A successful dental practice depends greatly on the quality of your staff and the care that you provide to your patients. However, these aren’t the only elements of a successful practice. The practice layout and design are very important as well.

In fact, a poor layout could hinder your ability to treat your patients effectively. If this is the case, you may want to invest in some renovations to improve the design of your practice. The following are five warning signs that your practice could probably benefit from a remodel:

1. The front desk is always crowded

If you notice that there are always patients hanging around the front desk, it means that your office isn’t very efficient. This may not be the fault of your front desk staff. If your front desk area is too small, it may be difficult for your staff to keep it organized, which means that it will take them longer to deal with each patient. If your front desk has both its check-in and check-out areas in the same place, then there’s more likely to be a logjam of patients there.

You should rethink how your front desk is set up, because if your front desk is always crowded, it’s probably causing frustration to both your staff and your patients — and could be making it difficult for other staff members and patients to get by.

2. Your staff is always looking for something

If your staff is always wandering the hallways in search of paperwork or patients that they situated in different treatment rooms that they’ve lost track of, then it means that your office is not well organized. A good layout will help to improve the efficiency of your office, making it easier to keep it organized.

3. You feel cramped in your treatment rooms

If your treatment rooms feel too small, then they probably are. You should have plenty of space to move around in when treating a patient. Not only could a lack of space affect your ability to treat your patient, but it will make it difficult to keep equipment and tools organized. Not to mention that your patients may feel more claustrophobic if they’re forced to be treated in small, cramped spaces. If this is a problem, consider using an open treatment area instead of separate treatment rooms.

4. Everyone is always stressed out

The general mood of your staff and patients can tell you a lot about your practice. If your staff is constantly stressed out and your patients are never in a good mood, then you may want to consider a few renovations. Look at ways to make the office more comfortable, whether it’s by painting your walls a more calming color (like a light blue), building a staff break room where they can relax, or investing in more comfortable seating for your patient waiting room.

5. Your layout is confusing

If patients are constantly wandering around the hallways trying to figure out where they’re supposed to go–or they can’t even find your front desk in order to check in, then you’ve got a problem with your layout. You don’t to any nervousness your patients might already be feeling about visiting the dentist with a confusing layout, after all.

If you notice any of these five things about your practice, then it’s probably a good sign that your office layout and design is poor and could use some remodeling work. For advice on how you can improve your dental practice through remodeling work, be sure to contact us at HJT Dental Office Design today.