Dental Office Waiting Room Furniture: 5 Comfortable Must-Haves

Form and function combined

The waiting room is perhaps the most crucial space inside a dental office. 

By fostering a warm and welcoming environment, your reception area can help reduce first-time patient jitters, build an atmosphere that follows patients throughout their entire visit and ultimately encourage patients to come back for future visits.

Choosing the right dental office waiting room furniture should receive as much care and attention as any other part of your practice. The following dental office waiting room ideas will help you build ambiance, instill a sense of calm and keep patients comfy while they wait.

Five essential furniture choices for the modern dental office waiting room

Comfortable chairs

When designing your dental office waiting room, your first instinct is to fill it with chairs. 

Here’s the catch: people hate waiting. In fact, millennials cite wait times of under 10 minutes as a key reason for choosing their dentist. Your goal is to find a balance between the number of chairs in your waiting room and your expected patient load to ensure you have enough seating while avoiding a feeling of overcrowding.

When choosing furniture, consider options that prioritize comfort and durability. Leather or fabric upholstery are attractive, but they may not stand up to constant use—especially if one of your patients spills coffee all over it. 

Instead, look for options with faux leather or vinyl made of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride to achieve a similar look that will be longer lasting at a lower cost.

Longer benches for families

Depending on your waiting room layout, relying on benches, love seats or couches may make more sense than placing individual chairs. They’re a great way to offer more seating in a smaller space.

An entertainment center

Typically, appointment wait times shouldn’t last longer than a few minutes. But on busier days, an entertainment center—complete with cable TV and movie viewing options—will help keep patients occupied. 

For family dental practices, having a few cartoons on hand and a play area stocked with toys will keep kids busy until their name is called. 

Lush plants that are easy to care for

Indoor plants are a great way to spruce up any modern dental office waiting room. Consider options like the money plant, snake plant or succulents. These options generate the most oxygen, which is excellent for reducing patient stress. They also require the least amount of upkeep, which is perfect for busy employees.

Warm lighting

The proper lighting can also make for a soothing, welcoming environment. Your back office and operating rooms will rely on cold temperature lighting for improved visibility, but warmer temperature lights in your waiting room will provide a relaxing, inviting atmosphere. 

Standing lamps (combined with overhead lighting) fill out a space with a natural glow, while table lamps provide additional accents to your dental office waiting room decor. If it’s an option, natural lighting through windows and skylights is even better.

Give your dental office a homey feel

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