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I recently went to the dentist and was horrified when the dental hygienist leaned my chair back, and I saw T-12 fluorescent lamps in the light fixtures over my head.
For the next hour, I laid there and stared at the outdated technology that flickered over the shoulder of the staff member who was diligently cleaning my teeth.
I wondered if the poor lighting made her job harder or if the low color rendering index made my teeth look worse than they were.
I wondered how much of the bill I was going to pay at the end of my visit went into buying light bulbs from the hardware store every year or into electric bills that didn’t have to be as high as they were.
What got me though is that the dentist had updated all of the lighting in his waiting room to LED. He had updated the bulbs in the table lamps to LED. He had updated the art lighting to LED. However, He had neglected the lighting that did most of the work– the 2×4 fluorescents throughout the rest of the office!
I theorized that surely there was a reason for it. Maybe my dentist didn’t know he could get LED tubes at a reasonable price and get rid of those outdated T-12. Or maybe he likes the 80’s and wants to keep that retro look. Either way, I didn’t question him on it at the end of my visit- mostly because I was in a bit of pain and couldn’t talk.
I did reach out after my visit and found out that my dentist did know a little bit about LED. He knew it could save money on electricity and maintenance, however, he liked the specific color and brightness that he got from the older tubes.
He had tried newer tubes and felt that they were too bright and not the right color temperature.
I told him that we could find the exact color he was looking for in an LED tube and we could put the fixtures on a dimming control to help control the brightness.
He was intrigued, and so we’re going to continue the conversation next week with his partner dentist that runs the practice with him.
My dentist is a really good dentist. I’ve been going to him for more than 15 years. However, he’s not a lighting expert. He knew enough about lighting to run his business but needed just a little bit more info.
Our conversation may not result in a huge sale for our company– but if our conversation can help my dentist run a more profitable business while also creating a more comfortable environment for his employees and patients, then I consider it a win!
Is your business still using T-12 fluorescent tubes? How about newer T-8s? Would you like to stop replacing them and spend less on your electric bill each month? You can, and the truth is that you can keep the same look and feel if that’s your interest!
