Laminates imbue dental offices with personality: practical yet personable, laminates play a starring role in helping dental offices set the right mood for patients.

Anyone who visits the dentist knows how dramatically different treatment is today compared to 10 or 15 years ago. The same is true of the design and decor of dental offices.

Many dentists have adopted open-bay layout concepts, pioneered by. Walter Doyle and others, which facilitate the smooth flow and operation of the practice. Beyond this, some facilities are truly memorable in their visual appeal. Fortunately, it doesn't necessarily require significantly more resources or planning to create a space that connects with patients on an emotional level.

Changes in dental office functionality and appearance are being driven by two forces. One is the advent of new technologies, such as digital radiography, that change the design requirements of offices. Another is the economic need to treat patients in an expeditious and efficient manner, while still providing them with an experience that respects their privacy and appeals to them in a positive way. What follows are three case studies in which designing with laminates became key to offering a pleasant dental experience.

Dental Spa Strives for Ambience

What if your practice isn't focused on surgery, but instead on elective or cosmetic dental treatments? For Dental Spa, the answer was to take ambience and design to an even higher plane.

Located in the Mission Hills-Warm Springs section of Fremont, CA, Dental Spa focuses much of its practice on cosmetic dentistry, such as teeth brightening, veneers and restorative work. The company turned to Kathleen Thornton, principal of Colour & Design Studio, to design a space that would appeal to its high-end clientele.

Thornton worked closely with the office's head dentist, Dr. Suzanne Borges, and many of the design touches reflect Borges' personality. "The doctor is an art buff. She loves things that are dramatic as well as relaxing. Placing a fountain in the waiting room is a focal element that we built around," Thornton explains.

"There's Zen background and feng shui that went into the philosophy of why I placed things where I did. We included sensual elements, such as creating curved soffits down the hallway so that the eye will flow softly. It's less clinical," Thornton adds.

The creative use of surround soffits in each operatory create an open environment--yet with the feeling of privacy. Each operatory has its own window onto an outside garden courtyard that has fountains in the shape of urns. Thus, the office is designed for efficiency and the flow of staff, while patients are treated to calming nature influences that lessen the "fear factor" associated with their dental procedures.

Selecting decorative surfaces turned out to be a critical element in helping to complete Thornton's vision for Dental Spa. Laminate was selected because of its performance qualities. "Durability is always an issue with dental facilities," Thornton says. "Doctors want facilities to look good, along with being resistant to water, scratches and the chemicals they use. I find today's laminates to be very stain-resistant. Plus, they're so durable."

"If I have a trademark, it's that I use the power of combining neutrals and then accent with artifacts, or play on something like natural forms--something that becomes the focal point," Thornton says.

In this project, most of the operatory cabinetry were made with Nevamar's Amazen Calm pattern, which exudes a soft green hue. "Many greens today tend to be metallic and strong. But I just love this particular green. The pattern is not busy, it's very even and it's so soothing that it becomes a neutral," she remarks.

Another other pattern used throughout the facility is Blossom Cherry. "You have to look twice to know that this is not real wood," Thornton says. "It also gives the feeling of richness and grounded sophistication that completes the balance of calm and classic beauty."

In addition to fountains, the office is decorated with Picasso prints, spotlighted by gallery lights. A mixture of direct and indirect lighting is used to accommodate clinical needs as well as provide accent and directional lighting for atmosphere. According to Thornton, the overall effect creates a softer, more subdued environment. Completing the restful mood is aromatherapy and strategically placed ceiling speakers for music.

Lee Looks for Surface Appeal

In the case of Santa Cruz, CA-based Lee Dental Office, a father/son pediatric dental practice, designer Eric Schmidt of Eric Schmidt Interiors faced the challenge of designing for two distinct age groups.

"It's a bit more complex because you don't just have the kids to consider. You have their parents as well," Schmidt says.

Schmidt's goal was to design "something that respects young people's intellect while connecting with parents, so they don't feel like they're entering a kid's world." The resulting look: "Picasso meets SpongeBob SquarePants."

"What the two have in common are vibrant colors," Schmidt says. "They're both artistically generated, and there's some very good common ground there."

Schmidt started by focusing on the decorative surfaces--specifically, high pressure laminate. "It's the best value, hands down. There's just nothing that compares with it for durability and longevity of use," he says. "It holds up beautifully," he adds, noting that Dr. Lee's experience with laminate cabinets over the past 30 years is that they are easy to clean and maintain.

Schmidt says he also likes variety of colors and patterns available. "It has a greater range of selection than just about any other type of material. I looked around at the various manufacturers, and when I encountered the add wasabi color in a Nevamar bamboo pattern, it was just perfect. That bamboo, together with a purple [the color of the dental chairs] are nine-tenths of what I needed for the whole SpongeBob/Picasso appeal--that vibrancy and that 'wow'. At the same time, the woodgrain pattern keeps it from being too cold or [plastic looking]. It's very processed, but it doesn't feel antiseptic," he says.

Schmidt selected three bamboo laminate patterns for the Lee office, in three different colorways: Extreme Green, Xanadu Blue and Red Dragon. The Laminate helped realize his vision of balancing horizontal and vertical space, which he says came from inspiration drawn from "a big Oriental tonsu chest." The patterns are complemented by several solid color laminates.

In addition to the laminate color choices, other novel touches include large flatscreen TV monitors in each operatory area, which play animated movie classics to entertain the children before and during care procedures. There is also custom neon artwork mounted high on the walls, adding visual interest while patients are sitting in the dental chair. Meanwhile, adults respond to the colorful prints of Kandinsky, Mire' and Picasso that are displayed throughout the office and exam areas.

The Lee office design can be characterized as "form follows function." For example, rounded edges are designed into the entryways to keep people from getting clipped on corners, as well as guarding against delamination. Every aspect of the cabinetry also was planned to optimize efficiency, from the overall height of the cabinets to the specific dimensions of the enclosures and drawers. Located behind the cabinet doors is equipment that can roll, slide or swing out. Schmidt says that the custom casework often catches the eyes of parents, who often touch the surfaces and are amazed to discover that they are made of laminate.

Color Makes its Mark in Mugford Office

Finding a way to combine the requirements of new technology with design ambience was the goal of Dr. David Mugford when he moved to his new facilities in Crofton, MD. Mugford runs a growing fee-for-service periodontal practice with another associate. Most of his patients are adults, between the ages of 30 and 60. When a former bank building became available in his service area, he jumped at the opportunity to move into more spacious quarters.

Mugford's first concern was the office layout. "I was aiming for work areas that would flow into each other," he says. "I wanted to have everything surrounding the autoclave sterilization area for easy access." The resulting design is a circular floor plan, with the center section containing sterilization, lab and doctor's consultation room areas.

Working with Gail Sherman of GSB Designs, Mugford designed a layout that accommodated not only the reception, office and operatory areas, but also included a large room where he may conduct periodontal lectures and teach procedures to other dentists. The operatories are open--each one offering a window view--yet are designed to provide patient privacy. The flow of the space makes it easy to transport shared diagnostic equipment between operatory areas.

After determining the optimal office layout, Mugford next focused on the interior design. "I wanted a warm and inviting space--a classic design in keeping with the traditional character of the building," he says.

Sherman attributes the visual appeal of the office to more than simply the colors chosen. "Most patients are coming in for periodontal surgery, but the goal is to have a place where you don't immediately think of 'surgery.' The reception area has a wood floor with an oriental area rug. The seating has striped upholstery fabric. Throughout the office, we use more saturated colors--ones that aren't so pastel The colors feel more solid, they anchor the space and it's more elegant. The whole effect is one of not being overly designed. It's just quietly elegant and comforting," she says.

Laminate played an important role in realizing the vision. "The choice of laminate has been excellent," Mugford says. "The laminates provide an expensive, rich feel without using an expensive material such as marble."

One of the laminate patterns chosen was Viridian Marble, made by Nevamar. The greenish hue of this pattern is accented by a woodgrain edge treatment, which complements another Nevamar laminate pattern called Blossom Cherry--a cherry-like woodgrain that is used throughout the office. "Most people think we actually used real wood, but it's not," Sherman remarks. Laminates are also used in the custom-built cabinetry made by a dental outfitter.

Sherman specified four different laminate patterns for Mugford's office. "Earlier in my career, I would never have used a laminate that represented a natural surface such as wood or marble. I was 'true to the material,' you could say. But now I'm not afraid to use whatever material is going to work best for what my clients need. [And] for this office, durability was a big issue," she says.