There are our guide of recommended questions every dentist should ask themselves before deciding on the best dental autoclave.
First, write a list of what you need to sterilise in your autocalve. Will you only place handpieces for cleaning or are you also planning on sterilising other items such as wrapped or hollow instruments in the machine? Also ask how many instruments you need to place to maximise space. Not enough room will mean extra cycles and too much room is a waste of water and energy. You want every cycle to be filled up as efficiently as possible. This information will then determine the optimal chamber size you require.
If you haven’t already decided on the allotted bench space for your autoclave you’ll need to make this decision fairly quickly. Find out how much room you have and look for autoclaves within those dimensions. This then needs to relate back to step 1 to make sure the chamber size is large enough to sterilise all the instruments you need.
The space allocated will dramatically narrow down your search for an autoclave. You’ll also want to make sure there is plenty of room to open the autoclave door allowing staff to easily access instruments. If you need something narrow the Melag Melaquick 12+ is 20.5cm width x 45cm depth allowing for instruments up to 20 cms long. If you have plenty of space then you might consider Melag Vacuklav 24BL+ which is 75 x 42.5 x 48.5cm with a sterilisation chamber of up to 60cm.
One of the most frequent questions we get from dentists is whether to buy an autoclave that’s plumbed in or should they buy a stand-alone machine. With a plumbed in machine the autoclave will fill and empty itself as it’s attached to plumbing lines for drainage. On the other hand the stand alone machines need to have distilled water added manually plus staff also need to drain the machine, this can be unproductive on time management for your staff.
If you want to opt for a plumbed in machine and don’t already have the correct plumbing in place then you’ll need to budget this cost, but once it’s done then your staff will be able to work more productively as they won’t need to fill in the drain the machine manually. With the stand alone machine you are only able to use distilled water so if you don’t already have one you also need to purchase a water distiller.
How much do you have to spend? This will outline the number of features that will be available to you on this budget. There are many dental equipment for sale in our website, please take as a example. Plus think about operational costs such as servicing and the water and electricity bills that will happen every time you run the machine. The cheapest autoclave we stock is Melag Euroklav 29VS Autoclaves at $6495 and 17L in size this model is only available as a standalone machine and a printer attachment can be sold separately.
To keep your machine running optimally you complete a daily test cycle as per manufacturer’s regulations. It’s also recommended to have your autoclave professionally serviced every 12 months. Learn more about maintenance tips for your autoclave by clicking here and remember that better maintenance will keep your steriliser running longer avoiding unnecessary breakdowns leaving you without a machine.