6 Important Factors To Be Considered When Choosing A Dental Chair

Whether you are an existing dentist or you are starting your new dental clinic, you have to make a few important decisions and one of those decisions is about the dental chair you should buy.

Selecting the right dental chair is crucial for any dental practice, clinic, or hospital. The dental chair significantly impacts the comfort of both the patient and the dentist during procedures.

Additionally, the right chair optimises workflow and allows the dental staff to provide excellent care.

Key Points

• The quality of the dental chair is important for providing smooth dental services
• Always try to invest in modern dental chairs with advanced features
• Consider factors like ergonomics, technological integration, patient comfort, maintenance, infection control and ease of access.

There are many things you have to consider when buying a new dental chair. Here are six essential factors dentists must consider when they are looking to invest in a new dental chair.

Ergonomics and Customisability

When evaluating ergonomics, carefully assess the adjustment range of the backrest, seat height and tilt, and armrests. The chair should accommodate standing or sitting dentists of all heights.

Customisable elements like slide-out hip rest, adjustable foot pedals, and versatile delivery systems are also invaluable for proper ergonomic alignment.

Control panels should be within easy reach without hyperextending. If purchasing multiple chairs, consider divergent configuration options to suit each dentist. Finally, don’t underestimate the strain of static postures the ideal chair encourages movement.

Patient Comfort

Patient comfort starts with basic chair elements like stable yet cushioned upholstery, contouring for the head and back, and adjustable pillows or supports.

Extra comfort features include integrated neck cushions, gentle Venetian headrests, weighted blankets for anxiety, and lumbar support.

Ambient additions like overhanging canopy lighting or ceiling artwork visually distract patients which can sometimes be very advantageous during painful dental treatments.

For pediatric areas, theming with bright colours and characters adds fun. Comfort drives patient satisfaction as much as clinical outcomes.

Ease of Access

Adequate patient access enables precision care. Look for unobstructed views of the oral cavity from all angles, with narrow chair profiles and seamless upholstery.

Side-seat designs allow the dentist to work unimpeded from multiple spots around the chair. Smooth head or foot articulation must provide unfettered views inside the mouth in both upright and reclined positions.

Easy fingertip adjustments via joysticks or touchpads facilitate on-the-fly repositioning as needed. Removable or slide-away armrests also prevent barriers to the dentist.

Infection Control 

Infection control starts with the upholstery materials. Look for non-porous, fluid-resistant surfaces resistant to disinfectants. Antimicrobial coatings add protection.

Avoid textured surfaces and exposed seams that can harbor microbes instead select seamless designs with minimal crevices between components.

The chair framework itself should incorporate material coatings to kill bacteria in contact. Autoclavable headrests, armrests, hoses and other detachable components permit regular sterilisation.

Self-contained water systems isolate irrigation lines from tap water contamination.

Assess the ease of manual cleaning as well as smooth, contour-hugging surfaces to enable thorough wiping. Narrow structural profiles leave no unreachable areas under the chair body.

Look for composite materials that won’t corrode under repeated chemical disinfection. Integrated operation and process tracking help verify consistent cleaning compliance. 

Maintenance and Durability

Construction materials significantly impact chair longevity. Look for a precision-welded steel base able to withstand thousands of pounds of dynamic pressure from repeated patient movement and positioning.

Multi-layered corrosion-resistant coatings protect underlying structures while still permitting simple damage repairs if needed. Structural reinforcements to pedals, joints and lift columns prevent metal distortions or fractures. 

The best chairs offer 20+ years of flawless daily function. It is also important to review warranties on the chair base, motors/hydraulics, control box and individual components.

Technology Integration

Today’s dental chairs leverage touchscreen integration, intraoral cameras with HD displays, integrated curing/operatory lights and digital sensor mounts for X-rays. Multi-port delivery systems accommodate a wide range of things simultaneously which include:

• Handpiece
• Scaler
• Curing Light
• Irrigation Needs

Some chairs provide USB ports, electrode inputs or Bluetooth connectivity for third-party devices like microscopes, suction units or patient monitoring equipment.

Look for interchangeable equipment mounts to support evolving practice needs. Ensure the chair CPU can handle software updates for functionality upgrades as well.

How Important Is It To Choose The Right Dental Chair?

Choosing the right dental chair for your dental clinic is one of the most important decisions that you have to make. While expensive, high-quality dental chairs are critical investments for dentists to properly serve patients over the long run.

Choosing the right chair leads to better service which in return results in more credibility for your service.

Take a look at our range of dental chairs, including the available options, additions and pricing. 

Over the lifespan of a dental career, the chair will more than makeup for its cost by enabling better dentistry.

Final Words

Selecting the optimal dental chair is complicated given the array of styles, customisations and features available today. Carefully balance factors like ergonomics, comfort, access, infection control, durability and technology to match the chair’s performance with practice needs.

Do not underestimate this critical equipment decision that impacts providers and patients daily. Consult dental chair specialists as needed to try equipment and clarify capabilities to make the best choice.

Investing in the ideal chair drives workflow efficiency, practice growth and patient satisfaction over the long term.