In working with my dental clients to create unique dental office designs, one of the principal areas of focus is always the color scheme. We work together around whatever their “defining touch” is to craft a color schemed that will make their dental office stand out from the rest, communicate their vision for their dental office, and make their patients relaxed and comfortable.
Regardless of the ultimate color scheme selected, a few considerations always enter into the equation. First, colors in the operatories should be light and neutral. We do not want anything from the wall colors that will reflect onto or cause interference with determining true and accurate colors for color matching cosmetic details on patients’ teeth. This is obviously a quality of care issue and one that can easily be achieved through careful thought and color scheme selection.
Second, the same issue as above applies to the lab where color work is also performed. Again, the colors of the walls should not negatively impact the quality of patient care.
Lastly, avoid the use of the color red. Red, especially in its darker tones, reminds people of blood. The psychology of color is a fascinating thing and so many people are already anxious about visiting their dentist in the first place. We don’t need to do anything in the dental office design that will aggravate this situation further. Our goal in dental office design and color selection is to mitigate and reverse patients’ anxiety, not enhance it.














