How to reinvent your practice floor plan Skip to main content

How to reinvent your practice floor plan

Whether you’re planning a brand-new build out, renovating a newly-leased space, or bringing your practice into the 21st century, designing a floor plan that enhances the patient experience is a great way to differentiate your practice.

Here are some of the most important considerations to keep in mind when mapping out a layout.

Not like a typical dental office

Close your eyes and imagine you’re walking through a stereotypical dental office. Go through the front door, pass reception, take a peek at the waiting room, find the bathroom, follow the dental assistant from the waiting room to the operatory and so on. Visualize everything you see until you have a strong image in your mind. Then, open your eyes and write down everything you imagined. You’ll find a long list of images that remind people of going to the dentist. Your mission is to rework each of these scenarios to create the same functionality but without the well-known imagery that patients associate with the dental office.

Think about dimensions

No one space in your practice is more important than the others. Play around with different dimensions in each area of your practice until each feels just right given the total number of square feet you have to work with.

Plan for the future

Retrofitting your office to fit a new piece of equipment or a new treatment room can throw your work and design flow off track. Do your best to plan for the future today. If there are treatments you plan on offering in the future, work whatever modifications you require to do this into your design now, so that your future setup feels just as well thought out as your current one.

Keep it natural

Maximizing the influx of natural light at your office will create a warm and inviting environment and reduce the “I’m at the dentist” feeling that comes with being fully immersed in fluorescent light.

Balance efficiency with elegance

Remember that both form and function matter. Clinical care matters above all else, of course, but don’t let pragmatism get in the way of considering the role beauty plays in the patient experience.

Match your floor plan to your philosophy

Your practice floor plan should be as unique as its mission. Before signing off on the final draft of your design, think about how well the layout matches your personal practice philosophy.

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