Newingham planned for growth, estimating that, over the next 10 years of his career, patient demand will increase and he’ll have to be ready to accommodate additional team members. “Everything I’ve read suggests that dentists tend to see their most significant practice growth between the ages of 35 to 45. I’m 35 now, so I’ve planned to accommodate in anticipation of such growth,” he said. “In the short time we’ve been open, we’ve already seen three-and-a-half times the number of new patients we were seeing at our old practice.”

After years of making and then scrapping floorplans, it was exciting to move into the equipment selection phase of the project. Newingham invested in CEREC technology prior to moving into the new space, to give him and his team time to adjust and practice. Having it ahead of time also helped Newingham better plan for the space the milling unit would need in the new practice. A conference room was set at the front, not the back, of the practice, and doubles as a workspace for patients who wait while having a crown or veneer milled onsite.

Although Newingham was fairly certain that A-dec equipment was right for his practice, Wold and Coppens still took him and his wife to the A-dec facility in Oregon to make their final selections. Dr. Newingham selected A-dec 541 rear delivery systems, A-dec 5580 rear support cabinets and A-dec 511 patient chairs. “I didn’t want arms swinging in front of patients. I like everything to be behind them so that they can see outside the huge windows,” Newingham said. “We like it clean and neat, with nothing on the counters.”

The team previously had one central location for digital X-ray capabilities but, in the new practice, they installed Sirona Heliodent X-rays within the A-dec center consoles in order to take patient X-rays directly in each treatment room.

A-dec monitor mounts are located in each operatory, either attached to the wall or the center console, enabling monitors to swing so patients can easily watch television, or the doctor and team can present X-rays and images without the patient needing to move. Newingham, who is a father of three, was also amazed at how well the monitors work at engaging his youngest patients, who will sit still for any procedure when their favorite cartoon is playing.

At the previous office, Newingham and the team would talk to each other from different operatories. They sought to retain that feature by creating open operatories and placing a galley-style sterilization center in the middle of all the operatories. New patients are given a tour of the center and all patients are encouraged to peek inside. “We would never have encouraged such a thing at our prior office,” Newingham said.