• You may wish to choose colors that are not classically associated with dentists' offices.dentist cabinet image by Mirek Hejnicki from Fotolia.com
  
  The design and décor of a dentist's office can spell the difference between a relaxed visit and a stressful, unpleasant one. Remember, many people fear going to the dentist. The walls, furnishings and accent pieces should all be carefully chosen to encourage relaxation and offer visual and sensory distractions. The specific décor and accent pieces you need will depend upon the audience you serve.
  
  

Walls

• Different treatments can add texture and pizzazz to plain painted walls.wall design image by Samuray from Fotolia.com
  
  Choose a soothing color for the walls. Blue and green are classic colors known to be calming. Neutral colors make a mellow palette for brighter accents, such as an aquarium. Avoid white and gray. While white can be calming in some settings, in a dentist's office white is unpleasantly reminiscent of a doctor's office or a sterile, foreboding hospital. However, that effect can be offset if you have lots of color splashes in the form of posters, sculptures and toys, for example.
  
  

Furnishings and Layout

• The waiting room should be comfortable and calming.Living Room image by Ritu Jethani from Fotolia.com
  
  Comfort should be the key word when selecting furnishings for a dentist's office. When patients arrive, some of them will likely be tense already. The last thing those patients need is to wait in an uncomfortable chair that will cause them to tense up even more.
  
  The layout of the waiting room should be such that parents or guardians can easily supervise their children. (It almost goes without saying that a dentist who treats children should have a play area in the waiting room stocked with sturdy books and toys.)
  
  

Accents

• Fanciful, colorful murals promote local art and engage peoples' attention, distracting them from any anxiety they're experiencing.the doorway to a building with a seascape mural on the wall image by David Smith from Fotolia.com
  
  Dentists' offices often feature aquariums as decorative accents. There's a good reason for that; they are colorful, drawing peoples' attention, and once they have your attention, they are relaxing and almost hypnotic. Fish swimming around are very soothing to watch.
  
  Aquariums can be very expensive to purchase, set up, stock and maintain. However, their soothing effect might be worth it. If your budget precludes an aquarium, you can engineer a similar effect by hanging complex artwork and art pieces that encourage people to look closely. If you treat children, colorful mobiles and kinetic sculptures in the exam area can make good distractions, as well.
  
  Consider investing in a white noise generator of some sort, as the sounds of dentistry tools whirring and grinding can be distressing to children (and adults). Other calming features include fountains, plants, and landscape photos or paintings. Hire a local artist to bedeck one wall of the waiting area with a playful, engaging mural.