​The right dental unit – also for left-handed users

Renate Vries has been a dental hygienist for over 20 years. Currently, she works at Tandartspraktijk Linde, which is a small clinic located in the town of Zwolle in the northeast of the Netherlands.

“We have a very tight, small team. There are three of us. It’s really nice! I like people and having people around me.”

In addition to her colleagues, Vries gets to spend ample time with patients every working day and helping them is perhaps the single most rewarding aspect of her job. It goes well beyond the high-quality treatments themselves.

“I think the main reason I like my profession is I can help people. Not only help their teeth but also help them be relaxed and more comfortable during treatments. When patients do not feel anxious during treatments, they keep coming back.”

Vries’ affection for dentistry runs in the family. Working in the field is also a way for her to do good and make the lives of patients better.

“My dad was a dentist and my older sister is also a dental hygienist. When I was in high school, I visited her school and thought it was very nice. I saw that I could help people,” she states.

Ambidextrous dental units

Living a world designed by right-handed people can present certain problems for left-handers. This is also the case in dentistry, as dental units too have often been manufactured to exclusively fit the needs of their right-handed users.

Planmeca has been an industry-leader in introducing ambidextrous dental units – meaning that they are equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed users. The dental units can be quickly converted from right to left-handed dentistry.

This is a defining advantage for dental units that have several users and one that Vries also greatly appreciates.

“I’m very happy with our Planmeca Compact™ i Touch dental unit. As a left-handed user, it is very easy for me to adjust the unit and work with it. There is also a lot of space for my legs under the patient chair.”

Working with Planmeca dental units has shown Vries that they are also extremely comfortable for patients. So comfortable that they don’t want to their treatments to end.

“Every patient is like, ‘I don’t want to get up, I just want to lay here!’ – the chair is so soft and comfortable,” Vries laughs.

Setting an example

Vries already has extensive experience working with Planmeca dental units and she sees the company as somewhat of a benchmark in the field.

“I have a lot of history with Planmeca. It is such a great company and I think it has been a very good example for others,” Vries states.

The company that started small in 1971 has steadily grown into one of the biggest in its field over the course of several decades. With Planmeca’s 50th anniversary fast approaching, it is certain that more great features and innovations are on the way.

“The owner, Heikki Kyöstilä, built the company starting from dental chairs – and look at it now! It has set a very good example,” Vries concludes.

Copy: Daniel Purssila

Images: Dino Azinur and Renate Vries