As a dental practice, downtime caused by technical issues from your imaging system can be more than just a headache. Cost from canceled appointments and delays in making diagnoses and finalizing treatment plans are the top reasons why dental professionals want to protect their imaging system investment with routine maintenance. With so much at stake, you may be wondering, what do I need to be doing to maintain my equipment?
You want your equipment to serve you, your staff and patients as long as possible. Fortunately, because we exclusively deal with certified pre-owned digital imaging equipment, we know a thing or two about preserving and restoring equipment to function like new. If you’re purchasing a dental CBCT or panorex X-ray machine from a reputable brand, your equipment is manufactured to last for the long-term, giving you years of reliable service.
Working directly with thousands of dental practices over the past 10 years, we have a few tips and tricks to extending the life of your equipment. Here are our top three recommendations to get started:
Proper Installation & Training
Any X-ray or CBCT system should be installed by a certified technician. When your equipment was installed, your technician should have mapped out the space available to ensure there is adequate area around the machine for it to function properly and for your team to move around it freely. Ideally, this was also done to maximize your office space, while also taking into consideration ease of entry of the machine for your patients. A certified technician will also properly connect your X-ray system to your electricity and IT network, ensuring the correct amount of power is supplied and that the X-ray/CBCT unit can correctly communicate with your existing PC’s.
Because X-ray equipment emits radiation, your local government may require a periodic inspection and calibration of the unit. This process will help ensure your equipment is installed and operating properly, while helping to maintain the highest level of image quality.
For more information on how to prepare for a dental X-ray inspection, check out this article.
Proper staff training is another critical component of ensuring your imaging system functions as intended. Any X-ray system manufacturer should include training for you and your staff as part of your purchase, which should be completed immediately following installation. For example, correct patient positioning is critical to acquiring high quality images. Improper patient positioning leads to multiple acquisitions on the same patient, not only slowing down your workflow, but also placing unnecessary wear and tear on your X-ray/CBCT machine.
Routine Preventive Maintenance
Regulatory standards exist to help ensure the safety of your patients. However, the primary focus of an X-ray inspection by your local government is to ensure proper radiation exposure, not necessarily to identify other issues which may affect your ability to use your equipment for the long-term.
You and your staff should regularly take the time to do a few simple tasks for routine maintenance that can have an impact on the longevity of your imaging system.
- Use only approved disinfectants to sanitize the unit between patient exams. Unapproved chemicals can damage X-ray system components. Your imaging vendor should be able to provide a list of approved products.
- Keep the area around your X-ray system or CBCT unit free from clutter. Your imaging unit needs to be able to rotate freely without obstructions.
- Ensure proper patient positioning to avoid retakes. As previously mentioned, additional acquisitions place unnecessary wear and tear on your imaging system.
- Keep your X-ray unit’s firmware updated to ensure its using the most current version. This ensures peak performance.
- Immediately report any issues you experience with your X-ray or CBCT system to your service provider. Addressing small issues quickly helps avoid bigger problems down the road.
Certified Technicians
Much like a trained HVAC technician or auto mechanic, we recommend always using a certified professional for any service or maintenance performed on your X-ray or CBCT equipment. Certified technicians are specifically trained in the maintenance and repair of X-ray units, making them uniquely qualified to troubleshoot technical issues. Properly trained service teams have access to specialized calibration tools, extensive knowledgebase documents and many other resources that are unique to X-ray and CBCT machines. Additionally, experienced technicians are more likely to identify potential issues before they become serious, workflow-interrupting problems. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
The Renew Digital Experience
When you shop for a dental CBCT machine or panorex X-ray machine with Renew Digital, you’re not only getting high-quality equipment at a great price, but you’ll also get 5-star customer service. We’re here to help from the moment you contact us, through purchase, installation, and beyond with our generous warranty coverage and support.
Every purchase of a dental imaging system from Renew Digital comes with onsite training for your staff, to show them how to use and properly maintain your X-ray equipment. If you ever have a question or experience a problem, we’re only a call away.
Shop online today and reach out to us at 888-246-5611 or contact us online if you need additional assistance. We’ll help you find the right digital imaging system that’s perfect for the needs of your practice.
