Practice design: more than aesthetics
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 12th July 2022
“Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.” You may have heard this saying before, and the truth of these words is certainly pertinent in dentistry. After all, the design of your dental practice can make a big impact to your daily operations, as well as the opinions of patients and how they perceive your business.
So, when it comes to designing the perfect dental practice, what are the benefits of a good design and what should you bear in mind to make this a reality?
A good design speaks volumes
A dental practice is a rather unique setting in that it has to balance both functionality and patient appeal. This harmony isn’t always easy to achieve, and there are various factors that need to be considered in order to ensure that patients and professionals alike are getting the most out of the environment and that all space is being utilised in the most beneficial way.
One important thing to remember is that every dental practice is unique. Buildings may be new or old, large or small, and it’s these architectural features that will form the groundwork of what you have to work with when it comes to design. Admittedly, structures can be changed and buildings altered to improve ventilation and natural light etc., but these are typically changes that require considerable capital to achieve.
Instead, a smart way to design a practice is to utilise the unique features of the building and understand how any space can be optimised so that functionality and patient comfort are both realised.
Keep things functional
At the end of the day, a dental practice is a business. This means ergonomics are hugely important, especially if you want to ensure that you are able to provide the best standard of treatment. There’s nothing worse than making a design decision and then realising that the choice you’ve made isn’t convenient and that placement or access to an important piece of equipment/system is restricted.
As such, a smart way to approach this is to look at the floor plan and consider how placement of certain features will impact your day. Is the route around the practice logical? Is there enough space for you to properly utilise equipment for exams and other necessary procedures? Remember to speak to any other members of your team and see if they have suggestions – it’s not just your working space being designed, and a good floor plan will ensure that every element of your practice will suit those who use it regularly.
Improving patient comfort
The way your practice looks, its comfort levels and any smaller design choices can significantly affect how your patients feel. It’s a sad truth, but most people are not excited about the prospect of vising the dentist. In fact, a recent survey has suggested that up to half of the UK population feel nervous about stepping through a dental practice’s doors, with 36% of people feeling moderately anxious and a further 12% feeling extremely anxious.[i]
So, how can we help boost patient comfort and create a welcoming atmosphere to help put people’s minds at ease? There’s has been endless research on how to craft interiors that promote feelings of comfort and relaxation and some of the main design features that pop up time and time again include the use of mellow colours such as pastels also soft furnishings, indoor plants and any other touches that can help reduce that “clinical” feel that tends to put patients on edge.[ii]
Generally, new equipment is particularly important at helping to boost patient perception of a practice, as cutting-edge technology makes them aware of the fact that they are receiving high-quality, modern treatment. It’s also important to try to achieve a level of professionalism and efficiency – a practice can be comfortable, fresh and clean without looking clinical, so experiment with potential ideas!
Adapting your care to your space
When faced with aspects of your practice that can’t be changed such as room size, it’s a smart idea to embrace solutions that enable you to make the most of the space possible whilst also enabling the provision of modern, high-quality care.
Compact systems are a huge benefit in smaller practices, especially if they can offer cutting-edge features. For instance, the CS 8100 3D CBCT system from Carestream Dental features a small, compact design while still supplying exceptional imaging and next-level features such as the CS MAR module that allows for metal artifact reduction and more dynamic imaging.
A space that reflects you and your business
While the finer details of practice design will alter from property to property, the fundamentals remain the same. By ensuring that your practice is functional, approachable and fitted with technology that makes the optimal use of available space, you can ensure that it’s the perfect environment for professionals and patients alike.
For more information, contact Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692 or
visit www.carestreamdental.co.uk
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Nimisha Nariapara is the Trade Marketing Manager at Carestream Dental covering the UK, Middle East, Nordics, South Africa, Russia and CIS regions. She has worked at Carestream Dental for the past 7 years, where she has developed her marketing skills and industry knowledge to bring the core values and philosophy of the company to the market.
[i] Daily Mail. The people so terrified of dentists that they haven’t been for decades: Woman, 38, gets nervous when watching adverts for toothpaste. Link: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10461373/The-people-terrified-dentists-havent-decades.html [Last accessed March 22].
[ii] HJT Dental Design Consultants. 7 Ways Your Dental Office Design Can Improve Patient Experience. Link: https://hjtdesign.com/7-ways-your-dental-office-design-can-improve-patient-experience/ [Last accessed March 22].
