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Ideal Dentist Waiting Rooms

When you visit your dentist’s office and open the door, the first thing you see is the waiting room. Most dentist’s waiting rooms are drab and neglected-looking places. The carpet tends to be old and worn. The chairs are usually uncomfortable and have seen better days – long, long ago. The walls are covered with bland artwork and holders for brochures on dental credit plans and a dizzying assortment of dental problems we hope we never get ourselves. For distraction there is an abundance of back issues of magazines, typically Reader’s Digest and National Geographic. As a rule, they tend not to be inviting places, but are rather dull and boring chambers with little to distract the patient while she awaits her time in the chair, where she will certainly experience her share of discomfort, probably accentuated with moments of sharp pain.

While is it certainly the case that dentists should make their dental care of their patients their top priority, many seem to overlook the emotional care of the patients while they await their time with the dentist or dental hygienist. Conscious attention to the waiting room can really help to improve the patient’s experience in the dental practice. The waiting room can help keep the patient’s mind off not only the probable discomfort to come, but also the possibility that the patient will be diagnosed with a cavity or more serious tooth and gum problems. A well thought-out waiting room could even improve the likelihood that a dentist’s patients will want to come back when they should.

A Santa Maria dentist’s waiting rooms should be bright, well-lit places. Everything should be done to make them cheery and upbeat. The wall color should be a light pastel. As informative as they may be, keep the depressing brochures in the office, rather in the waiting room. The waiting room chairs should be soft and comfortable. Have an abundance of books and magazines to suit a wide range of interests, but here too keep the subject matter positive, rather than weighty. Include books of jokes and humor. Play upbeat music at a low volume to lighten the mood. Even if most of your patients are adults, have a few video game consoles available. Lots of adults nowadays like to play video games. But set the volume level low, so as not to disturb the readers. Or better yet, have headphones plugged in to the televisions that the game players can use. If you see children patients, have lots of fun toys that they can play with. And, of course, make sure that your receptionist has a positive, upbeat personality. Do everything you can to make a visit to the dentist, which no one really looks forward to, as pleasant and positive an experience as possible. As a dentist, you need to look after your patient as a whole person, not just your patient’s mouth, and that all begins when your patient opens the door to your wonderful waiting room.