Avoid the Cost Trap of Treating Before Diagnosing
Is your clinic questioning its suction performance? Stronger chemicals or more frequent treatment may seem like the quickest response, but suction performance is multifaceted. Airflow, suction pressure, pipeline design, maintenance and chair demand are just some of the factors that influence how well a system performs.
Stronger chemicals or more frequent treatment can add chemical cost, staff time and disruption without improving performance if the cause has not been confirmed.
Chemical maintenance cannot correct design limitations such as an undersized pipeline, unsuitable gradients, excessive length, installation restrictions or underspecified suction units. It has an important role when the product and procedure match the problem, but it cannot resolve these or other design limitations.
When suction performance raises concerns, start with an investigation by a suitably qualified service technician. Do not automatically increase chemical use, switch to more aggressive chemicals or treat the system more frequently.
Before deciding on extra treatment, use the following questions to guide a conversation with your trusted service technician:
- How many chairs need suction at the same time, and has performance been assessed under that demand?
- What do the airflow and pressure benchmarks indicate?
- Does the measured performance fall outside the applicable requirements, and has the testing equipment been calibrated?
- Does the evidence point to deposits, mineral scale, a physical obstruction, an equipment issue or a pipeline limitation?
- Was the prescribed preventative maintenance performed correctly and on schedule?
- Is the proposed intervention compatible with the system and likely to address the identified problem?
If you don’t have these answers, your practice could end up spending more on chemicals, repeated servicing, and dealing with disruptions, all while the real problem isn’t fixed.
The goal is to ensure you use the right maintenance steps and add extra treatments only when they’re likely to solve the problem.
Cattani authorised service agents have undertaken comprehensive training in planning, installation, maintenance, performance testing, and servicing through Cattani BLUEPRINTS, AFTER CARE, and INSITES training programs.
Key Takeaway
Before adding extra treatment, contact your trusted professional service technician to diagnose the problem and recommend an intervention that treats the cause.