Townie Book Review By: Tom Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD

The title of Dave Cheney’s book is most likely a frequently uttered phrase from his 24 years as a service technician. Dentists love to work with their hands, and many of them will tinker with their office equipment when it is not working properly. Even if you don’t get your hands dirty with an equipment malfunction, everyone will agree that down time is expensive. Dave Cheney has distilled many years of service experiences, manufacturer input and information from other service technicians into an easy to use guidebook.

My evaluation copy was the CD version of the book which contains hyperlinks that allow you to jump to other sections of the book with ease. I know what you are thinking: “What if we don’t have a computer next to the broken equipment?” Each chapter has a print option so you can work with a hard copy of the instructions. Very smart.

The book is organized like a web page with a directory of 18 chapter tabs on the left side. In the Preface, Mr. Cheney provides a list of recommended tools and important safety precautions. Each chapter consists of a table with a list of possible problems in the left frame and the step by step instructions to diagnose and correct on the right. Although the CD does not employ a searchable database, there is a useful index tab that can pinpoint some specific issues.

In addition to valuable information for repair of minor problems, this book includes helpful suggestions for proper maintenance. Mr. Cheney is very clear on this point- well maintained equipment will last a great deal longer. I would like to see the maintenance guidelines as a separate section in future editions of this book. Many dental offices lack a well defined maintenance schedule for their most valuable equipment.

This book is an excellent reference tool for any dental office. If you complete one minor repair after purchasing this book, you have already saved money. Go ahead, make a few minor repairs; your equipment will show its appreciation by working again and it won’t call you on the weekend.

Title: Doctor, did you check the breaker, too?
Author: Dave Cheney
Purchase: CD format $39.95, Book format $49.95
Contact: Davan Dental Publishing 1-800-695-0943

Thomas J. Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD is a general dentist in Chandler, AZ who owns a private practice with his wife, Grace Giacobbi, DDS. Originally from upstate New York, Drs. Giacobbi are1995 graduates of SUNY at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. Please send comments or questions to DrTom@ChandlerDentalHealth.com. Send items to be considered for review to 1035 W. Queen Creek Rd., Suite 206, Chandler, AZ 85248.