There's a trend for dental offices to make a more positive impression on patients—to make the experience pleasant, comfortable and cause little or no anxiety. Trying to cover up that "dental office" smell (a real stress trigger for many) is one avenue; baking cookies in the office and serving them to patients has been gaining ground.

Admittedly, the smell of freshly baked cookies is heavenly, but is that sending the right message to patients?

Finding an alternative that is practical, healthy and covers odors is a challenge. Here are a few ideas:

Beverages

  • Brewing quality coffee is an obvious tactic.
  • You can also brew aromatic teas (there are dozens of options these days).
  • Another idea is to offer water infused with mint, cucumber slices, citrus slices or myriad other ingredients, which is often referred to as "spa water;" patients will smell the scented water when they drink it. There are endless recipes for spa water on the web.

Mandarins

Edibles

  • Offer bowls of small mandarin oranges (also known as Cuties); they produce a lovely citrus smell when patients open them up to snack on while waiting to be called.
  • A small popcorn machine can also do the trick but you may not appreciate seeing patients with kernel pieces stuck in their teeth—proceed with caution and provide floss!
 

Potpourri

Aromatherapy

  • Many studies have shown how much scent/smell can influence our experiences or trigger memories or emotions. You can use essential oils that are purported to have calming and/or healing effects on people, such as lavender, chamomile, rose, rosemary, lemon, tangerine or jasmine. Make potpourri or use the essential oils in a diffuser.
  • Create natural room scents using aromatic herbs, spices and fruit in a crock pot or on a mug or candle warmer. This blog post has numerous recipes and methods for creating natural room scents.
  • Live plants can also help give a room a fresh and calming feel. One doctor in North Carolina went all-out with this idea and installed two eight-foot water wall fountains with vertical gardens in her reception area.

We hope these suggestions give you ideas for making your office a more welcoming, comfortable and healthy place for your patients—and you and your staff.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 106 Lenora Street, Seattle, WA 98121. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.

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The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor, should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 3250 Airport Way S, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98134. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.
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