4 DOs and DON'Ts to make your large dental clinic project a success

Setting up a dental clinic requires careful, flexible planning, solid financing and vigorous execution – probably a good set of nerves, too. The investment alone puts enormous pressure on the result, and the larger the project, the more demanding the execution. Without good partners by your side, a large dental clinic can not only turn into an expensive clinic to build, but an expensive clinic to run.

Planmeca has worked with numerous universities and large clinics all over the world to produce clever and cost-effective teaching and treatment environments. We specialise in planning large dental facilities, and our 45-year experience in the dental industry ensures there is nothing we haven’t seen or aren’t prepared for. Accordingly, here are our four DOs and DON’Ts for making your large clinic project a success.

1. DO think complete solutions from the get-go

If you’re building for the long haul, think for the long haul – in a large-scale project, having a complete plan of action from the outset is critical to achieving a good result. In a large facility such as a teaching environment or multisite clinic, it is crucial that both operations and communication run smoothly from one room to the next. The work towards this environment begins with the clinic layout, where the utilities, equipment and use of floor space are all laid out from cupboard to dental unit.

Does this sound like a lot to handle? That’s because it is. Here, a partner with experience in handling large projects can be indispensable to getting yours off to a good start.

Planmeca offers long-term partnerships to both universities and large clinics for complete treatment and teaching solutions. We will map out a functional, safe and ergonomic facility from piping and cabling to cabinetry solutions and the placement of equipment and movables, and bring in our network of reliable and competent partner companies to complete the planned environment. A solution such as ours can save your clinic or university both time and money (even some grey hairs) by tailoring the entire facility, infection control procedures, hardware and software to the typical workflows of the clinic.

2. DON’T settle for less when choosing your equipment

Your dental equipment from hand instrument to dental unit, these are the tools of your trade. Whether you’re a clinician or a university professor, it is important that your equipment both enables and reflects the high quality of your work.

Among the many qualities of a good product design, safety is still the most important – as it should be. At Planmeca, infection control and user safety defines every aspect of our design and manufacturing process from the first coat of paint to complete device. At the end of the production line, all products go through several rigorous testing processes to ensure every complete device meets both international and Planmeca’s own high standards of quality and safety.

The working ergonomics of the clinician is another important variable. As a result, we work constantly with dental professionals to ensure our products meet all their working needs. However, while safety and ergonomics are vital, do not underestimate the significance of aesthetics. Your tools can say a lot about your business, and modern equipment like Planmeca’s with an appealing design and high-quality feel can attract both patients to your clinic and students to your university.

3. DO opt for centralised solutions

Centralised software solutions are becoming the new normal in modern dentistry – and with good reason. Having all data stored in one easily accessible place saves time and improves both communication and patient safety. Nowhere is this more important than in a large dental facility. From networking of equipment to patient management to learning and performance evaluation – the more these can be handled by one powerful and easily upgradeable system, the better.

And in fact, it can be done. Software like the powerful Planmeca Romexis® can network your equipment and store all patient, device and user data in one centralised database, enabling access from any part of a facility. For teaching environments, Planmeca Romexis offers dynamic student user management, remote control and monitoring of student operations, comparison tools for performance evaluation and integration with other educational systems.

It is clear that any dental clinic can benefit tremendously from integrated solutions like this. At a large dental facility, however, they are close to a necessity.

4. DO plan beyond the present

It all comes back to your original plan of action. How your clinical environment functions day by day is naturally a top priority, but at the same time it is just as important to look forward and think about the future – who to turn to with a problem, who to consult with when you have a question. A long-term relationship with a reliable partner can straighten out a lot of issues that can arise in a large facility with many devices and users.

Planmeca can take care of all this for you. With expert technical support, maintenance services and spare parts all under one roof, you can be sure your clinic won’t be left stranded in case of a problem. Moreover, the centralised control of devices through the Planmeca Romexis software means updates to specific software-controlled features are easily downloaded and installed over the web, ensuring your Planmeca equipment can keep up with the times.

CAD/CAM, CBCT and 3D technology bring with them exciting new dental technologies on a near daily basis. In such an ever-changing environment, it can sometimes feel hard to stay afloat. Acquiring the technology is one step of the way, but another is learning how to use it. To maximise your investment in Planmeca, we also offer training in the use of our cutting-edge devices to help both you and your staff take full advantage of their many functionalities as well as get to grips with the technology.

A partnership with Planmeca can also open up exciting new research and educational opportunities. Our umbrella concept for our university partnerships, Planmeca Digital Academy, brings together your academic expertise and our top-of-the-line digital equipment through a pioneering cooperation model. A partnership with us offers equipment and software packages as well as training solutions according to the needs of your university.

Whatever your vision, we hope you make a success of your clinic project – with Planmeca!

Text by: Aleksandra Nyholm