Did you know that about 36 percent of the population suffers from dental anxiety? Visiting the dentist can be nerve-racking for many people, so it’s important to make the office calming and reassuring.

If you’re unsure where to start, you won't have to worry with this guide - we’ll show you what not to do! From insufficient user experience to poor lighting, you can learn what to avoid when designing a dentist’s office.

Now, are you ready to get started? Here’s a quick look at dental office design mistakes:

Insufficient User Experience

One of the largest design mistakes you can make is having an office layout that’s not user-friendly. After all, the user experience should be your top priority. Customers want to come in and be examed, not ushered around from room to room in order to get scans and other tasks completed.

Having such a complicated layout will not only confuse new patients, but it will result in team members bumping into patients and patients having to backtrack. Plus, it will lead to cluttered hallways and little to no space to check out.

To streamline your office, create a circular layout. That way, team members can easily grab supplies as well as take patients back while other patients are checking out. By perfecting the user experience, it eliminates errors while making the customer satisfied and happy.

Poor Lighting

Poor lighting can seriously affect a patient’s mood, making a person tense and anxiety-ridden. Now, who wants to be nervous when visiting the dentist, no one, that’s who!

That’s why it’s crucial to use natural light throughout the office as much as possible. For example, you can open blinds, keep the main door open, or have large windows in exam rooms.

Natural light is not only easy on the eyes, but it helps calm the nerves of patients. Plus, it can provide an energy boost to team members as well as increase productivity. Not to mention, your utility rates will drop from having fewer fluorescent lights throughout the office; how cool is that?

Waiting Room Is Too Big

Now, this may surprise you; however, one of the biggest design flaws many people make is making the waiting room too big. It’s understandable that you would want a good portion of your patients to fit in one room; however, these days, it’s simply unnecessary.

With modern technology, you can text, email, or call patients from their car to tell them that they are ready to be seen. Plus, with Covid, most waiting rooms aren’t even being used.

So instead of spending money on making the waiting room nice and large, use that money to increase the number of exam rooms. That way, you can see more patients at once!

Build Your Dental Office Design Today

Dentist offices may seem difficult to design, but now that you know what not to do, you can build an excellent office today. Just remember to keep in mind user experience as you build any aspect of the office. You want customers to be happy with their visit, not be irritated or upset that they have to be ushed room to room.

Also, consider lighting and how it will impact not only a person’s nerves but also their pain. Not to mention, consider waiting room capacity and what’s the most reasonable amount of seats for your office.

So what are you waiting for? Get started by creating a dental office design today!

Now, if you’d like more information about office design, contact us. We look forward to helping your business succeed!