It’s a well-documented fact that your surroundings can have a huge impact on your mood. The decor, the lighting, and even something as simple as the color you choose for your walls are all important parts of the patient experience. Green can evoke a sense of calm. Blue makes people more trusting. Red immediately grabs attention. There’s no need to dive too deep into the psychology behind these facts, you just need to know how you can use color to your advantage. With that said, here are 3 reasons why you should pay attention to color when designing your dental office.
1. It Can Put Anxious Patients At Ease
Dental anxiety is all too real. Studies indicate that up to 20% of patients experience some level of dental anxiety. As a dentist your job is not just to get the patient in and out, it’s to make sure that the entire experience is as pleasant as possible for them. Proper use of color is one of the many ways to approach this. As we mentioned earlier, green is said to make you more calm and blue to make you more trusting. Utilizing these colors in your treatment areas can go a long way towards making patients feel comfortable.
It’s important to use the right level of saturation as well. Pale, gentle blues and greens will have a more profound effect than vibrant shades. You should avoid intense colors like red and yellow, as they can heighten anxiety and overwhelm the patient. Yellow is also known to cause eye-strain so it’s best not to rely on it too much for any area of your dental office.
2. It Can Help Your Staff Remain Focused
No matter how much you love your job, after a few hours, you can begin to lose some of your enthusiasm. Having to work in dreary surroundings can only exacerbate this issue. Making good use of color in your office can help staff members remain focused. For areas primarily trafficked by staff, consider using bold, cheerful colors. It’s also a good idea to limit the amount of eye-catching decor in staff areas. Wall paintings and interesting designs are great for keeping patients occupied, but you don’t want your staff to get distracted.
3. It Can Set You Apart From The Crowd
People like to believe that they’re perfectly objective but the truth is we all make emotional judgments. When you walk into an interesting building you’re much more likely to have a positive experience and remember it in the future. A well designed dental office with an interesting use of color and decor can set you apart from other practices in your area. It doesn’t matter how great a dentist you are if your office is unpleasant or dull people will be less likely to remember you in the future.
All of this information can feel overwhelming. Finding the right color scheme for your dental office is no easy task — especially if you don’t have any prior design experience. Color theory is too complicated to sum up in just a few hundred words and there are many more considerations that you’ll need to make when planning out your dental office. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. If you have any questions at all about designing a dental office that is pleasing to both patients and practitioners don’t hesitate to contact us at HJT design today.