Table of Contents
The X-ray is also something that you should buy from a standard company. Satellac is one of the companies that make excellent X-rays which will cost you about 50-90 thousand rupees. These X-rays come with proper lead shielding that helps prevent any X-ray leakage, something that may not always be the case with local X-ray companies.
The digital IOPA sensor is now sold by a large variety of companies and costs around 1.5-2.5 lakh rupees with the majority of companies. Kodak and VaTech are two that have been around in the Indian market for a long time and have a good after-sales team behind them.
Try and buy the three things from the same dental supplier if possible because this will fetch you the biggest discount on them all. Bargaining for a 10-20% price drop along with some other freebies thrown in is advisable.
Your clinic will also need to be equipped with a sterilizer. If you are planning to perform dental surgery, place implants or other invasive procedures then look to invest in a class B autoclave. This will be a great addition to your practice and set you back by another 2-4 lakhs depending upon the brand of the sterilizer.
Extraction forceps, mouth mirrors, probes, drills, burs, explorers, periodontal instruments and impression trays will form the bulk of the re-usable material that you need to buy and should collectively cost you around 1-2 lakh rupees.
You will also need to equip your clinic with dental materials for filling, medicaments for root canal procedures, files and other perishable equipment that will need to be replaced periodically. The initial investment for all the material that you should have in your clinic to start out will be around 40-60 thousand rupees.

Interiors
The interiors of a dental clinic should project a soothing and calm atmosphere that helps the patient relax. While there is no guarantee that a posh dental clinic will attract more patients, it is just human nature to be more impressed by a well-furnished setup.
Opt for durable, comfortable furniture in the waiting area that does not cost you a bomb. Install a TV that will help the patients pass the time when they are waiting and make sure to install air-conditioning to keep them comfortable.
Hanging framed prints of paintings or art is not expensive and can really help light up the surroundings. The color scheme of the interiors and the furniture should be classy; muted without being bland.
An interesting concept that is becoming more and more common nowadays is to have an eye-catching wallpaper on the ceiling right on top of the chair. This is the place where the patients will be resting their eyes and thus something to keep them distracted will be helpful.
Having speakers installed to keep some light music playing may also be a good idea depending upon the personal preference of the doctor.
Conclusion
Setting up a dental practice is just like setting up any other small business. You need to strike a balance between keeping your costs down and distinguishing your practice from others. India can be a tough place for a young practitioner but the rewards from a well-established dental practice are significant enough to warrant the risk.
- www.dentalorg.com/setting-up-a-dental-clinic.html
- doctors.practo.com/cost-of-setting-up-running-dental-clinic-india/
- Photo courtesy of usarmyafrica: www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica/5725063775/
- Photo courtesy of tnarik: www.flickr.com/photos/tnarik/3349005550/
- Photo courtesy of usarmyafrica: www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica/5725063775/
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