Do you have an eco-friendly dental office? And is it missing that one detail that affects the success of your practice? 

In this post, we’re going to dive into eco-friendly dental office design. You want an office that improves your staff’s workflow, attracts new patients and creates an unforgettable experience. You are trying to find the delicate intersection of beauty, functionality, and profitability, but the one detail that you cannot afford to forget in the best dental office design is sustainability!

Eco-Friendly Dental Office Design

Why Sustainability?

The traditional definition of sustainability is a method of using a resource in a way that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. In today’s terms, sustainability especially refers to the use of environmentally-friendly practices in everyday life to protect the earth for future generations. This can be as simple as recycling your plastic bottles and cans or signing up for paperless notifications. And this traditional definition goes even deeper when it comes to dental practice design choices. Things to consider in a new dental design are water usage, furniture, and operatory material choices, lighting, restroom facilities, technology, and energy usages.

While going green is an important decision for each individual, it is even more important for dental practices. Not only can it increase your bottom line with long-term thinking, but it also builds a long-term brand with your patients who place high value in sustainable business.

Do Your Patients Really Care About Sustainability?

Over the last couple of years, studies overwhelmingly demonstrate that consumers, especially Millennials, prefer businesses that are environmentally friendly. For some, it is not merely a factor, but something that drives their entire consumption habits. In a recent study, 85% of Millennials expressed that it is “extremely” or “very” important that companies implement sustainable programs. In another study, 88% of consumers said they are more loyal to businesses that support social or environmental issues, and 92% said that they are more likely to trust businesses that support social or environmental issues.

By implementing sustainable practices into your new dental office design you will see, trust and loyalty grow with your current patients, as well as the attraction of many new patients. You can take pride in your own contribution to the health of the environment, and as an added benefit, your practice will see a boost in business. Many dentists overlook this crucial aspect of their dental office and as a result, miss out on reaching their fullest potential.

First Steps Towards A Green Dental Office

 You may have the desire to be more environmentally conscious but just don’t know where to start. Here are some helpful first steps that will get you on your way to a more eco-friendly practice:

1) Evaluate

Take a look at your dental practice as it currently stands. Be specific! Write down as many numbers as you can so you can begin to track metrics of energy use from month to month. Be sure to record your observations as you work through this first step.

• Does your practice use a high volume of paper? Where can you replace with digital? 
• Be mindful of how much electricity and water your practice uses. What are a few ways to get your technicians to decrease usage?
• Identify a few areas of high/unnecessary resource usage. Are you throwing away items that should be recycled?
• Consider other practice items, such as amalgam usage or x-rays. Can these items be decreased or disposed of more carefully? Think through each area of your office and evaluate your current processes, and how you can improve!

2) Plan

After a comprehensive evaluation, look at your list and think of one way you can improve each item. Come up with a specific goal for each item and think about how to reach it. Maybe you want to reduce paper usage by 50%, and a way to accomplish that would be converting more of your paperwork and notifications to digital. Consider how your office design plays a part: For example, how can you utilize natural light to reduce electricity consumption? Don’t get overwhelmed, this process does not need to be finished in a week. Plan to implement your changes over the next six months to a year.

Also, build into your practice’s budget the necessary expenditures of a green office. You will experience a lot of freedom when you determine in the planning process how much you are able to spend towards sustainability, and how it can positively impact your bottom line in the long run.

3) Execute

You have now evaluated your practice, identified what and how to improve and have a plan for when you will be making changes and how much you are going to spend. Now is the time to execute your plan! Have patience as you go and take pride in that while it may be hard or take time to adjust, you are making a positive impact with your business.

4) Monitor

After implementing your plan, monitor the metrics and goals that you previously determined. Are you hitting your goals? Why or why not? How is it going? It is always important to monitor and remain flexible because no plan ever goes 100% as you thought it would.

The Kappler Difference

Here at Kappler, we understand that sustainability is a crucial aspect of dental office design and have been happily serving our clients with eco-friendly solutions for over 70+ years. Below are some examples of ways we have integrated sustainability into our dental office designs: 

Light

Our dental office designs leverage natural light as much as possible, as well as light sensors in each room. This enables our offices to conserve as much electricity as possible.

Water

We utilize automatic faucets in operatories and restrooms, as well as foot sensors for faucets in sterilization. These help to minimize the use of excess water in your daily dental office functions.

Cabinetry

We design and manufacture custom cabinetry to the highest global sustainability standards. Utilizing high-quality, sturdy cabinetry prevents your office from having to frequently replace cabinetry. Great cabinetry combined with efficient dental design plans will do wonders! Our dental designs centralize cabinetry, especially in operation areas, to make sure that excess cabinetry is minimized. We also use low-impact glues and resins in all of our dental cabinets. These efforts allow your office to use the least amount of resources while at the same time communicating to your patients that you value the quality, efficiency, and minimal environmental impact.

Are You Ready For AN ECO-FRIENDLY Dental Office?

There is no doubt that sustainability is a huge key to the best dental office designs. If you are ready to take the next steps in designing sustainability into your dream practice, contact us today for a complimentary consultation! At Kappler, we have impressed clients and patients across the globe for over 70 years with our stunning designs. We understand the intricacies of a sustainable, beautiful, and efficient dental office. We would love to partner with you in making your dream dental office design a reality!