Determining the best upgrades to make during your dental office remodeling can be tough. Depending on the age of your office, your wish list could be pretty long; you want to change out the office wall covering, buy new furniture for your waiting area, upgrade the receptionist’s desk, install new floor coverings, update your technology, etc.
But as much as you’d like to, you can’t do it all at once. You have to prioritize and decide which upgrades are the most important for your office renovation. If that describes the issue you’re currently facing, don’t worry – help is at hand. Here are the top three changes to make during your dental office remodeling:
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Update Your Equipment
If you want to keep your patients happy and remain competitive, you need to invest a decent amount of money into keeping your equipment current. New equipment can refer to pretty much anything you use in your practice, from a panoramic X-ray system or instrument sterilizers to ergonomic patient chairs and binocular loupes.
Using current technology indicates to patients that you prioritize offering the highest quality of care. With evolving dental technologies comes a new level of patient care and communication. With antiquated equipment, you’re communicating that patients aren’t worth the investment. You may not intend to convey this message, but this is often how outdated equipment is perceived.
If that’s not enough motivation for you to keep your equipment up-to-date, try this on for size: dental offices that embrace new technology do better financially than those with older equipment. It’s true – even during economic downturns, those who invest in their equipment thrive compared to practices that are reluctant to upgrade.
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Add Space during Dental Office Remodeling
Another one of your top priorities when undergoing dental office remodeling should be adding space whenever possible. This is especially true if you’re in an older office that hasn’t been updated in the past 20 years or more.
Not having enough space is a big concern because patients could find it difficult to navigate narrow hallways, tight spaces in the waiting area, and cramped quarters in treatment rooms. Areas need to be easy to access and move around in, especially for patients with limited mobility issues.
A good office renovation contractor like MEP Painting & Wallcoverings Inc. can offer suggestions and creative ideas for arrangement and space organization.
Ideally, you should end up with treatment rooms that have two access points and measure 9 feet by 11.5 feet. If it’s not possible to include multiple doors into each treatment room, then the size of the room should be slightly larger – around 9 feet by 12 feet. As for aisles, they should be around 48 inches wide.
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Upgrade Your Waiting Area
Your waiting area is the first part of your practice that patients encounter – it’s imperative to make a good impression! That’s why you need to reserve some of your dental office remodeling funds for the waiting room.
But the good news is that updates to the waiting area tend to be less expensive than other remodeling options, such as layout changes and equipment upgrades. In the waiting area, a little bit of change goes a long way.
For example, you can update your office wall covering, which can create a whole new atmosphere. This is especially true is you use the office wall covering to liven up the space with a pop of color. Some of the best colors for dental offices are blue and green hues because they’re relaxing and soothing.
In addition to serenely colored office wall covering, there are several other ways to make the waiting area more inviting. You could trade your hard-backed functional chairs for something a big softer and more comfortable.
Another relaxing addition is to place plants around the waiting area. Studies have shown that plants have a calming effect on nervous patients. If you’d rather not take care of live plants, you could simply include pictures of nature, which have the same soothing effect.
Prioritize and Stay Relevant with Dental Office Remodeling
Dental office remodeling is a necessity if you want to keep your business growing. But it’s important to focus on the upgrades that will bring you the highest return on investment. By updating your equipment, adding more space, and freshening up your waiting area, you can better appeal to your patients and remain competitive.
MEP Painting & Wallcoverings Inc. are office renovation contractors that provide virtually every kind of service you will need. Their extensive experience, honest, dependable, and professional approach means they are ideal for your dental office remodeling project. To reach our professional office renovation company call Mr. Mefi Franco, MEP President, at 336-215-0284 or complete the contact us form.