Around 36 percent of people are scared of the dentist. That's over 1/3 of your patients!

That means your clients will be on edge no matter how personable, kind, and how great of a bedside manner you have. While it's not your job to be their psychologist, it's nice to do whatever you can to put them at ease.

One of the ways you can do that is by creating a dental office that appeases their subconscious. Medical journals have done studies on what kind of dental office interior design puts people most at ease.

We're explaining one study and the color psychology behind it below.

Dental Research Article Results: The Colors to Go With

A 2021 study posted in the Dental Research Journal looked at colors as distraction techniques for six to nine-year-olds.

The article, titled "Evaluation effect of color in dental office and dentist's uniform while using two different distraction techniques on injection anxiety of 6--9 years old children referring to Hamedan Dental School: Randomized clinical trial," came out of Iran.

This study found that clinics with black and red interiors had the highest anxiety rates. Conversely, those with pink, green, blue, and yellow lowered the patient's self-rated anxiety levels.

The conclusion didn't specify which items (the uniforms or the interiors) made the most impact.

The Color Psychology of the Above Colors

Color psychology is the study of what emotional responses different colors have. It's used most often in marketing, but it also has practical uses in interior design.

The results and associations we have with certain colors differ greatly throughout cultures. For example,

The Color Psychology of Pink

Historically, pink was a male color, and blue was a female color. But in modern society, pink is deeply tied to feminine gender roles. This may make people feel more cared for in terms of a dental office.

According to colorpsychology.org (the source for this and the following sections), pink is calming and non-threatening.

When choosing shades of pink, stay in the pastel realm.

Green Color Psychology

When people see the color green, their subconscious associates it with nature. As a society that is spending less and less time outside, green has a calming effect on our primal brain.

It's even been shown to slow your metabolism (temporarily), encouraging "Rest and digest."

Blue

For some reason, blue is a trusting color. Most national and international banks use blue in their logo and their branding.

It's warm, spiritual, and peaceful.

Yellow

Finally, yellow is a happy color. That's why it was chosen for the original happy face. A pale or sunshine yellow can go a long way.

However, we don't recommend it as uniform - it's a hard shade to pull off.

Integrating These Results into Your Dental Office Interior Design

Choosing even two of the colors above for your interior design can do a lot for your patients. If you have multiple locations, you can even conduct your own mini-version of the study above.

For help integrating these colors into your dental office interior design, reach out to us. We've read the study, have decades of experience, and can't wait to help!