To attract affluent new dental patients, you’ll need to match up to their expectations. Clients with higher incomes are desirable because they are more likely to spend extra on premium procedures – but patients in this demographic will shop around, so your practice will need to make an immediate positive impact. Here we’ll explain how you can use interior design to create the kind of luxury environment your well-to-do clients expect.

Hi-tech and modern

Higher income patients will be prepared to pay more for their dentistry, but only if they feel they’re getting the very best. By all means let them know in your marketing materials that you offer the latest treatments using hi-tech equipment; but be sure to back this up by imbuing your interiors with design touches that convey the impression of a state-of-the-art dental practice. (And include images of your modern-looking practice in your brochure!) 

To convey a cutting-edge and modern dental practice with all the latest equipment, try these interior design techniques:

• Sleek and minimalist. When you think of hi-tech medical environments, they’re unlikely to include lots of clutter. Remove superfluous items from your reception and waiting area and rearrange furniture to help convey a sense of space.
• Keep it clean. Ensure that every part of your practice, from the reception desk to the toilets, is always spotless. In the treatment room, white walls and floors will emphasise cleanliness and modernity.
• Get as much natural light into your practice as you can.

Premium quality interiors

High income clients are accustomed to premium quality service, and a pleasant and accommodating atmosphere to match. Wherever they take their custom: at the gym, hairdresser, on planes and trains, they expect first class standards that reflect the prices they pay. So to create a dental practice where affluent new dental patients will feel at home, it’s important to use interior design as a tool to inspire confidence in high-end clients and to influence their feelings about your practice.

Providing a premium quality environment for your patients doesn’t need to cost the earth. Try these cost-effective methods to create a luxury setting:

• Prioritise public areas. Patients will spend time in your reception area, and will notice design details. Invest in luxurious seating, hardwood coffee tables and high quality paint for the walls. Don’t scrimp on fittings like taps, where the difference in quality will be noticed.
• Hardwood flooring is an investment that will pay off; it’s a hardwearing and durable material that will look good and last for years.
• Small touches. Sometimes, simple (and relatively low-cost) gestures can convey a VIP atmosphere. Offer a water cooler or a fridge filled with bottled water. In the bathrooms, provide hotel-standard soaps and hand creams.

Make a good first impression

New dental patients may consider a few different dental surgeries before committing to register at their favourite. The feeling they get from their first visit will cement their attitude to your practice and their impressions of what it can deliver – so the design of your dental surgery can make all the difference when recruiting new patients.

For assistance with dental surgery design and fit-out, contact Apollo Interiors on 01462 732 991.