Dental vans have been one of the subjects of discussions and debates in this generation. With the partnership of advanced technology and innovative minds, society has experienced a greater leap in the field of dentistry convenience. Mobile dentistry is being developed to give a massive number of benefits compared to the traditional dentistry wherein you still need to set up an appointment and travel or wait hours to take your turn of curing the defects you are encountering.
Through brainstorms and strategic planning of activities, mobile dentistry also widens access for dental care in communities that lack easier access to clinics through dental vans. Carrying equipment and experts and staffs and powered by gasoline, dental vans travel miles to set up in a community and be one with helping those who are in need of dental care. Most of the time, dental vans target communities that are in need such as senior homes and assisted communities for people with disabilities. This way, they will be able to offer the comfort of dental care without needing too much effort from patients.
Imagining a complete dental clinic and the process of it having wheels to be delivered to an actual community is quite stressful, isn’t it? But this has been made achievable by dental vans and this is how it works. Let us have a quick tour to a usual structure of most dental vans!
The Exterior View To The Inside
A bit larger than the size of a school bus, a dental van basically consists of four major parts. Of course, it has an entry for the patients in the middle part of the van. To make the entrance suitable to all kinds of patients, the staircase is foldable coming from underneath. While most patients can just easily step in through the case, patients on a wheelchair can also be lifted by getting rid of the stair and folding it back in. Once you got into the dental van, you will be routed instantly to the first major part which is the Waiting Area and as you wait there, you will notice two access doors, one on your left and another on your right. These doors lead to operation rooms and while the fourth part is not accessible by patients, we will still have a quick overview of the secret behind it. So keep reading for a unique tour!
The Space of Breathing and Comfort
As mentioned previously, the entrance leads to the most accessible part of the dental van which is the waiting area. Waiting seats are just available beside the entry to give you the ease of waiting. Just like the staircase, these waiting seats can be flipped when not in use, allowing wheelchairs to dock in as well. A small table is located in this area, where friendly staff will welcome and assist you while getting your records. While waiting, you can also kill time by having friendly conversations or just simply asking questions to the staff. In addition, this is the best cure for patients with cold feet for scalpels and other dental equipment. Dental van staffs are trained to give comfort to your beating heart!
If you are a critic of interior design, you will find the interior of the van impressive for it stick with high ceiling and straight walls for a professional yet comfortable atmosphere. Across the room, most dental vans have a steri center that provides safe and efficient instrument flow using minimal space. The idea of putting up a dental clinic inside a van is really strategized!
The Operatories
To provide fast transactions, a dental van has two operating rooms that quite different from each other in terms of the machines available. Although both operatories are fully equipped with complete facilities and tools, one difference is that an emergency exit window is only available in the first operatory. This gives a definite direction to all the people inside the van and since the first room is located in the tail of the van or the left side of the waiting area, it is safer to exit from a room located farthest from the machine of the van.
Regardless of the only difference, both operatories have windows for an open, airy interior, HVAC or heating, ventilation, or air conditioning systems for the best infection control, and powered dental chairs. Moreover, the interior of these operatories has designed to provide complete equipment but a spacious area for free movements, especially with disabled people. In short, these operatories are not far from the best dental clinics, they are just mobilized at the best efforts!
The Supply Storage
One significant factor why mobile dentistry has sparked interest is the technique of getting all the machinery rolling on the road. Of course, supply storage will never be missed to make sure that emergency operations are subjected to successful treatments as well. For instance, if a machine had a malfunction, the conflict is already resolved by the supply carried by the van. Storage lofts are built as strong cabinets for dental air and evacuation systems.
Dental vans differ according to companies and structure and the one we had a tour it is just a basic structure. With technology and innovation, who knows, maybe these dental vans will soon hit the road as two-floor buses!