The team designated the 6,300-square-foot first floor to serve as patient treatment areas; the 2,200-square-foot basement houses administrative tasks and keeps them separate from the patients.

At the Main Street location, about 15 miles from the Maple Road practice, the Patterson team converted a former car dealership – an equally challenging, rectangular-shaped building – into a dental practice. The extra-thick flooring made running utilities difficult, but Cambria says that using the same team on both projects made the remodels more efficient, especially for equipment selection and ordering.

By opening several new facilities, the doctors planned to not only increase their square footage, but to update equipment, standardize certain treatment processes and attract new doctors to the practice. “When students are looking at facilities and equipment, they expect that you’ll have all the latest amenities,” Dr. Creighton said.

Due to the busy schedules of the doctors and residents, Cambria arranged for a variety of manufacturers’ pieces to be brought into a Patterson Dental showroom for an evening. He then invited the staff to test the equipment and share feedback with Dr. Creighton and McAnulty about what they felt was best for the practice and the patients.

After everyone offered feedback on the equipment, Dr. Creighton and McAnulty made the final selections with Cambria. “The doctors liked the A-dec 300 series chairs and units because they provided great flexibility,” Cambria said. “The practice sees a great deal of handicapped and wheelchair-bound patients, and the ease of access as well as comfort made the 300 chair unanimous.”

Ease of access also was an important factor in operatory setup and cabinetry selection. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the Maple Road practice inspired the location of the hygiene operatories, where the doctors wanted to take advantage of the natural light and maintain an open feel between rooms. Cambria worked with the team at A-dec to customize cabinetry without tops and located sinks on the end of each cabinet to be shared by the operatories on either side.

“An open operatory concept works well in pediatrics. Parents come in with their children to watch treatments, and the way we designed the operatories acknowledges that,” Dr. Bernat said.