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Like every other business, Dental Service Organizations are feeling the squeeze of rising costs on their bottom lines. If you’re under pressure to get the most out of your dental equipment budget, it’s easy to focus on price alone.
But the true cost of your dental equipment goes far beyond the initial acquisition price. While a lower price tag might be appealing, it’s just a portion of what you’ll end up paying over time. It’s important to consider the “hidden costs” of ongoing maintenance, repairs, unexpected replacement, and typical product lifespan as part of the total cost of ownership.
Specific factors that play into the total cost of ownership for dental chairs and delivery systems include longevity, simple designs that allow for quick, easy repairs, and the level of service and support. For dental furniture, consider the durability, whether it’s designed specifically for the dental environment, and how easy it is to integrate common clinical devices.
Beware of the low-cost lure
The truth is, not all dental equipment is created equal. High quality, well-designed equipment requires less maintenance and fewer repairs, which can significantly reduce the lost revenue—and scheduling hassles—caused by equipment downtime.
“Any time your equipment is out of service, it is not making you money,” cautions John Bettencourt, A-dec® Director of Sales for Group General Practices. He points out that one of the biggest incurred costs from subpar dental equipment is lost revenue during repairs and maintenance.
With that in mind, be sure to find out if you’ll have easy access to service parts down the road. You may be not thinking about that at the time of purchase, but it can make the difference between a quick, inexpensive repair and spending significantly more time and money to replace an entire chair or delivery system.
“Saving money up front might seem like a good deal, but if the dental equipment you choose isn’t high quality, you’ll end up paying more over time,” Bettencourt says. “Equipment that isn’t generating income isn’t giving you a good return on your investment—no matter what the initial cost was.”
Reliability is priceless
One key difference that sets A-dec apart is that they’re an equipment manufacturer, not just an assembler. The company makes the majority of the parts that go into its equipment—sourcing the raw materials for parts, then turning, drilling, and milling them in-house.
“By controlling of the quality of each component, we can control the overall quality of our products,” Bettencourt says. “That’s one of the reasons they perform so well and last so long.”
A-dec dental equipment is rigorously engineered, tested, and built to last for 20 years of continuous use, even in a DSO setting. That’s the kind of proven reliability that keeps operatories full, clinic schedules running smoothly, and your staff working productively—all of which impact your profitability and can add up to a higher ROI for your clinics over time.
“Pick something that’s going to work correctly from the beginning,” Bettencourt advises DSO groups. “When you choose high quality equipment like A-dec, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that it’s something you can count on.”
Simple and intuitive pays off
A-dec approaches dental equipment design with this focus: What’s most reliable is the least complicated. “When we’re designing and building our products, we consider each part that goes into an A-dec solution. By keeping designs simple, there are fewer components that can fail,” says Bettencourt.
As a result, A-dec equipment doesn’t need to be repaired nearly as often as other options. In fact, clinical staff can handle most repairs and maintenance themselves. When they do need to call in a service tech, A-dec’s careful engineering results in quick, easy repairs. A-dec continually refines, simplifies, and improves its equipment with service technicians in mind, so they’ll always have the right tools in their bags to get equipment up and running quickly. That means less down time for your clinics.
“If you buy lower-quality equipment, you have to do more maintenance, and you don’t get the longevity,” explains Bettencourt. “It comes down to how much time there is between service intervals and how long the equipment will work.”
Choose a partner who’s invested in you
DSOs who choose A-dec enjoy the added value of having a long-term partner dedicated to their success. All A-dec Territory Managers are Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialists (CEAS) who can assess your entire clinical space to optimize ergonomics and workflow, free of charge. In addition, they can help with everything from treatment room space planning to training your teams on the optimal use of your new A-dec equipment.
You’ll also have access to A-dec Customer Service support by phone, 12 hours a day, five days a week. When you call, you’ll speak with a professional who has the technical training to answer your questions about any A-dec product—even equipment that hasn’t appeared in a catalog in more than 25 years. On those rare occasions when a bit more perspective is needed, there’s a group of engineers just down the hall, ready to bring their expertise to the conversation.
Get the best long-term value
As you look at your options, consider everything that goes into getting the best return on your investment:
• Is the dental equipment well built and thoughtfully designed?
• Will it help improve clinic efficiencies?
• Will it stand the test of time?
• Is maintenance easy?
• Is the warranty strong?
When you partner with A-dec, you know the answer to all those questions is a rock-solid “yes.”
“The acquisition cost of another brand may be lower at the start,” notes Bettencourt. “But how many times will you have to repair or replace it to equal the reliability and longevity of an A-dec chair or delivery system? There’s what you pay today and the sum total of what you pay over time. When you look at the Total Cost of Ownership, A-dec is a better long-term value.”
Learn more about A-dec solutions for DSOs
at https://www.a-dec.com/dental-service-organizations.
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