You might have already gotten your dental office design in place, purchased your equipment and laid out the furniture for the waiting room. Before you proceed further, however, you should evaluate if your office is easily accessible for disabled patients. Once you review the following considerations, you will be able to make sure your office is an accessible and welcoming place for everyone.

Getting Into the Office

While there are some components to your building that you have no control over, it is still a good idea to review how your patients get from the parking lot to your office and see what parts of the route you have control over and can make better. For example, is the entrance of your office large enough for a wheelchair to get through? Are there areas where ramps may be useful? Could you install an automatic push button for the door?

Preparing for the Appointment

You must also review the different tasks the patient must do after entering your office. Can they easily speak with your customer service personnel and get their paperwork situated? Will they be able to wait comfortably in the waiting room before their appointment? Will they be able to easily go into the patient room or maybe stop at a restroom first?

Consider Your Employees

Implementing ADA accommodations in your dental office design can also be potentially beneficial for your employees. If one of them had an accident and they’re confined to using crutches or sitting in a wheelchair, would they still have easy access to the documents or appliances they need to perform their job?

Incorporating disability accommodations into a dental office design might seem tricky or time-consuming. That’s why hiring a trained professional can be a big help with the process. With a professional at your side, you can save time by including accommodations in your design from the beginning and still create a well-designed space that suits your taste and needs.

Including windows in your dental office design may seem like a no-brainer, but in reality, windows come with pro’s and con’s that can affect the functionality of your office. Here are some factors to consider when installing windows in your office.

Windows Provide Natural Lighting

Natural lighting can make an office feel warm and homey, while artificial lighting may cause more strain on the eyes. Windows are a great way to get natural lighting.  The use of natural lighting can also reduce energy usage since less artificial lighting is needed, which is a plus for reducing expenses and being more environmentally friendly.

Windows Bring Exposure to Natural Scenery

Without windows, an office can make a patient feel secluded from the rest of the world or even claustrophobic in extreme cases. Dental office designs that have windows, however, will let patients continue to see and feel connected with the people and activities occurring outside. Patients can also see natural scenery through windows, which can have a calming effect on the mind.

Weather Can Interfere With Light Quality

You must consider the need to have consistent high-quality lighting in your office in order to give excellent dental services. If most of your lighting comes naturally through windows, your office may have poor lighting on days where the sky is filled with clouds or rain.  You should have a sufficient supply of backup artificial lighting to compensate for days with less natural lighting.

Window Positioning Affects the Timing of Receiving Light

Another thing to be careful of is the positioning of the windows. Offices would need to be aligned with an east-west axis and have windows facing the direction the sun rises in order to get the most exposure to natural lighting.

Instead of worrying about your dental office design and whether it should include windows, you can hire a trained professional to help you assess the space and create a design plan according to your needs and wants.

You may think that lighting is not an important subject when it comes to designing a professional space like a dental office. However, the type and quality of lighting can play a big role in how people perceive and experience your office. These are some of the questions you should ask yourself in order to have a clear direction for your dental office design.

The Type of Activity

The type of activity or business that will occur at your space will benefit from a certain type of lighting. For professional services such as dental work, consistent lighting will be an important need. A dental office also does not consist of just one room. There will likely be a waiting area for patients, where gentler light is sufficient, and smaller individual rooms where dentists need intensely bright lighting to perform their services.

The Mood You Want to Set

Lighting also plays a big part in the atmosphere or mood of a space. For your dental office design, you must think about how you want yourself, your employees and your patients to feel in a certain room in your dental office. Do you want people to be alert and productive, or do you want them to feel calm and collected?

The Aesthetic Look of the Space

Even a dental office needs an aesthetic design in mind. Your design should not only serve its basic function but also suit your taste and attract the type of clients you want. Incorporating a certain type of lighting through lighting appliances that suit your taste will create a specific design or look that represents you and your business, influencing your patients’ impression and experience of your office and services.

Professional dental office design regards lighting both as a necessary component and a medium to create the type of atmosphere and social activity you envision. If you don’t know what you want for your design or how to start, hiring a professional can be a great help to establish your overall plan and vision for your dream office.

One of the greatest benefits your dental office design can do for your patients is present a calm, peaceful atmosphere. Everything from dental office equipment to the lighting to the type of office furniture used in the space can influence the feelings of patients and office staff. Green design has the added benefit of being environmentally friendly and cost saving.

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There are so many aspects to running a dental clinic that owners may get bogged down and neglect some key elements. But researching the best dental office equipment supplier shouldn’t be one of them. The right supplier for your business offers quality service, quality equipment and warranties their products. A credible supply company can make all the difference in helping you run your practice and save you money.

 

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Choosing to open a dental clinic requires a well thought out business plan just like any business endeavor. The plan outlines the goals of the business and how you plan to reach those goals. The goals should be attainable yet big enough to push you. A business plan should be reevaluated on an annual basis to account for growth, goal changes and other factors. Once the plan is ready to go, you are equipped to move to the next step required to open your clinic. Beyond purchasing dental office equipment, owners should consider the location, financing and design of the clinic.

 

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Proper lighting is crucial to any dental practice from providing an inviting atmosphere in the waiting area to ensuring good light in the operatories. No one wants to leave the office thinking their teeth are stained or discolored during their visit. Green lighting as part of your dental office construction can not only give your office the right color of lighting, but also save money and be better for the environment.

 

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Like any worthy investment, your dental office needs updating every now and then to keep up with trends and to replace outdated, torn and worn items. If you don’t take care of your investment, you miss out on an opportunity to market and showcase your services to new and existing patients. Dental office construction doesn’t have to be a scary, expensive or disastrous experience. With the right professional handling the job, the office can be upgraded and renovated with minimal interruptions to your practice.

 

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Many people of all ages have an irrational fear of dentists. It is important to help patients overcome this fear and feel as comfortable as possible during a visit because visiting the dentist is one of the most important steps in routine health care. The dentist is where cavities are identified, and teeth are cleaned more thoroughly than at home. Just as parents organize children’s rooms in a soothing manner and classrooms are organized to promote learning, so to can you arrange a dentist examination room in a way that helps the patient relax and all dental routine can proceed as smoothly as possible. One key element of a well-designed room is the dental cabinetry.

 

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Have you ever paused to notice the details filling the front section of a dental office? The waiting area is often packed with soft armchairs and comfortable couches. The lighting fixtures appear soothing, while the gentle warmth of the light welcomes you into the area with a soft glow. The walls are typically pastel or neutral in color and elicit a calm and peaceful feeling. The reception area may also have plants or flowers to break the harsh lines of the greeting desk. Believe it or not, all the little details were carefully selected by an architect to make the dental office design a whole soothing unit.

 

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