How Office Morale Can Negatively Affect Your Dental Practice

Posted by HJT Design

For those who work in a dental office, it’s more than just a workplace, it’s a home away from home. Your dental staff spends a lot of time at work building connections and interacting with patients, so it’s important that the dental office design be accommodating to both patients and staff. You want your office to be a pleasant, positive environment for all who enter, but what happens when that isn’t the case?

Your Office Design Matters

There are many common problems with an outdated dental office design that can plague a dental practice, leading to some unwanted negative issues.

Some of these include:

· Not enough room in the reception desk area, causing difficulty for staff to move around and do their jobs.

· Not enough room to store patient files causing unnecessary clutter.

· Outdated and cumbersome equipment that can be clunky and difficult to operate.

· Outdated, poor lighting that can drain both patients and staff.

· Outdated patient treatment rooms that are too cramped to move around in.

A dental office renovation isn’t just about updating and changing the physical appearance of your practice, but rather utilizing smart dentist office design ideas that can also improve the efficiency of your dental practice, which will in turn, boost staff morale.

Here are 3 examples of how redesigning your dental office can help improve efficiency and productivity:

1. Use Color and Lighting to Change the Mood

It’s no secret that aesthetics play a major role in any dental office design project. This can include the colors and lighting you choose, which should be done with great thought and care. It has been said that lighting can set the mood, so you want to make sure and set a pleasant, calming mood for both patients and staff if you want your office environment to be a positive one.

When deciding on dentist office design ideas, make sure to invest in the proper type of lighting throughout the dental practice. The type of lighting will differ between the waiting room and treatment rooms, but proper lighting is essential for improving staff efficiency, as well as setting the right tone for your patients in the office.

As far as color goes, a fresh coat of paint with some bold, fun accent colors can go a long way in improving the general look and feel of your office.

2. Open Floor Plan Treatment Rooms

One of the most important design elements to consider is the layout of your dental practice. Many dental offices are updating the way they design their treatment areas. Gone are the days of closed off, dark rooms. Say hello to an open treatment area with minimal walls. This allows light to come flooding in, which in turn, can put both staff and patients in an overall better mood, as well as make both patient and employees lives easier as they have more space to move about freely.

3. Update Your Dental Equipment

If your budget allows, then it is well worth it to invest in updating your dental office equipment. Updated equipment can greatly improve the efficiency, productivity and morale of your staff, as their jobs become drastically easier with better equipment.

In order to properly complete a dental office redesign project that is going to make everyone happy and boost staff morale, you need to incorporate all of the elements of a progressive dental practice. This is not an easy task and one that requires the help of a seasoned professional like HJT. We have the knowledge and experience to help you plan, design, and build your new dental office. We understand the unique needs of dentists. Contact us today to talk about your dental office design goals.