Chicago Dental Office Design

What to Consider in Your Dental Office Design

The overall functionality of the construction design is the primary consideration that dictates the final dental office floor plan and layout. Many dentists make the mistake of trying to adapt their design to an already existing floor plan, but this can prove inefficient and even costly in the long term. Ideally, when an office is built from scratch, the designer begins with the interior treatment rooms and digital imaging facilities and moves outward, allowing the building’s final footprint to form organically.

Unfortunately, most dentists do not have this luxury. Most need to remodel existing facilities to fit the needs of a fully functional dental office. This strategy sometimes poses some design challenges, but the team from ACOA can help with the process. With over twenty years of experience in Chicago dental office design, our designers and project managers help clients every day to transform existing spaces into the dental offices of their dreams.

Planning Ahead

To ensure that the design and construction process runs as smoothly as possible, careful planning in the beginning stages can save dentists valuable time and money. Once the construction process begins, making revisions or additions to the floor plan can delay the opening date of the new facility and cost potentially tens of thousands of dollars in unforeseen costs. Completing a simple checklist will help most dentists begin to envision their new future office space and layout.

ACOA Dental Office Construction Considerations

Throughout our more than 20 years of experience building out dental offices in Chicago, ACOA Dental Construction has learned a thing or two about what’s important to keep in mind when you’re planning a new dental office buildout. Here are some of the most important factors you should consider for your new office:

• Number of Dentists
• Number of Hygienists
• Number of Assistants
• Number of Office Staff
• Number of Patients Per Day
• Number of Waiting Room Seats
• X-ray and radiographic Technology Requirements
• Darkroom Requirements
• Specialty Equipment Requirements
• Delivery System Requirements
• Mechanical Room Requirements (HVAC Systems, Air Compressors, Tanks, Pumps, Etc.)
• Filing Requirements
• Storage Requirements
• Restroom Requirements
• Miscellaneous Extra Requests

With this basic Construction Checklist, the practitioner together with the design team can use this information to begin creating the final dental office floor plan. Traffic flow patterns and maximum employee efficiency are a primary concern, but we also want to consider how inviting and relaxing the new environment will be from the viewpoint of the patient. The dentist should also evaluate the final design and layout based on anticipated business growth over the duration of the lease.

Planning for Future Growth

For dentists who are developing a new practice, the clientele will likely require only two fully functional treatment rooms until patient demand dictates the need for further expansion. To maximize employee efficiency over the long term, all treatment rooms should have identical layouts, dimensions, and equipment. This will allow the dentist to perform any services in any treatment room while reducing the potential for “scheduling issues” based on room preferences.

Treatment rooms should also be close to one another to reduce travel time from patient to patient for the dentist. There are three basic configurations that most dentists prefer, and your design team can help you determine which options will work best for your new facility. For more information on efficient and cost effective Chicago dental office design, contact the professionals at ACOA today.