Constable had worked with Dr. Costanzo on implementing small projects, such as getting started on providing fluoride treatment during orthodontic banding, but building the new office led them to talking about the bigger possibilities. “It really wasn’t until I started floating this idea of building a new office, [that] he kind of took it and ran with it,” Costanzo said of Constable. For his part, Constable provided knowledge as well as support. “I told him ‘Make this thing your own. Dream big,’” Constable said.

Costanzo chose his location near Clovis, an area just two miles north and east of his old practice, because he found during an informal survey his existing patient population was concentrated in the area, and he wanted to stay close to his patient base while also appealing to new patients from nearby.

The new building attracted Costanzo with its large windows, high ceilings and wide open spaces. “I wanted to have sort of an open feel to the floor plan,” he said. “We want to welcome everybody to the practice, and we want everyone to feel like they are part of our family. So I didn’t want any closed doors; I didn’t want the waiting room to be separate from the treatment area. I wanted people to be able to come and go as they please.”

After choosing the light-infused location, Brummer got involved. “I sketched out the floor plan I was thinking about on graph paper, gave that to her, and she took it from there and made a digital version,” Costanzo said.

Brummer created a floor plan that maximized exposure to the windows and used natural light to illuminate the treatment areas. While Costanzo was concerned about the aesthetics of his practice – that the modern décor and skateboard motif is carried throughout – he also wanted to be certain that lab, sterilization and office areas were top notch. “That’s where Charmen really helped me figure out how to best configure those areas to make them the most practical,” he said. “She suggested moving the sterilization center closer to the treatment area, for one. Things like that that I wouldn’t normally think about, but they’re thinking about them all the time.”