of what can go wrong:

The pipes inside a dental chair burst and flooded the practice.  This happened overnight; by the time it was found in the morning there was significant damage to the floors and furniture.  Insurance covered the cost for the additional damage to the practice.  However, insurance can’t fully compensate for the period of time the practice couldn’t operate due to the damage.  In that time some patients went elsewhere for treatment and others expressed frustration with what they saw as a poorly maintained practice.

Key points regarding dental chair maintenance:

1. You can’t operate your business without your dental chairs. If they break down and aren’t functioning normally, this is going to impact your ability to treat your patients.
2. If the chair isn’t operating as it should, this has the potential to be a safety issue for your patients who sit in it.
3. Follow manufacturers’ guidelines regarding chair maintenance.
4. Consider what may happen if your patients need to go to another practice to receive treatment due to your chair or business being out of operation; will they come back to you later?
5. Don’t assume that insurance will cover any breakdowns and therefore maintenance isn’t needed; this won’t always be the case. Accidental damage to equipment or faulty equipment may be covered in an insurance claim, however wear and tear due to poor maintenance won’t be.

Poor maintenance of your chairs or other pieces of equipment can affect more than just that piece of equipment, it can affect your professional reputation and the running of your practice.  Don’t underestimate the importance of your chairs and other equipment; be sure you maintain them as needed.