Fit for purpose

01 April 2010
Volume 26 · Issue 4

One chair doesn’t fit all, they are designed for specific reasons, says Mike Bolton.  

It’s not just a matter of one chair fits all. Chairs are designed for specific reasons.

 

Leg-break

For use in tight spaces, and for ease of patient access the leg-break chair scores highly. 

The chair moves into the seated position for ease of access, especially by the elderly and less agile, and this is further helped by the option of a rotating base. With the chair in the seated position, more space is available around it, making it more suitable for rooms where space is tight. A typical and popular knee-break chair is the ‘Linda 3 Silver’ which is available with spittoon, suction, light and delivery unit, from Tridac.

 

Combined use

Clinics and larger multi discipline practices are seeing the advantage of using the same room for dental and chiropody treatment, thus increasing efficiency and reducing costs. 

One such chair, designed specifically for this purpose, is the Linda 3 ‘Podo’. 

A chair of this type is suitably equipped with three motors to give independent backrest, lifting, and legrest movements. It has three programmable working positions, and return to exit programme. The foot control is movable, for operation, from the front or rear of the chair. Included is a Podo headrest, and a legrest magnetic pillow.

 

Orthodontics

Chairs for orthodontic use need to provide good all round access for the surgeon, be suitable for children, and, since several chairs are often sited in one room, benefit from being compact in size and available at a reasonable price.

A chair, typically selected for orthodontic use, is the ‘Linda 3 Ortho’. This chair has leg-break action to maximize space and accessibility, and meets all the requirements mentioned above especially when fitted with the option of either the double articulating headrest, or the magnetic pillow headrest for treating children.

 

Modern chairs

Modern chairs with internal services means the services enter from within the floor, and channel directly up into the base of the chair, - not through a separate services box planted at the foot of the chair. They then pass through the chair to the delivery module or spittoon, within the casing of the chair, and finally to the equipment through hollow brackets fixed to the chair. The importance of this is it negates the need for unsightly, trip hazard umbilicals that snake across the floor and make it dangerous and difficult to clean.

There are several such chairs on the market, but one, in which the chair base does not extend beyond the foot of the chair upholstery is the ECO 19.

                                                                                                                                                      Ambidextrous chairs

Many practices are now installing ambidextrous chairs as a standard requirement, as this ensures all dentists who might work with the chair over its lifetime, will be able to do so comfortably, effectively and without compromise.

There are now many ambidextrous chairs on the market, but perhaps the best are those where the spittoon, with suction and light attached, and the delivery unit, swing around the chair from side to side, in just seconds, without the need for any tools. 

Of this type, is the ‘Contour . next’ chair unit, which is widely used by NHS Trusts. The chair has all the features expected of a high quality product including internal services, seamfree upholstery, three user select programmes, plus rinse and return, and return to exit programmes.

Contact Tridac by calling 01923 242398 or visit www.tridac.co.uk