THIS CAN ALL BE EASIER
Solutions that will make your dental office a fun, easy, and productive place to work.
Creating a Multi-Generational Legacy at Turlock Dental Care
Feb 23, 2023
The practice that Dr. Robert McCulla, DDS once considered selling is now thriving and growing quickly. “My role will change over time,” he says. “I’ll be moving more into a CEO position, focusing on cosmetic dentistry, with a focus on doing veneers, sedation dentistry for fearful patients, and clear aligners like Invisalign. I will be mentoring the associates, coaching them, helping them.”
Growing Real Life Dental to 38 Operatories Across Three Facilities
Feb 13, 2023
Dr. Damon Thompson realized that his dental office would be a reflection of his vision and his personality, and a great facility is the among the best marketing and promotion that a dental practice can have.
What they don’t tell you about using dental loupes
Jan 30, 2023
I could just jump right to telling you what I consider the best dental loupes for most practitioners, but it wouldn’t make sense unless you understand the WHY. I need to talk first about some of the science behind loupe use, to help you properly judge loupe function.
Which dental delivery system is best for doctors and their patients?
Jan 4, 2023
I’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks of five dental delivery methods, including “Over-The-Patient” which was the method you probably had in dental school and that places utilities directly in front of the patient.
Four factors to help determine if you need a dental light
Dec 23, 2022
Loupe salespeople and manufacturers, who aren’t dentists, don’t understand the nuances of comprehensive dental care or the improved landscape of intraoral lighting.
Plan for dental office expansion
Dec 16, 2022
The ability to remain fully open during a future office expansion is critical, and should be carefully considered from the outset. You cannot be expected to shut down your dental office for extended periods of time, or to go prolonged periods without vital elements.
Your dental staff needs a space of their own
Dec 9, 2022
Your staff lounge should be a place for your team to relax and just be themselves, and so my team typically locates this space away from the treatment rooms and business areas.
Create space for deploying dental office technology
Dec 2, 2022
Productivity requires flexibility. That means the ability to perform any dental procedure, in any room, at any time. However, this does not mean you should stock everything needed to do any procedure in every room all the time.
Keep the dentist near the treatment rooms
Nov 21, 2022
In your dental office floor plan, it’s important that the doctor’s office is in an area that can be private when needed, but not so far away that the dentist loses valuable connection to patients and staff, and the flow of everyday activity. This combination is actually pretty difficult to accomplish in many layouts.
What Are The Best Intraoral Cameras For Dentistry?
Nov 14, 2022
The most commonly cited barrier to entry of incorporating intraoral cameras into your dental office is the cost. This can be quickly offset based on the increased production and collection potential from better diagnosis, documentation, and case acceptance.
Create A Centralized Hub For Dental Office Clinical Support
Nov 4, 2022
Your clients aren’t paying you to run back and forth hunting for rarely used supplies. And trying to stock every room (once one grows beyond three primary doctor rooms) is an exercise in futility.
How To Reduce Noise Between Dental Treatment Rooms
Oct 28, 2022
Depending on your patient’s level of apprehension, the sounds of a dental office can range from distracting to terrifying. Controlling how sound travels is critical to patient comfort – and a relaxed patient is easier to work on, and is more likely to accept treatment.
The Front Desk sets the tone for the dental patient experience
Oct 21, 2022
Let’s start the discussion about how to make sure you get your Front Desk design right the first time.
Make the entrance to your dental office easy to identify
Oct 14, 2022
A clearly identifiable dental office entrance increases the likelihood that your patients will arrive at the front desk in a good state-of-mind and receptive to treatment.
Traversing Dental Patient Chairs
Oct 6, 2022
So here’s the difference that the simple addition of traversing brings – and if you haven’t seen it you probably won’t believe it. If your chair traverses, you gain almost a foot at the toe of your room from the chair mechanism itself … and because of the flexibility of the chair placement, you actually get an additional 1/2 foot of in-room placement.
Our Own Thriving Dental Practice Serves as Idea Center and Test Facility
Sep 20, 2022
A major aspect of the working relationship between Design Ergonomics and Perfect Smiles is the opportunity to test new equipment designs in a working dental environment.
Making A Dental Treatment Room Great For Consultation
Sep 13, 2022
Have you ever been seated in a large restaurant with your back to the space and your face to the wall? It doesn’t feel great. That’s why restaurants commonly have four person tables set against the wall with patrons on either side so that no one person is forced to have their back to the main body of the space. On the other hand, further to the center of this dining room are circular tables with patrons facing in all directions, and these are not at all problematic. Clearly, placement in a room matters.
Solving Staffing Shortages in Dentistry
Sep 1, 2022
The reality is clear. We are very upset by staffing shortages. But over 90% of the dental workforce remains. They are not hostages … and neither are you. They have a choice of where to work. Your goal is to have them choose you. If you want the best team, become the best office with the highest customer satisfaction and the highest productivity.
Automation and Robotics in the Dental Industry and at Design Ergonomics
Aug 30, 2022
“I knew that in order to compete with billion-dollar companies, I was going to have to be leaner, faster, and smarter in everything that we did,” Dr. David Ahearn, DDS says. “But I also felt that there was a bigger issue at hand, which was that if we were going to create jobs in our community, I wanted to do everything I could to make them be the best jobs possible.”
Four Steri-Center Options For Your Dental Practice
Aug 23, 2022
Our industry made up the name “Steri-Center” and sold a bunch of cabinet conglomerations by convincing people that they were borderline magical. Depending on your type of practice and goals, we’ll show you choices from super cheap and…
Building Efficiency at Westgate Dental Creates a World of Opportunities for Husband and Wife Team
Aug 4, 2022
When Dr. Peter Kics started Westgate Dental Care in Arlington Heights, IL he was by himself in a 1,500 square foot space with four operatories. “At the time, I wanted to be able to do as much dentistry as I could for my patients, to…
Why are dental assistants burning out?
Jul 28, 2022
One of my biggest worries for dental practices is dental assistant burnout. While many offices are facing a range of staffing issues, I think we’re only just beginning to feel the full depth of this particular employment threat. Much…
Legendary Customer Service at Northwest Dental Group
Jul 22, 2022
When Dr. Katie Post acquired Northwest Dental Group in Rochester, MN in 2008, the business was struggling. Overall profit and the number of patients were both declining every year. “When I joined the practice in 2003, I had one or two…
Ed Carey: Building Dental Office Equipment Prototypes and Restoring Vintage Motorcycles
Jun 23, 2022
“I’ve known Dave since we were kids and we’ve been friends our entire lives,” Ed Carey, Head Engineer at Design Ergonomics says of his friend Dr. David Ahearn, founder, and CEO of the company. “When we were growing up, we used to hang…
