It’s not easy being a left-handed dentist. The dental unit, instruments and treatment room are usually designed with right-handed practitioners in mind.
Dr. Simon Atlan knows the struggles of being a left-handed dentist only too well: “As a left-handed dentist, everything is reversed when I work, and I have to bend sideways to see in the patient’s mouth. The main problem is that it’s difficult to see and sit correctly”, he says.
Since the very start of his dental career, Dr. Atlan has faced problems because the industry and tools simply are not designed for left-handed practitioners.
“During my studies, there weren’t any ambidextrous dental units, and I tried working the right-handed way. I realized very quickly that I wouldn’t be able to work like that,” Dr. Atlan explains and continues, “the first thing I did, when I started working on my own, was to make my life easier by acquiring an ambidextrous unit.”
Ambidextrous equipment to avoid pain and discomfort
When left- and right-handers share a treatment room, it must be easy to switch the equipment from left- to right-handed use. Dr. Atlan says, “I’m the only left-handed in our clinic, and since there are also right-handed dentists using the same unit as I do, I need a system that can smoohtly be switched from left-handed to right-handed. It’s also easier to cooperate with my assistant if the equipment can be set up for left-handed work.”
Left-handed dental practitioners have a high frequency of musculoskeletal pain and discomfort due to the lack of flexibility and adjustments in dental units. Some elements, like the suction holder, are placed in a very impractical position for left-handers. With an ambidextrous unit like the XO units, you can avoid harming practitioners’ professional health because they are designed so that the dentists can place the suction hose holder where needed, and the unit can easily be set up for both right-handed and left-handed work – and reversed again.
“I can’t live without it!”
We asked Simon what it’s like using an ambidextrous dental unit. “I like how easy it is to switch from a left-handed mode to a right-handed one. Now, my back is feeling better, there’s no more pain, and I work as a very happy left-handed dentist,” he says.
Even though one in ten of the population is left-handed, it’s a struggle to be left-handed in the dental industry. So, when you get an ambidextrous dental unit, it makes a huge difference in terms of job satisfaction and professional health.
On a closing note, Dr. Atlan agrees: “I would recommend XO CARE units without any hesitation because of the easy switch, the softness of the equipment and the comfortable work positions. I can’t live without it!”