Top 5 Tips for Dental Office Interior Design
Author’s Note: This article provides recommendations for dentists and dental office managers on creating a décor that helps patients feel relaxed and comfortable. Wall murals for dentist offices are one of the most cost-effective methods for creating an engaging atmosphere that attracts new patients and keeps current patients coming back for the excellent care you provide.
Whether you’re constructing a new dental office or redecorating an existing facility, you have a multitude of design options to choose from. How do you create an environment that makes patients feel at ease, while also boosting staff morale and effectively promoting your practice? In this blog post, the Magic Murals Design Team reviews our top five tips for putting together a cohesive look and feel that will appeal to your current patients and target markets.
Tip 1: Start with identifying and understanding your ideal patients and their needs.
If you’ve invested in market research (there’s some great information from the American Dental Association at this link), refer to it as you brainstorm decorating ideas and develop a plan. Don’t be intimidated, however, if you don’t have formal research. Simply write down the names of three to five of your existing ideal patients. Record their age, gender, ethnicity, education level, socio-economic status, dental needs, and other key information.
You can also create marketing personas to represent the types of patient you’re trying to attract. Using personas is instrumental if you’re just beginning to develop a patient base.
Do you serve pediatric, geriatric, or special needs patients? Consider the demographics of their caregivers as well.
Distill the information you’ve collected into a short list of the characteristics your ideal clients share. You’re now in a better position to make interior design decisions that appeal to your patient population and maximize their comfort during their visits to your office.
Tip 2: Opt for office décor that reinforces your overall brand.
Your primary focus is providing top-quality clinical care for your patients—not brand management. The reality, however, is that every dental practice has a brand, regardless of whether it happens by default, or you carefully craft it to achieve your goals. The wall art, lighting, fixtures, furniture, and color palette you choose ideally work together to create a relaxing environment for your patients.
“Attached are some long overdue photos of our office, Oceans Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Westfield, NJ with our magic murals walls. We LOVE them and get amazing feedback about the fish wall regularly. Thank you so much for all of you efforts and beautiful work! Happy New Year!” ~ Dr. Eric
Your décor is a physical manifestation of your commitment to providing patients with outstanding care. Does the design of your current office reflect the high standards you have for your clinical work? If not, our knowledgeable design team can assist you with wall murals created specifically for your dental practice.
Magic Murals client Oceans Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry is one of many who chose to rely on the beauty and universal appeal of nature scenes when decorating. Their Westfield, NJ office is located only 14 miles from the ocean and patients can easily imagine they’re spending a day at the beach while having a cavity filled.
Durable and easy to clean, murals are an excellent choice for pediatric practices and healthcare facilities, in general. Our premium murals are fire safe and constructed with nontoxic materials. Wall murals are easy to install (really!), and you can switch them out with new scenes without hassle when you decide to refresh your look.
Tip 3: Choose a theme and make decisions about décor in accordance with it.
Your theme serves as a helpful guidepost as you select all aspects of your décor. Our wall murals for dentist practices are a highly effective way to create a consistent look and feel throughout your reception area, waiting room, clinical areas, administrative offices and even your restrooms.
If you’re having trouble deciding on a theme to unify your look and feel, we’re happy to lend a hand.
The design professionals at Magic Murals have assisted thousands of clients over fifteen years with image selection and the creation of their custom murals. Every day, our friendly team works with staff members at healthcare facilities of all types to create wall murals for their offices that help them create the right impression (dental pun intended!) on their patients.
We can help you avoid common mistakes, such as choosing a theme that appeals to you—but not to your patients. Medical illustrations of tooth anatomy won’t soothe most patients or distract them from a medical procedure. You want to select designs that are pleasing to you that also lift the mood of those in your care and encourage them to be receptive to treatment.
Help Your Patients Imagine Being Elsewhere
Who wouldn’t enjoy a trip to Europe? Magic Murals client Area Dental Services in Claremont, NH decorated their dental treatment rooms with picturesque villages and exquisite landscapes. Patients can pretend they’re hiking in the Alps while you install their crown.
For wall murals for their treatment rooms, Area Dental Service opted for gorgeous images of the natural beauty and quaint urban landscapes of Europe. These images have broad appeal, provide a welcome distraction during treatment, and project gravitas that is congruent with Dr. Weaver’s 40 years of experience. The patients enjoy the serene vision of the beautiful outdoors.
The staff at Area Dental Service specialize in the placement of mini dental implants, full and partial dentures, and extractions. The muted tones and sophistication of the images they chose for their dentist office wall murals reflect their commitment to taking the time to listen to patients’ concerns and making sure they feel completely secure and informed throughout the entire treatment process.
Tip 4: Recognize that the right aesthetics can contribute to better patient outcomes.
The quality of the décor influences patient satisfaction, and satisfaction affects clinical outcomes. Of course, providing top-notch dental care is paramount. However, you also want to take advantage of the tremendous value of providing a pleasant space for the delivery of care. Your interior design choices can increase the confidence patients have in your practice and improve patient retention.
Certain aesthetics can even influence how well patients respond to treatment. In a groundbreaking study, researcher Roger Ulrich found that surgical patients in hospital rooms with a view of nature had better outcomes than matched patients in similar rooms with a view of a brick wall.
The group of patients who could see nature from their windows had shorter hospital stays after surgery. The group with the view of a wall took more potent analgesics and received more negative evaluative comments in nurses’ notes.
This evidence-based study was conducted in a Pennsylvania hospital between 1972–81, and a large body of research examining the importance of the design of healthcare facilities has followed. New knowledge regarding the positive effects of innovative interior design on patients and staff alike has led to tremendous changes in healthcare facilities. Boring, sterile environments that intimidate are being transformed with color schemes and decorative elements that lift the spirit.
Tip 5: Maximize the marketing benefits of your beautifully designed space to attract and retain patients.
Let’s face it—going to the dentist is stressful for most people. About 36% of Americans fear dental treatment, according to Cleveland Clinic. Even in the absence of clinical anxiety, most people don’t look forward to their time in a dental chair.
So, how do you encourage patients to get past their fears, keep their appointments, and receive the critical dental care they need? In addition to providing excellent care, optimizing the design and layout of your office helps patients feel calmer. Good design fosters a welcoming atmosphere that makes a trip to the dentist feel more like “me time” and less like a chore.
Let Your Patients Do Your Marketing for You
Digital marketing is vital to the profitability of your practice, and it depends largely on great visuals. Now more than ever, the look of your office is one of your most important marketing tools as it is likely to show up on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and across the web.
Featuring photos of your state-of-the-art space on your website and in your social media feeds helps you land new patients in a competitive market. Design elements like step and repeat wall murals of your logo for your dental practice provide opportunities for visitors to take selfies of their beautiful smiles for their own social media accounts.
On average, American teens spend a whopping 4.8 hours on social media per day, according to recent research by Gallup. Whether you approve or not, there’s no denying that social media provides pediatric and orthodontic practices with a huge opportunity to reach young patients with positive messages about their dental health.
You know that getting your braces off has become almost a rite of passage for American teens. A selfie wall with a step and repeat mural of your logo provides the perfect spot for patients to show off their dazzling new smiles.
Younger kids will enjoy taking “No cavities!” and “I was an awesome patient!” pics in front of your logo mural. Parents and other relatives will post and re-post these photos with pride to their social media feeds.
Adults enjoy getting in on the fun as well! A custom wall mural for your dental practice creates the ideal backdrop for staff photos, as well as providing a place for adult patients to snap a photo that shows off their pearly whites.
Dr. Ari and his staff at Kaleidoscope Kids Dentistry in Murray, UT regularly post pictures of themselves and their patients (often engaged in some sort of highjinks) on social media. It’s a great way of connecting with your patients and bringing some levity to dentistry.
Décor that impresses also makes it more likely for your patients to remember to tell others about the excellent care they received. Word-of-mouth marketing (you knew we’d work in another dental pun!) remains critical for dental practices because most of us rely on referrals from friends and family for important services like healthcare.
We all know dentistry is serious business, but gentle humor and a little lightheartedness can go a long way to helping nervous patients feel more comfortable. Of course, a playful attitude and some whimsy can be reflected in your décor as well. Pediatric dentists can choose from a huge variety of fun, colorful wall murals for dental practices. Let our experienced team help you choose the imagery that’s just right for your practice.
Kaleidoscope Kids Dentistry has fun and colorful graphics throughout the practice’s offices. The kids love it (and so do their parents).
This bright and colorful kid-friendly mural graces the reception area of Sunny Smiles Pediatric Dentistry in Mahwah, NJ.
Law Orthodontics in Homewood, AL regularly creates buzz with social media posts. The custom wall mural we created for Dr. Maggie, a board-certified orthodontist, provides the perfect backdrop for a photo of her and messaging that promotes the practice’s Invisalign services. Let Magic Murals help you strengthen your brand and build an online community for your practice!
Take advantage of our design services!
Patients’ first impressions can make or break your dental practice, and their first moments in your office often set the tone for their entire visit. Let the design professionals at Magic Murals help you create a healing environment for your patients that inspires you to be at your best every day when providing care.
Wall murals for dental practices are a cost-effective way for you to differentiate your services from the competition. They instantly make a room interesting without adding clutter or taking up space. You can also install murals to designate space for a specific purpose, which can help improve workflow in your office.
You can use wall murals in your dentist office to make small spaces more inviting or create the illusion of taller ceilings. Murals even allow you and your patients to enjoy magnificent nature scenes in windowless rooms.
We can accommodate any design preference and offer almost limitless access to images. Our team can adjust artwork to perfectly complement your color palette, remove unwanted objects, and more. You’re also welcome to provide us with your personal images to be crafted into one-of-a-kind artwork for your dental practice.
Whether you need a quick redo of one area of your practice or a partner for a full-scale redesign or new construction, we look forward to learning more about your project. Contact us online today or call us at (877) 448-7295 for a free consult. Or chat online with one of our friendly team members.