Dental Chairs

[Cren+ist]

All,

My partner and I currently rent an office with dental equipment from the previous dentist. Everything is 25-30 years old. We recently purchased a building and are renovating it.


My question is this:

What dental chair unit do you recommend? A-Dec, midmark, DCI, etc.

Please let me know your thoughts. Pros and cons, preferences, I want everything.

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[Saddleshoes]

The most economical chair is the one you are using right now!
New, Bright and Shiny does not automatically mean better.

I operate out of 3 clinics with 26 chairs of various makes and vintages.
The ones that work the best (for me) are 25+ years old.
Those are the ones that require the least maintenance also.
I have also found that more bells and whistles a chair has, the more often one of those bells and whistles breaks and needs repair.
Simple and sturdy is my guideline.

 

[Cren+ist]

The most economical chair is the one you are using right now!
New, Bright and Shiny does not automatically mean better.

I operate out of 3 clinics with 26 chairs of various makes and vintages.
The ones that work the best (for me) are 25+ years old.
Those are the ones that require the least maintenance also.
I have also found that more bells and whistles a chair has, the more often one of those bells and whistles breaks and needs repair.
Simple and sturdy is my guideline.

I agree. But when going from a 3 chair office to a 7 chair office, there is a need to buy 4 more chairs. Hence the question

 

[charlestweed]

I agree. But when going from a 3 chair office to a 7 chair office, there is a need to buy 4 more chairs. Hence the question

Does this office have existing patients? Does it have enough patients to fill all 7 chairs? I agree with Saddleshoes. Use the 3 existing chairs that you have now and try to spend as little as possible. In case the partnership thing doesn’t work out, you won’t lose a lot of money. I too bought an old 30 yo ortho practice from a retired orthodontists many years ago. I didn’t upgrade to brand new chairs until 4-5 years later when the practice became more established. I bought Dome chairs (they are ortho specific chairs). My sister, who is a GP, bought Belmont chairs and they are very reliable chairs.

The one thing that you will need to fix/replace very often is the 3 way air/water syringe spray....even if you buy it brand new. There is a youtube video that teaches you how to replace the parts:


But I am too lazy. I just bought these cheap ones on Ebay. Dental 3 Way Air Water Spray Triple Syringe Handpiece w/ 2 Nozzles Tips Tubes US 612292520007 | eBay. It took me less than 5 minutes to replace the whole thing.

 

[Cren+ist]

Does this office have existing patients? Does it have enough patients to fill all 7 chairs? I agree with Saddleshoes. Use the 3 existing chairs that you have now and try to spend as little as possible. In case the partnership thing doesn’t work out, you won’t lose a lot of money. I too bought an old 30 yo ortho practice from a retired orthodontists many years ago. I didn’t upgrade to brand new chairs until 4-5 years later when the practice became more established. I bought Dome chairs (they are ortho specific chairs). My sister, who is a GP, bought Belmont chairs and they are very reliable chairs.

The one thing that you will need to fix/replace very often is the 3 way air/water syringe spray....even if you buy it brand new. There is a youtube video that teaches you how to replace the parts:


But I am too lazy. I just bought these cheap ones on Ebay. Dental 3 Way Air Water Spray Triple Syringe Handpiece w/ 2 Nozzles Tips Tubes US 612292520007 | eBay. It took me less than 5 minutes to replace the whole thing.

I appreciate the sound advice.

We will be just fine with going to 7. We need four more chairs. We want to cut costs, but also want something that is reliable. Adec seems to be the common choice, but it is expensive. My partner and I liked DCI and their price point, but are worried about longevity

 

[schmoob]

I appreciate the sound advice.

We will be just fine with going to 7. We need four more chairs. We want to cut costs, but also want something that is reliable. Adec seems to be the common choice, but it is expensive. My partner and I liked DCI and their price point, but are worried about longevity

Sounds like you have your answer

 

[cocoandeve]

All,

My partner and I currently rent an office with dental equipment from the previous dentist. Everything is 25-30 years old. We recently purchased a building and are renovating it.


My question is this:

What dental chair unit do you recommend? A-Dec, midmark, DCI, etc.

Please let me know your thoughts. Pros and cons, preferences, I want everything.

Get the simplest basic chair and then if you want add extras whenever

 

[Cren+ist]

Perfect. We will get lawn chairs. Thanks for the help everyone

 

[yappy]

Are you an orthodontist, cren+ist? If not I would not listen to these orthodontists. They do not even use the chairs in their offices. No offense, but having your assistant change wires on 12-year-olds is not the same as doing operative dentistry on adult patients.

Personally, I have seen ADEC used and abused and hold up over time. I do not have much experience with other brands. I agree with getting simple models unless you can justify adding features that increase your efficiency. Another thing to look at is what kind of support you will get from a company once they're installed, should you have a problem.

 

[Cren+ist]

Are you an orthodontist, cren+ist? If not I would not listen to these orthodontists. They do not even use the chairs in their offices. No offense, but having your assistant change wires on 12-year-olds is not the same as doing operative dentistry on adult patients.

Personally, I have seen ADEC used and abused and hold up over time. I do not have much experience with other brands. I agree with getting simple models unless you can justify adding features that increase your efficiency. Another thing to look at is what kind of support you will get from a company once they're installed, should you have a problem.

This is exactly what I was looking for. An opinion. THANK YOU.

We are general dentists. We currently have a 20 year old adec chair, 35 yr plus old adec chair, and a 20 year old Midmark chair. We are taking them but are also expanding.

Our Patterson rep says Adec or bust, benco rep says DCI, Midmark, and Belmont are just as good. We aren’t getting any bells or whistles. We just need a chair/unit that can allow us to do dental work without constant maintenance issues.

I personally don’t trust reps 100%, so I figured opinions of other dentists, with more experience than my partner and I have, would be beneficial.

 

[Roto Picante]

Just replaced 4, 25yr old Adec with new Adec chairs. Brand new practice owner, plan to be here 20 years and hope to not have to replace again before I sell the practice.