How to Refurbish Your Dental Practice

A profitable dental practice needs a loyal client base to ensure consistent income and a positive reputation. By offering patients great customer service, access to the latest dental equipment and treatment in a comfortable environment, you can meet and even exceed their experiences at every appointment. 

In order to meet your clients' needs and remain competitive in the local area, you might consider a refurbishment of your business premises. 

However, refurbishing a dental practice isn't easy and can strain the finances of even the most established surgery. That's why an increasing number of dental practitioners are choosing to seek the help and support of dental finance.

Before going full steam ahead with the fit-out, there are some important points you need to consider.

Why should you refurbish your dental surgery?

In order to keep your patients happy and your list of clients growing, creating a warm, welcoming and relaxing environment is vital. It can make a big difference in attracting patients who suffer from dental anxiety. The last thing patients want is to be confronted with a poorly lit practice, cramped and filled with ageing furniture.

Refurbishment can also raise morale among your staff, encouraging them to provide improved customer service. So although it can be challenging to keep pace with patient expectations, doing so will allow you to stay on top of your local competitors and increase your bottom line.

Considerations for a dental practice refurbishment

Before you pull out the power tools or call your contractor, here are some key considerations that every dental practice owner should take into account before kicking off a refurbishment project.

Project budget

How much do you want to spend on refurbishing your practice? Then, take the time to put together a comprehensive plan, which includes costing and any funding requirements to turn your refurbishment plan into a reality. 

Building regulations and restrictions

If you don't own the entire building outright, you may need to consider any restrictions in place. If you rent your premises from a landlord, then you may need their permission to carry out some aspects of your refurbishment. 

Business restrictions or closure

Some more major refurbishments may require you to close your doors to patients for a short period of time, so you will need to work out the loss of earnings for this period and ensure you have the funds to maintain cash flow. 

Dental equipment maintenance and repairs

While the aesthetics are important, the service you provide patients is the most critical part of any refurbishment. When budgeting for your refurbishment, make dental equipment a priority. It's not just about kitting out your practice with cutting edge technology but also taking the time to ensure your existing equipment is well-maintained and compliant. 

If you need funding to support the acquisition and maintenance of equipment, we can help you to find and secure dental equipment finance. 

Contractor relationships

When it comes to appointing contractors to help deliver the refurbishment, you need to choose people you can trust to deliver within the agreed budget and timeframe. Find talented tradesmen who have a proven track record of delivering similar projects, so you can trust them to turn your vision into a reality.

Your future business plans

Perhaps this refurbishment is just a step in your wider growth strategy. For example, if you run a small squat practice and have plans to open a new surgery, then you may need to decide whether now is definitely the right time to invest in refurbishment, or if it's actually new premises that you require to achieve your goals. 

How can you make your practice more appealing?

If you're thinking about giving your dental surgery a total fit-out, you'll have to make some design decisions about how you want your space to look and feel.

Ultimately, what your patients want is a comprehensive professional service, but they also want an aesthetically pleasing environment that puts them at ease. So, to achieve the desired effect, you may want to:

• Allow more natural light into your practice
• Install modern furniture
• Use a welcoming colour scheme which makes the practice look less clinical
• Create more spacious environments
• Extend your existing facilities
• Add more facilities in order to reduce waiting times, provide additional services or hold more supplies.

What business loans are available to you?

As well as sorting out planning permission and getting permission from your landlord (if you're renting premises), you also need to factor in the expense.

Although choosing to refurbish your dental surgery can incur any number of costs, thereby straining your finances, there's no reason why you need to handle it alone.

By applying for refurbishment finance, you could gain access to a wide range of finance solutions, including secured and unsecured Business Loans, commercial mortgages, development bridges, dental equipment finance or even overdraft replacement.

So, no matter what your practice needs to become a more aesthetically pleasing place for patients and staff alike, there are plenty of ways in which you can raise the funds you need to succeed. All you need to do now is source an appropriate agreement.

Dental practice refurbishment finance with Rangewell

Living up to your patients' ever more challenging demands can be difficult for any dental practitioner. But unless you want to risk losing out to your competitors, providing a high-quality service is a vital necessity.

While a property refurbishment can transform your business, it can also be very disruptive to your business operations. Refurbishment finance can bridge the gap and support your refurbishment goals. 

At Rangewell, we work with business owners to find and secure the finance they need to succeed. Our team of specialist advisors have helped countless dentists to fund their refurbishments. We support you through the whole finance application process. From helping to assemble a comprehensive application to scouring the whole of market, including both traditional and online lenders, to determine the best funding options for dental practice owners - we're here to help. 

So, if you're looking for a cost-effective way of improving your dental practice, then get in touch with Rangewell today to kick-start your application.