So you have a question about what you need to order? Can't quite decide between two products that look very similar to what you are holding in your hand? While our dental technicians often seem like mind readers, they aren't actually clairvoyant and rarely use a crystal ball for help.
Here are a few things you can do or check before calling a technician to save yourself time and help us help you find the correct solution:
1. Have the make and model of equipment in question.
We need to know what you have, so we know how it works, what it does, and how it’s supposed to do what you need it to do.
2. The approximate date of manufacture (generally, within 5 years).
MOST manufacturers are constantly updating and refining their designs, but they will often use the same model name over multiple incarnations. It is helpful for us to know when your item was made in order to determine which incarnation you have.
3. Know your measurements.
A LOT of tubing, fittings, or other components can be applied to various pieces of equipment universally; we just need to know the size. Most equipment is made in the US, so the unit of measure is the standard inch (or fractional inches). Familiarize yourself with a ruler:
NOTE: Ruler for illustration purposes only and not to scale.
We’ve called out some of the increments on the above ruler for you. All of the marks on the ruler indicate a specific fraction. The length of the lines indicate which increment to use. The longest line shows inches (numbered). The next longest line shows an inch divided by two (1/2”). The next longest line is the previous increment further divided by 2 (1/2 divided by 2 = ¼) etc. Most rulers have inches, as well as increments of ½, ¼, 1/8, and 1/16. Some will even go down to 1/32 or 1/64 increments as well. For most fittings in a typical dental unit, 1/8 increments are as small as you’re likely to use.
If you want to count the lines on the ruler to determine the fraction, you can do so. Just count all lines the same length as the line you’re on AND any longer lines. For example, on the ruler above, the line called out as 7/8” is the 7th line before the “1” of the 1/8th increment length OR LONGER. If you don’t have a ruler, you can also refer to our handy PDF here.
4. Read the directions
This goes for a lot of things, but we’ve all been guilty of unboxing that new toy, only to throw the instructions to the side. Refer to the instruction manual for any part numbers or identifying marks.
If you follow these guidelines, you will help us be more efficient with diagnosing your issue, helping you get the correct part the first time.
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