Function comes first at new dental office

Function comes first at new dental office

By Penny Stine
Friday, December 17, 2010
GJ Sentinel

From the outside, the new office for Oral Health Partners at 2552 F Road may not look remarkable. It’s a basic box: four walls in a rectangular shape with a roof on top.
But ask Dr. Glen Dean about the building and it becomes obvious that this dental office is the result of 31 years of practice, a lot of thought and asolid partnership between Dean, Blythe Group + Co. and Shaw Construction.
“The interaction with Dr. Dean was fun because of his excitement and enthusiasmabout the project,” said Dave Hall, construction manager with ShawConstruction. “This was personal. He was absolutely hands-on.”
Blythe Group + Co. began working with Dean more than a year before the first signs ofconstruction started.
“Dr. Dean had specific needs related to his practice,” said Mike Archbold with Blythe Group + Co. “He was extensively involved throughout the entire process.”
As apediatric dentist who serves several handicapped clients, Dean wanted the building to be wheelchair accessible. He also wanted the rooms to be private, functional and equipped with the latest technology.
The new building has 9,000 square feet, with 10 examination rooms. One room was designed to be more accommodating to patients in wheelchairs. All rooms have six inch, insulated interior walls.
Acoustic doors separate thechildren’s operatories from the rest of the practice, so if a child is nervousand crying, the sound won’t carry to the waiting room or other examination rooms.
Each examination room has three monitors with separate controls. A patient can watch TV while the dentist is scrutinizing x-rays on the monitor behind the patientchair.
A large, 42-inch monitor on a separate wall can be utilized to showx-rays to parents, display educational materials or simply have interestingpictures designed to put the patient at ease.
All of the examination rooms are interchangeable, although one is slightly wider for wheelchair accommodation. The practice uses a roll-in cart system that insures that the dentist will have the correct equipment for whatever procedure needs to be performed. Every treatment room is also equipped with nitrous oxide, which requires extra ventilation.
A large sterilization room in the middle of the building gives staff plenty of room to work in an environment designed with their safety in mind. Hands free foot controls in the sterilization room and at the sinks in all operatory rooms insure that germs aren’t spread via traditional faucets.
“It’sprobably the most technologically advanced medical building I’m aware of in the valley right now,” Archbold said.
In addition to the high-tech features and amenities designed for patients’ comfort, the building also is designed with sustainability and high building performance in mind.
The building has a geothermal heat exchange unit for heating and cooling. The large windows on the south side of the building allow the sun to warm the building in the wintertime, but the wide overhangs will prevent the sun from overheating the building in the summertime. Insulated solar shadescan also block the sunlight when necessary.
The tall, wide hallways are flooded with natural light from the overhead light wells, but the bright red walls keep it from looking like a dentist office. The photovoltaic array on the roof will supply some of the electricity needs in the building.
In the waiting room, adults can enjoy a little peace and quiet on one half while children play in a separate area.
Dean has already hired six additional people to work in the office and anticipates two more will be starting soon. When fully staffed, the practice will have six dentists, which also includes one orthodontist.
The project superintendent, Rick Wilson with Shaw Construction, estimates that 15 to 20 different subcontractors worked in the building.
About 10 to 12 people worked at the job site any given day during construction. In today’s uncertain economy, all were happy to be part of the $2 million construction project.
The Oral Health Partners building should function at a high level, keeping the practice compliant with both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) standards.
It should also meet the needs of patients and staff, providing great dental care in high-tech comfort.
The staff hopes to be in business in their new facility on Monday, Dec. 20.