Case Study: Whittlesea Smiles Dental Clinic — New Treatment Room, Switchboard Upgrade & OPG Room Prep

When Whittlesea Smiles Dental Clinic decided to expand, they needed more than just a builder. Adding a new dental treatment room to an existing clinic means coordinating with specialist dental equipment suppliers, working around live patients, and getting the electrical installation compliant with AS/NZS 3003 — the Australian standard for electrical work in patient areas, finished on time.

Scope of work:

• Full electrical fit-out of new dental treatment room: solid brick construction, chased walls throughout
• AS/NZS 3003 compliant installation: patient zone cabling, earthing, and equipment coordination
• Coordination with dental equipment suppliers on cable specifications and locations
• Switchboard upgrade: completed overnight, clinic operational same morning
• Wall plastering on completion
• OPG room pre-wiring for future equipment installation

Here’s how we handled it.

The challenge: solid brick Walls, specialist Dental equipment, and After Hours

The property was solid brick construction throughout, which means every cable run required chasing into the walls. It’s time-consuming, precise work, and it has to be done right the first time.

Our job was to work directly alongside the dental equipment suppliers and installers to make sure every cable was in the correct location with the right specification to control the dental chair, delivery unit, suction, and associated equipment. In a patient environment governed by AS/NZS 3003, the cabling isn’t just about power — it has to meet strict requirements around patient zones, earthing, and equipment compatibility. Get it wrong and the supplier can’t commission the equipment.

Commercial Switchboard upgrade at 1:30 am

The existing switchboard wasn’t up to the job. It was outdated, non-compliant. Adding to that, the clinic couldn’t afford to lose power during business hours.
A switchboard upgrade means the power goes off, which means no patients, no revenue, and potentially no income for the day.

Our solution was simple. We started at 1:30 in the morning.

We completed the full switchboard upgrade overnight, and while we were at it, we plastered the wall cavity back up so there was no mess left behind. By the time the clinic opened that morning, everything was done.

Planning ahead: OPG room pre-wiring

The clinic flagged they’re adding an OPG X-ray room within the next six months. While the walls were already open, we pre-wired for it. The cabling is in place, when the equipment arrives, it’s ready to go.

Planning a clinic expansion or fitout?

If you’re adding a treatment room, upgrading ageing infrastructure, or planning ahead for new equipment, we’ve done it before, in live clinical environments where downtime isn’t an option.

Dental and medical electrical fit-outs are specialised work — AS/NZS 3003 compliance, coordination with equipment suppliers, and working around live clinical environments isn’t something every electrician takes on.
For this type of project, Electrx works across greater Melbourne, not just the western suburbs.

Call Bill and the team on 0447 139 493 or get in touch for a quote.