The key to creating a pleasant patient journey for your customers is all about making them feel comfortable, and this is easily achieved by offering them a distraction.

Google dictionary describes a distraction as “a thing that prevents someone from concentrating on something else.”

A trip to the dentist is never a date that anyone looks forward to, unless it is for a cosmetic tooth whitening treatment, of course.

So we have put together our top ideas for creating an experience that will distract the most nervous of patients and help them forget where they are.

Flowers

Displaying a vase or two of beautiful seasonal flowers around your practice is a lovely way to welcome your customers. Not only will the flowers give off a fragrance and keep your waiting rooms smelling fresh, but they will also offer comfort to anxious patients. Flowers are a nice distraction for patients of any age. Children are always fascinated by the shapes and colours of flowers, while adults can often be seen transfixed on flowers, that can provoke so many beautiful memories.

We also like the use of artificial flowers, for interior design accessories. They can look very authentic and if handled with care will last a lot longer than a florist bouquet. They are also a good choice if you are concerned about pollen levels and any customers who may suffer from hay fever.

We love the range of artificial flowers from Bloom Exquisite Silk flowers which offer single stems, arrangements, and plants.

Pictures

Adding pictures to the room space of your dental practice will not only liven up your waiting and treatment rooms, it will also create the impression of an entirely different area. Think back to how clinical and stark a dental practice used to be ‘back in the day,’ plain white walls and ceiling tiles, a perfect blank canvas featuring a poster on oral health care.  Pictures are the ideal accessory to help create a relaxing customer journey and can be purchased very cheaply.

You could even have your own unique pictures created into a beautiful canvas, choosing local areas of beauty that your patience will recognise and enjoy looking at.

We like Photobox who offer a canvas printing service and often run special promotions.

Screens

Screens are a brilliant addition to your design space that will be enjoyed by all your patients, no matter how old they are. Strategically placing a television screen on the ceiling of your treatment rooms will give patients something to focus on while undergoing treatment. For patients with a nervous disposition, it is actually quite a nice idea to find out what they enjoy watching so you can play a TV show that you know they will enjoy.  Allowing a patient to focus on something that resonates with them will help them get through a treatment that makes them feel nervous.

Screens can also make a handsome feature piece hanging on the wall of the reception area, for patients to watch while they are waiting for their appointment. We particularly like the DVD films of floating fish and flickering fires for those chillier days. Both adults and children are sure to be fully focused on these mesmorising movies.

Music

Music can be an excellent distraction and allows patients to focus on the sounds and words of each track. Why not suggest that your patients bring their own headphones for use while they are undergoing their treatment.  Fully immersing themselves in a private cocoon of their favourite playlist can help patients forget about any discomfort of distressing sounds of the dreaded drill during their appointment.

You could also consider investing in some luxury headphones to be used by more nervous patients.

Bose wireless headphones tick all the boxes when it comes to comfort and surround sound to allow the user to get lost in their music.

If you are considering a refurbishment of your dental practice, please call us on 01462 732 991, and we can discuss what we feel would work for your type of environment.