How to Use Scents in a Dental Office

Pleasant smells create pleasant memories and can trigger positive emotions. Incorporating pleasing scents into your dental office will create a more pleasing experience for your patients, encouraging positive memories and making it more likely that they'll want to return to your office. Many other types of businesses have taken advantage of the positive effects of scents, including department stores, hotels, and even hospitals. Your dental office can do this as well. You'll be helping your patients and your bottom line.

Instructions

• 1

  Create a relaxing, soothing environment in your dental office by choosing scents that recall pleasant memories. Examples include apple pie, sugar cookies, warm vanilla, and lavender. These scents will help enhance the environment of your office and create a positive experience for your patients. No doubt many of your patients suffer from dental phobia and anxiety. Incorporating scents that create and recall positive memories will help alleviate their anxiety and make it more likely that they'll return to your office for future appointments.

• 2

  Choose a method of incorporating pleasing scents into your office. Some options include dry-air scent delivery systems, scent machines, scented oils, and even scented candles. Your choice of delivery method should correspond with the atmosphere you want to create in your office. If you want to create a warm, cozy atmosphere, scented oils and candles may be the best way to go. However, if you want to create a professional, yet inviting atmosphere, you should opt for a dry-air scent delivery system or scent machine.

• 3

  Incorporate different scents into different areas of your office, depending on the mood you want to set in each area. When your patients enter the office, welcome them with the inviting scent of warm sugar cookies. As they walk down the hall, intrigue them with a fresh and sweet floral scent. Finally, as they wait for you in an exam room, calm their nerves with the relaxing scent of vanilla. Creating a separate scent experience for each area of your office will enhance each patient's experience and encourage positive memories.

• 4

  Consider capitalizing on the scents of your office by sending each of your patients home with a little piece of the scent experience you helped create. Include a small scented candle or bag of potpourri along with the traditional toothpaste and floss that most dentists give patients after a routine cleaning. Be sure the scent gift you choose smells just like your office. When one of your patients uses the gift at home, she'll be reminded of the pleasant experience she had at your office and have fond memories of you and your staff.