Time and time again we hear from practitioners that tell us that they would love the ultimate high tech practice but that they just can’t afford to make it happen.

Quite simply - that isn’t so.

When we meet a practitioner that perceives this difficulty, we generally uncover one or more of the following problems:

1. The practitioner believes that his or her productive capacity, and therefore income, are quite a bit lower than what is easily achieved through relatively simple workplace modifications.

2. The practitioner believes that his or her treatment room layout, and therefore equipment costs, are far in excess of that actually needed.

3. The doctor has been unable to design enough treatment capacity into the office space available.

Operatory productivity is a function of operatory organization, practitioner skill level and office design. Our studies indicate most motivated practitioners possess an adequate understanding of the procedure techniques necessary to provide great customer satisfaction. Therefore, it is our opinion that the remaining elements (design & organization) are the keys to unlocking heightened office productivity potential.

1. Our studies have shown that in virtually every practice a higher level of operatory organization must occur before consistently high quality and productivity can be achieved day in day out.

2. We have found that maximal organization efficiency cannot be achieved with an excessive equipment array. More is clearly not better.

Therefore, equipping for high performance is both less expensive and more productive than conventional layouts. It’s the same reason that a BMW M3 is less expensive than a Cadillac Sedan De Ville. Both are cars. Both are high end. But the M3 is obviously for the performance driver, while the caddy is for lounging.

Your savings come in many areas:

1. You will decrease cabinetry expenses.

2. A smaller room size is ideal for more compact and efficient equipping.

3. Central resupply of consumable products reduces inventory needs.

4. A cassette system saves money by reducing hand instrument expenses.

5. As sterilization efficiency increases, turn around time decreases.

6. Compact, high performance offices are easier and less expensive to clean.

Consolidating your treatment space such that it is truly shared by doctor and assistant just makes sense and it saves you money. The only loser is the guy that wants to sell you all of those unnecessary, expensive, space consuming, productivity wasting cabinets!

Dr. David Ahearn is a member of the American Dental Association’s Ergonomic Advisory Subcommittee and is an associate professor at the NYU College of Dentistry. His private practice is noted for its productivity. Design/Ergonomics (www.design-ergonomics.com) is a high performance design and consulting group founded by Dr. Ahearn. He can be reached at 800-275-2547 or by email at djahearn@desergo.com.