The compressor is the heart of your practice. Without it, you can’t practice dentistry, so it’s important to have a contingency plan in place.
My recommendation is a back-up compressor. You don’t need to spend thousands on a 2nd compressor as a back-up however. You just need something to keep you going until you can deal with whatever happened to your main compressor. A small “shop” compressor is generally adequate as a back-up. Get decent filtration (a desiccant tower as well as water and solids filters -as shown below) and you can get by with something procured for a few hundred from your local building supply center of choice.
With good filtration, a shop compressor can make a decent back-up
Install quick connects on your main line, your primary compressor and your back-up and you can swap it out in minutes. If you have the budget and the space, two proper compressors are great (you can also sometimes get by with one head out of a multi-head compressor), but a small shop compressor can keep your office open when your main compressor fails. If you cancel even one fewer patient, it will pay for itself to say nothing of the value of peace of mind.