For Dr Bernadette Kwee, her trust in John Szymek, formed through years of engaging the latter’s expertise in equipment installation and maintenance, has been richly rewarded with a smooth surgery set up, great equipment buys and a stellar team that made it possible.
In August 2017, Dr Kwee sold her flourishing 7-year-old practice in Earlwood – one that she had painstakingly built from scratch – to concentrate on her family business. For the sake of expanding the export and vineyard business alongside her husband, she had to forgo a lucrative practice, not to mention, her love of treating cosmetic patients and seeing the glow on their faces following a smile makeover. Thankfully, she didn’t allow her well-honed clinical skills, business knowhow and contacts accumulated over the years to go to waste.
Dr Kwee recently set up Southern Smiles, a new practice in Miranda that serves the southern suburban communities of Sydney. For advice on what equipment to buy, she turned to her former practice contact. The dentist’s unwavering trust in John’s “work and judgement” from the Earlwood days paid off in the form of a goto equipment supplier he recommended – Ampac Dental.
The NSW-based dental reseller ended up supplying the bulk of new equipment for the Miranda clinic, including: Swident Partner dental unit; OPG (Trident 2D Pan); X-ray (Trident RIX 70 DC); Phosphor Plate (Trident Reader); Suction Motor (Dmega); and Compressor (Nardi).
Not only did Bernadette retain John’s services as the lead engineer for installation and maintenance work, she found equally competent equipment specialists in Moe and Elizabeth from the Ampac Dental team. Commenting on the team’s high work rate and professionalism, the General Dentist opines:
“Ampac Dental was very accommodating in regards to choice of equipment and meeting my budget.
They went above and beyond with their services, which includes allowing me to trial their smaller equipment (e.g. curing light) to see which one I preferred.”
“They were quick to order spare parts (that were accidentally thrown out by the cleaning staff) as any delays could have resulted in expensive downtime.”
The equipment did not disappoint either. The Swident Partner dental chair, in particular, drew positive feedback from patients and staff alike. Adding her own feedback, Dr Kwee remarks:
“The chair ergonomics – from different positioning modes to back support to the continental delivery – have been exceptional. I’ve used the traditional delivery unit in the past and found that it gave me a sore back and neck after prolonged use. I’ve not felt any operator strain thus far from using this unit.”
Apart from compact footprint and clean-line aesthetics, the dentist believes that when it comes to appraising a dental unit, patient comfort and connectivity are key attributes – all of which the Swident Partner delivers. She singles out the memory foam used in the chair upholstery – that conforms to the patient giving “extra comfort” – as well as the ease with which she mounted a screen to the chair to view images from the intra-oral camera as great features.
The Swident Partner also holds up to scrutiny from a technician’s point of view, as John concurs:
“The Swident dental unit is a very well presented piece of equipment – simple and very reliable. In terms of ergonomics, it’s very elegantly made and supported by a robust steel construction.”
Outstanding features, he notes, include: Delivery head (where all instruments are attached) with a module style distribution centre – where every instrument has an individual set of adjustment keys; slim and easy-to-access spitoon or cuspidor; manual and automatic positions, operational from the dentist’s and assistant’s side as well as foot control; and simple design – “a single main pc board on the chair and two very simple secondary electronic boards to complete the management of the whole equipment.”
According to the service engineer with over 40 years of dental industry experience, precise location of units and space utilisation were key considerations when installing the chair, OPG and X-ray units.
The installation, he explains, was done on a planned agenda, including a visit to site while under construction to give a definite location to the chair. Working with a concrete floor and a parking facility underneath, all services were plumbed from under the floor via a “core hole” – a 160mm hole in the concrete slab.
“This involves precise measurements and skilled execution. Everything else is built around the final location of the chair.”
The result is an optimally positioned chair that allows operator and assistant ample maneuvering space yet within easy reach to surrounding instruments and materials.
“Every surgery has to be carefully designed to achieve the most comfortable environment,” John stresses.
With her two-chair surgery fitted out with equipment that she says “lift the appearance of the practice and create a luxurious atmosphere”, Dr Kwee has John Szymek to thank, both for his expertise and strong endorsement of Ampac Dental.
“Together they make a great team,” she concludes, “one that truly goes above and beyond to ensure everything runs smoothly for you. And they also recommend very reliable equipment!”
