Dental Office Design, Cabinetry Concepts, Equipment Selection, & Project Supervision
In the field of dentistry, a thorough and effective examination can only be completed if the proper equipment is at hand. Dental equipment must be well-cleaned and up-to-date to allow an office to meet the expectations of their clients. This article complies several tips to help you collect the tools required for a fully functioning dental office.
Dental office construction and design are elements that can add to – or unfortunately subtract from – the success of your practice. A good design will address the needs of both your patients and your employees. Redesigning your space should be a team effort between you and a professional with experience planning dental offices. Below are three topics you may want to discuss before getting started.
The first conversation you have with your designer should be to identify your needs. Why do you want a redesign? Are you hiring additional hygienists? Do you expect an increase in patients? Do you require a more modern or friendlier vibe? Answering these questions will inform your decisions going forward and ensure that you achieve the results you desire.
You should then envision the ideal floor plan for your dental office construction project. You can increase efficiency by creating an easy flow between spaces, both for your workers and your patients. The walk between the front door and the receptionist’s desk should be easy and obvious. The distance between the patient chairs and regularly-used cabinets should be short and unobstructed. Private and public spaces should be clearly delineated. Maximizing flow can help you save time and therefore, money.
Consider taking advantage of this opportunity to update your technology. Using the latest technology can add to the efficiency of your practice. In addition, it can instill confidence in your patients. Patients are often knowledgeable about the latest advancements in technology. If you use the most up-to-date equipment, they will feel like they are important to you. As a result, they will keep returning and may even refer their friends to your office. Your designer will be able to incorporate this new equipment into your floor plan.
Undergoing a redesign can be immensely beneficial for your practice. A professional designer can help make the most of your dental office construction project, implementing a design that will make your business more efficient and keep your patients returning.
When you walk into your dentist’s office, how are you greeted? Are you greeted with a warm and friendly welcome by a smiling receptionist, or are you made to wait at the glass for five minutes while the desk clerk finishes his or her business before they finally ask you about your appointment time? Chances are it’s the latter. Dental office construction, and most healthcare facility construction for that matter, is designed so that patients interact with a glass panel first and then a human. This is not good customer service. If you want your patients to feel warm, welcome and appreciated from the point of first interaction, you need to reconsider your office design.
When designing your dental office, there are various aspects that you know you need to give a lot of thought to, such as waiting room aesthetics, exam room features and office flow. However, one aspect of your dental office design that you may not have given careful consideration to is your countertops. Countertops perform a key role in your practice, but what you may use a countertop for in an exam room may not be what you use it for in the front office. For this reason, your countertops should coordinate, but they shouldn’t all be made of the same material. When choosing your countertop materials, consider the following:
When people think of the dentist’s office, they think of dim exam rooms, scary tools and faces covered in surgical masks, which may be why so many people avoid the dentist like the plague. However, dental care is essential to one’s overall health, and to help patients feel more relaxed and comfortable in their care, many dentists are turning their offices into dental spas, the next big trend in dental office design.
As you start your new dental practice, you may already be considering the design. If you have a small office, you may even be wondering if you can pull it off on your own. The truth is, no matter the size of your office, there is a lot that goes into designing a dental office. If you don’t maximize your space, you could find that it’s difficult to function. Additionally, you don’t want to risk any design that may make your patients feel less at ease. Here are a couple key reasons why you should always have a contractor involved in your dental office construction.
If you’re starting to think about remodeling your dental office, then odds are you’re thinking about a dental office designer. When it comes to dental office construction, it can be overwhelming to choose a company that you know will be able to help you. Well, in the case of uncertainty, here’s what you should look for in a dental office designer.
When it comes to dental office construction, there is a lot of thought that goes into the design. This is especially true when it comes to considering what colors to use in your office. The colors of your walls can change a dental office from uncomfortable to comfortable quickly. After all, there are certain shades that are well known to make people uncomfortable over long periods of time. You want a color that is going to make them feel comfortable and safe. This is especially true given how many patients have dental anxiety. Now, when you’re thinking about painting or wallpaper, it’s also important to remember how color and light impact the design scheme.
If you have ever spoken with a waitress or a nurse or an office administrator about the design of their work space, you might hear the lament “If only the builders had talked to us first…” If your business is art, then creating with design and beauty first is appropriate. If your business is work, then there should be purpose in your design, first and foremost, but beauty and purpose are not necessarily mutually exclusive. This is true especially in healthcare, and in dental office construction, and finding a professional in this arena is important.
Finding the right contractor for your dental office construction can be like finding the right girlfriend or boyfriend. You have to share the same goals, have to be able to communicate well, and have to know what you want. The right professional contractor will know the ins and outs of the right questions to ask, building and zoning requirements and where to go to get the information he or she doesn’t know already.
