At Design Ergonomics, we help dentists create the most efficient, productive, and beautiful practices to meet their unique goals. Our design approach, which I developed based on my experience as a dentist running my own practices, has made us America’s largest independent dental office design firm.
However, our services aren’t the right fit for everybody.
We want every dental practice to choose the design firm that is best for their needs, even if that doesn’t include working with us. As you evaluate the best partner to work with, here are several firms you might want to consider as you plan your dental office design.
Michael Unthank has been a highly respected Dental Office designer for many years. He is the architect who created what would now be considered as the classical dual entry operatory design.
My experience is that Michael is a consummate professional. He’s the only other major designer with actual dental experience. And he’s a Nebraskan! He’s easier to get along with than me!
This firm delivers great modernist designs with a strong use of color. They aren’t beholden to follow the latest trends. Joe Architect is based in Colorado and has many local clients. Because they are not dental experts themselves, they must rely on you or a dealer for specific knowledge about operatories and performance and workflow.
My take is that if you’re just interested in a good-looking office, Joe Architect can be an excellent choice. However, you must be very clear about how you want your operatories to be organized and deeply understand your workflow.
As a retired dentist, Dr. Tom Janecek really enjoys designing. For him, it’s not just a job. Tom may be the best in the business at designing a simple yet functional solo practice.
I think you will find that Tom is one of the nicest people that you will ever meet. I suspect he has reservations about some of the larger offices that we create. We’ve always teased him that it’s okay to let some doctors dream big. The fact that most dental offices in the country are small, at three or four chairs, and intend to stay that way, means he will always have a thriving practice.
The Kappler Company, based in Europe, has a reputation for creating ultra-high-end designs. No other design company does glossy white and wood better than Kappler. With over 70 years’ experience as a cabinet maker, Kappler added dental design services to their service offering in 2017.
In many European countries, dentists have very few treatment rooms and can afford to spend a great deal on each one with the hope of maximizing performance and impressing patients with technology in the space they have. If you are in a location where real estate is incredibly expensive and you only have a limited space, I think that Kappler might be the right choice for you, especially if you wish to go ultra-modern.
We selected Benco as the dealer of choice for design. Dealers generally provide design services for steep discounts because they want to sell the resulting hardware and supplies. Of all the dealer designs that we see, Benco require the fewest complete redesigns in the future.
My take is that the team at Benco understands that much of what is considered traditional dealer design, with way too many cabinets that they make steep profits on, is a crazy way to serve a dental office. The Cohen family are great people and aren’t beholden to shareholders, so like us in private practice, they make their own decisions.
There are many considerations to creating a dental office design that’s perfect for you. We recommend speaking with many different potential partners as you make your evaluation.
At Design Ergonomics, we offer a wide range of dental practice design, renovation, and remodeling services ranging from improved inventory and sterilization, to creating additional operatories within your existing footprint. From capacity, to aesthetics, to work-flow, we cover all aspects of the dental office improvement spectrum. Speak to a Design Ergonomics Practice Liaison to learn if we are the right fit to create the ideal dental practice for you.
