Why hygienists should consider buying their own instruments

Burnett Power Tip

Imagine you were offered a two week dream vacation anywhere in the world, all expenses paid.  You know, the kind of vacation you only fantasize about.  But there’s only one catch.  You can only eat 500 calories of plain white rice per day and you can only drink water during the whole vacation, nothing else, no exceptions.  Would you still accept the offer?  I know I wouldn’t.  I wouldn’t even think about it.  It is tough, I would say impossible, to enjoy a dream vacation when you’re in starvation mode 24/7.  But what if I modified the catch?  What if you were allowed to pay for your own food and drinks, and again, everything else was covered?  Would you go now?  I know I would.  I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.  Food is so fundamental that without it a dream vacation is instantly ruined and worth almost nothing.  I see your point Mark, but what does this have to do with hygienists buying their own instruments?

Well, let’s imagine you are an unemployed hygienist currently looking for employment.  You are offered two positions.  Everything about the two positions are equal, except for two items.  Position 1 is offering $35 per hour and the office utilizes high-end hand instruments and ultrasonic tips, which get replaced once per year.  Position 2 is offering $38 per hour, but the office utilizes old, worn instruments, which are rarely replaced.  Which position would you choose?  Most hygienists I ask this hypothetical to choose position 1 without hesitation.  And I think the reason is pretty obvious.  Having quality, functional instruments is so fundamental to our experience as dental hygienists that without them, a dream job can quickly turn into a nightmare no matter how great everything else about the job may be.

So if the majority of hygienists would choose position 1 in the previous hypothetical without hesitation, then why aren’t hygienists willing to voluntarily “reduce” their current hourly wage by $1, $2 or $3 per hour to purchase their own instruments for the same reason?  Logically, it makes no sense and yet most hygienists refuse to buy their own instruments.  But why?  In my opinion, it’s a mental block in thinking that prevents hygienists from making things better for themselves, but it’s a paradigm you have the freedom to change today.  I know many of you are thinking “I shouldn’t have to buy my own instruments”, “It’s the dentist’s responsibility to buy the instruments I use”, or “That’s just not how things are done in dentistry”.  Assuming that’s all true, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is what’s best for you.

Let’s just calculate what $1, $2, and $3 per hour can buy you.

32 hours per week x $3 per hour x 50 weeks = $4,800
32 hours per week x $2 per hour x 50 weeks = $3,200
32 hours per week x $1 per hour x 50 weeks = $1,600

Obviously, $4,800 per year can buy you quite a bit.  It will easily cover the yearly replacement of high quality hand instruments and ultrasonic inserts with money to spare.

Here’s the breakdown of the instruments I currently replace every year.

American Eagle Black Jack XP scaler $50 x 6 = $300
American Eagle Barnhart 5/6 XP Universal curette $50 x 6 = $300
Hu Friedy Posterior Nevi 2 EverEdge $40 x 6 = $240
American Eagle Double Gracey XP $60 x 2 = $120
Parkell Burnett Power Tip (magnetostrictive) $128 x 5 = $640
Parkell straight perio tip (magnetostrictive) $104 x 5 = $520
Parkell curved perio tips (magnetostrictive) $137 x 2 = $274

Total Annual Cost = $2,394

I also purchase equipment that doesn’t require annual replacement like loupes, headlight, saddle chair, suction mirrors, ultrasonic scaler, instrument cassettes, etc., but that’s a separate topic and I’ll cover those in another post.

I know many of you out there are using less than ideal instruments, and in many cases, using awful instruments, but it doesn’t have to be that way.  I ask you to consider buying your own instruments, or at least supplement what your employer is currently providing.  You’ll be glad you did.  Remember, just because your employer provides rice and water doesn’t mean you have to eat it.  Subway is right down the street!

Mark Frias, RDH

3 thoughts on “Why hygienists should consider buying their own instruments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *