Whether you are looking to give your existing dental surgery a bit of a facelift or take on a whole new build the internal and external aspects are a crucial part of your dental surgery design.
Not only do you want something that is visually appealing to you (after all it is your clinic and you want to make sure you love it) but it also has to attract the type of patient you are looking to target.
There are a couple of ways to look at how you approach your dental surgery design.
Targeted Demographic Design:
If you are a specialist who caters for a certain type of demographic you will want to base your dental surgery design around the things that attract this type of person.
Say you cater mainly to children, you will want to create a welcoming, enjoyable atmosphere for them not only during their appointment but also while they wait.
Luckily it is easy to make your dental surgery design appealing to kids! Colour is the main factor in how people feel when they come into a clinic. They say blues and greens can be soothing colours whereas reds and oranges can come across as aggressive and may change someones mood for the worse. When it comes to a children’s medical environment we think the more colour the better.
And this can be achieved in many ways. Consider coloured furniture, there are many coloured vinyls (upholstery) and polypropylene shells on the market that can either represent your brand colours or can be mixed and matched in order to create a rainbow of seating.
Vinyl flooring is also available in some really amazing colours and patterns and just like the seating can be installed in a way that reflects your surgeries’ branding. Patterns can also be cut into the vinyl which can create an interesting way finding system that kids will enjoy using. Think coloured pathways that lead kids to treatment rooms.
You could also include different themes for each treatment room with the use of vinyl decals, flooring and artwork such jungle, under the sea, princess etc. This kind of thing brings a bit of fun to what could otherwise be an uneasy appointment.
Your waiting room is just as important as your treatment area and is the perfect place to create calm before an appointment.
Although loose toys are no longer recommended in waiting rooms, as it promotes the spread of germs, there are other ways you can make your waiting room entertaining while staying safe.
Consider an iPad station that can be wiped down after each use. These iPads can be loaded up with appropriate games and videos to keep any bored or anxious patients distracted while they wait. For additional social distancing measures clear perspex screens can be installed in between iPad ‘stations’. Not only will this stop the spread of any germs but it also gives parents some extra piece of mind.
Inter-Generational Design:
While a lot of surgeries cater for certain demographics many cater for anyone and everyone. So how do you incorporate elements that will suit everybody into your dental surgery design?
When we think of waiting rooms the first thing we need to make sure we have is comfort.
Unfortunately a trip to the dentist isn’t usually seen as a treat and therefore making patients feel as comfortable as possible from the moment they walk in the door is crucial.
Children’s areas can be beneficial not only to patients that have children with them but also for other waiting patients. An area of the waiting room that can be sectioned off with screening so parents can still see their children but the acoustic properties of the screen block some noise can be all it takes to create a comfortable space for every patient waiting.
Seating is another important part of your waiting room, especially when treating a range of different people.
By giving the option of arms and no arms on chairs you are showing you want everyone to be comfortable, whether they need additional space on their seat or an extra bit of help to stand.
Welcome distractions such as a TV, music or even beautiful artwork can also make a big difference in a waiting room and can be incorporated into your dental surgery design easily.
Neutral music or even advertising for additional services can break the silence in an otherwise quiet waiting area while educating your patients about some services they might not even know you have on offer.
Not only are you catering for waiting patients but also for patients that have just come out of treatment. There is nothing worse than coming out after a dentists appointment, walking into a silent waiting room full of people and feeling like everyone is listening you try to mumble arrangements for your next booking through a half numb mouth!
Once in the treatment room it is important that your patients continue to feel as comfortable as possible. It can be quite daunting walking into a sterile looking room full of instruments so think about which elements you can incorporate into your dental surgery design that might help put people at ease. Items such as TVs on the roof which can be turned onto your patients preferred channel or movies for kids can be a welcome distraction.
As you can see it is simple to incorporate good design into your dental space.
