Are you finally ready to start your own dental practice but not sure what equipment you should purchase? Don’t stress. We are here to help with his brief article that explains the basic requirements for starting your first dental practice.

Things Get Easier After the First Year

Your first year running your own practice will likely be your most expensive, because you will need to purchase start-up supplies and equipment along with monthly replacement supplies. After the second year and later, you should only need to purchase the monthly replacement supplies and the occasional new piece of equipment.

For example, during your first year you may choose to purchase a Midmark M11 autoclave sterilizer, which can be expensive, but after that you only need to purchase disposable supplies for sterilization cycles with the possibility of repair or maintenance costs for the sterilizer itself.

 

2 Operatories is a Good Place to Start

In order to help simplify things, plan on equipping 2 operatories as a starting point for your new practice.

These operatories should include the following equipment:

• Exam light
• Exam chair
• Intraoral x-ray
• Delivery unit
• Doctor and assistant stools

You should also purchase dental cabinets for the equipment in your operatories. We sell a small selection of used dental cabinets, most of them from private working practices, or you can purchase cabinets from an equipment dealer or have them custom designed.

Only a Few More Items In Addition to the Operatory Equipment

After buying the operatory equipment, you should purchase the following items:

• Air compressor
• Vacuum pump
• Autoclave sterilizer
• Dental lab vibrator
• Dental lab model trimmer
• Ultrasonic cleaner

Avoid Worrying About a Panoramic X-Ray

If this is your first practice you will probably not have enough funds to purchase a panoramic x-ray, so it is a good idea not to buy one your first year. Instead, focus your effort and money elsewhere.

X-Ray Options

After securing a bitewing x-ray for your practice, choose one of the options below:

• Purchase a digital sensor and use it for all intraoral images.
• Purchase a ScanX or other phosphor plate system.
• Purchase x-ray film and an x-ray film processor with daylight loader.

After your first year, when monthly expenses have gone down, you can consider upgrading your x-ray equipment.

Don’t Forget the Supplies

Once you’ve purchased your basic equipment you will need to buy handpieces, dental instruments, and assorted dental and operatory supplies.

This list should give you an idea of what you need:

http://www.dentalclinicmanual.com/chapt2/2_9.html

Buy Used Equipment

Now that you know which items you need to start your first practice, learn how buying used equipment can benefit you and the dental market overall.

Best wishes as you begin your new life as a dental professional!

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Sources:

http://www.dentalclinicmanual.com/chapt2/2_9.html

http://www.dentistryiq.com/articles/dem/print/volume-10/issue-4/equipment/makinrsquo-a-list-.html