Our commitment is to provide the highest quality of dental care through excellence in clinical care and personal relationships. Through this our patients receive improved smiles while being guided toward overall health. It is our goal to keep your teeth healthy for a lifetime. Our target market is two fold. We strive to reach young families as well as adults 50+. When designing my office I wanted to make sure we had enough space to accommodate all sizes in our dental chairs as well as making sure the flow of the office was easy and comfortable. I also had a requirement to have a private consult room to discuss treatment or finances in a private setting with access to patient education and financing resources.

Design Criteria: Design Summary

The back business area has proven to be one of the best design solutions. It has allowed team members the space, organization, and privacy for calls and emails regarding treatment, referrals, ordering and follow up. Our top technology feature would have to be the use of the Nomad. It saves so much space and time with its compact size, portability, and ease of use.

Design Criteria: Dental Technology

We use technology in many ways. We are 99% paperless. We have computers at every work station and in each operatory. We also have all digital xrays, both pano and two different size sensors to allow access even on children. In our new space we are using the Nomad to take our individual xrays. This cleared up space in our office design and also saves time. We use the digital xrays to show patients areas of concern. We use our monitors that are visible in front of the patient with their xray enlarged for viewing. This allows them to understand more easily the dental issue. We use patient education videos on our monitors. These are accessible on all monitors throughout the office. We take digital photos on all of our new patients to give them guided tours of their mouth. We use a Canon E4D camera for this and use our operatory and consult room monitors to educate patients on their conditions. I use a diode laser every day in many applications including troughing for crown impressions and tissue removal for biopsy. In the future I would like to add digital impressions and eventually a milling machine.

Design Criteria: Dental Equipment

We moved into our new space with almost everything being brand new. Our previous office was very outdated. We brought over a few monitors and our Benco IT group integrated them with our new equipment easily. When choosing our new equipment, our Benco equipment rep worked closely with me and Unthank to ensure everything was cohesive. We made sure to pick out countertops that matched the color scheme that I worked with the designer to create. We have 7 operatories total, 2 of which are plumbed and wired but not equipped. One of these empty operatories is larger than the others to accommodate future equipment that we may need (microscope, milling unit, etc). We do plan to build out these operatories when we reach capacity with the current equipped 5 operatories.

Design Criteria: Ergonomics

Our new office has made performing dentistry a dream. We have two monitors in each operatory. One in front of the patient to display xrays and photos enlarged and in front of them and one inside the utility wall for team members to work from. It has helped tremendously with case acceptance. Each provider uses saddle stool for a chair to help with our posture and ergonomics. These chairs are smaller than traditional stools which frees up some room. Patient chairs are the Forrest slender design with massagers built in. They are comfortable to the patient and can be swiveled side to side for optimum positioning for doctor and assistant. The back business area has allowed an area for team members to work on patient follow up, referrals, and ordering in a quiet and private area. Having a front desk big enough for two printers has also helped. We are much more efficient in our new space.

Design Criteria: Aesthetics

At Ellis Dental our commitment is to provide the highest quality of dental care through excellence in clinical care and personal relationships. Moving to our new space has allowed us to demonstrate both of these. Patients can see our dedication to staying up to date with technology and we can explain to them how this benefits them and their treatment. Our patient experience has improved dramatically. They have a comfortable space to wait if they are early for an appointment or if they are waiting on a family member. We offer free Wi-Fi so patients can stay connected while in the office. Patients love being able to see their xrays and photos in front of them on the monitors. It has been much easier to gain treatment acceptance. Patients feel at ease in the new massage treatment chairs. We value our patients. This can be seen with the 24 x 36 framed photos of patients that are displayed with photo lights on our utility walls facing the hallways. We have individual portable digital radios in each operatory so patients or team members can play music during treatment. This sound stays in the individual operatory. The consult room can be open or closed to keep sound and discussions private. Our lab has a unique closure at the bottom to keep sound isolated to the lab during lab work. We have a "good-bye" mirror in the hallway on the way out so patients can make sure they feel and look presentable.

Design Advice: Dental Technology

Take your time doing your research and planning. A good real estate agent, architect, and equipment specialist are key to success. A good agent can help you compare and negotiate new space. A good architect will help you design everything up front to avoid change orders. A good equipment specialist will show you all of your options and help select what will work best for your situation. Ask for references from all of these people and trust what other dentists say that have worked with them.