John Timson explains why January is the perfect time to rejuvenate your dental practice and shares his ideas on how to get started
The New Year is often seen as the time to make changes. It is why New Year’s resolutions, discounted gym memberships and dry January’s are abundant.
It means that it is the perfect season to think about how you can improve your practice. The transformation doesn’t need to be drastic or expensive, but significant enough for your team and patients to reap the benefits.
Introduce colour
If your practice looks a bit tired, think about how you could update the décor. For example, your reception area and waiting room should be an enjoyable and comfortable space that puts even the most nervous patients at ease.
If you’re struggling for inspiration, look at department store displays, hotel lobbies or research sites such as Pinterest.
Alternatively, an easy way to spruce up your practice is to just stick to one colour or colour-palette, especially if you go for something bold that also matches your logo. Cheerful hues can brighten up a space, making any room feel less clinical and more welcoming.
Incorporating colour and tasteful decoration throughout your reception area and waiting room can create an environment that is inviting, uplifting, and energetic.
In addition, environments which are decorated in bold colours have been shown to produce significantly more accurate work (Kwallek et al, 1996), suggesting that introducing colour to your practice can have a positive impact on your staff, as well as patients.
A good first impression
If budget is a factor, a total practice re-design is probably out of the question. However, just a few bright new pieces and some cheerful art can still make a big difference.
Once you have established a good first impression with a well-decorated reception and waiting room, think about how you can bring elements of your chosen design style and colours into your surgeries.
This could be as simple as having a similar style of art on the wall, or even attached to the ceiling, so that nervous patients have something to focus on while in their dental chair.
Using a bold colour scheme throughout your practice is another way of echoing your brand colours, especially if you can match your dental chair and stool upholstery to your theme.
If your dental chair’s upholstery is looking worn or dated, this is the ideal time to try a different colour.
Your dental chair is likely to be the largest piece of equipment in each surgery and therefore the most noticeable part of the room to patients – so a new set of upholstery can really make a difference to the appearance of the whole room.
If you have the opportunity to invest in your practice, consider if new equipment or a practice re-design could lead to improved efficiencies, better patient experiences and higher profits in the long-term.
Expanding your patient offering is a popular way of boosting income and attracting new customers, so this should also be considered when choosing new equipment.
For example, the A-dec 500 dental chair is an open source platform, enabling you to integrate all of the technology you need now and in the future. It will allow you to add additional technology to your chair at a later date, without limitations.
Regardless of the size of your practice or budget, there is always room for improvement. Whether it’s something small or a larger investment in new equipment, make your 2019 resolution one that not only benefits you, but your practice too.
For the reference mentioned in this article, contact [email protected]
For more information on how you can rejuvenate your practice this year, call John on 07718 786 023 or email [email protected]
