“The technicians had been such a wonderful support for us, servicing our old dental units, so we really trusted their opinions. We wanted to get their views on the range of chairs that they had handson experience with, and to kind of tap on their technical knowledge. At the time, we were still comparing new chair models from Adec, Belmont and Sirona.”
Looking back on the decision, Dr Wan couldn’t be happier that he had consulted Louis Rouessart and his son, Louis Rouessart Jr, equipment specialists at LR Dental.
The two Swident Partner dental chairs that they heartily endorsed have indeed stood the test of time, not to mention withstood the daily rigours of a bustling NSW practice. At least in Dr Wan’s approximation, they continue to be the ideal dental chairs, constantly meeting the robust, multi-faceted needs of Bella Dental Penrith’s burgeoning clientele and sevenmember dental team.
“These are workhorse chairs that comparatively speaking, do not cost a fortune to buy or maintain, yet has many of the features that you would expect from a higher-end unit. Not to mention they also look chic and cool on the outside.”
Dr Wan’s 100-sqm twin-chair suburban practice in Western Sydney serves a mixed demographic – or using his terminology, patients ranging from “little ‘uns to instagrammers to empty nesters”. This means that the chairs need to be able to take a certain amount of abuse while providing the kind of gentle, cradling support a chiropractor would approve of.
In the same way, the doctor and assistant stools are designed to protect the health of oral care practitioners, support their backs and lower lumbar during the gruelling hours associated with dental work, to minimise potential strain and excessive movements.
Happy with the chair ergonomics, Dr Wan adds that feedback from his assistants indicates that the Swident stools are markedly more comfortable than the previous ones they had owned.
In hindsight, the three main reasons that made the Canada-born dentist pick the Swident Partner were “space”, “cost” and “ergonomics” – and the biggest one was “space”.
“We had a very tight space within our surgery and many of the other chair models would have made it really uncomfortable to work in. The Swident chairs gave us a bit more flexibility and room to move around.”
Maximising space and comfort was obviously a high priority for the Swiss-designed and Italian-made innovation. Belying its compact footprint – making it a great choice for small to midsized surgeries – the unit comes equipped with a well-stocked dentist table: Quality Luzzani or DCI Triplex Syringe; 2 High Speed Fibre Optic lines; BIEN AIR micromotor MC3LK; leaving ample space to accommodate a scaler. The assistant table is designed to provide comfortable and easy access to the Luzzani (or DCI) triplex syringe and Cattani high and low volume suction hoses.
Commenting on the delivery unit and handpieces, Dr Wan quips: Can’t complain or fault them – they all work!” Using NSK handpieces – which he nicknames the “Toyota of handpieces”, alluding to their ubiquity – the dentist says connectivity or compatibility isn’t an issue at all.
More than recommend a pair of ace dental chairs, the father-and-son technical team connected Dr Wan to an outstanding support team in the shape of local Swident suppliers, Ampac Dental. “They’ve been wonderful, very easy to deal with and very open – all the traits you would want in a supplier.”
Referring to Ampac’s Director, Mo as “his Canadian brother from another mother”, the humorous dentist obviously enjoys a candid relationship with his supplier. Assuming a less jocular tone, the University of Sydney graduate commends Mo’s work ethic: “I was surprised one time when he personally answered my call at 8:30pm and showed incredible patience to look after my needs. This shows Ampac’s tireless passion in supporting what we do as dentists.”
Reserving yet more praise for the equipment specialists who installed and currently service the very Swident Chairs that they had recommended, Dr Wan concludes: “(Louis Rouessart and Louis Rouessart Jr) love what they do for a living and it shows in the quality of their work and their professionalism. I wouldn’t consider going to anyone else for my equipment maintenance work.”
As a way of showing his appreciation, the creative dentist recorded and uploaded a time-lapse video capturing the boys in action setting up the new chairs (click here to see the video). “They do a very tidy, clean, thorough and professional installation.”
Framing their contribution in a more light-hearted way, Dr Wan deadpans: Since they have installed the Swident chairs, I’ve had no more chair breakdowns, no more having to apologize for “temporarily broken down” chairs – which is really embarassing. They just left me with two beautiful chairs!”
