First Impressions Matter: Elevating Professionalism and Uniformity in Dental Front Office Attire
Dental front office attire is an essential component of professionalism in dentistry that should be prioritized. Attire not only displays the level of professionalism within the practice but also creates an impact on patients.
If you have worked in several different dental practices in your career, you know the front-office administration team attire can significantly differ from practice to practice. Back-office attire typically has fewer variation choices due to OSHA regulations that should be followed, where scrubs and lab coats seem to be a staple for obvious reasons.
Front office administration teams have considerable disparities in their selections from office to office as they can have various choices from business attire, business casual attire, cardigans, matching shirts, and scrubs, to name a few.
A substantial advantage of uniforms for the front office is that they help conceal socioeconomic differences between individuals, decrease dress code violations, and provide cost savings.
There is never a one-size-fits-all rule for the correct dress for the front team; instead, there are some key metrics to consider when deciding the best look for the practice you manage.
The saying “dress to impress” is not just a cliché. Studies have shown that the physical appearance of staff does influence people’s perception of a business.
The impact of uniformity in office attire was found to be an overlooked metric that enhanced the trust and credibility of a company to the public.
Your Brand
Your brand should be one of the most significant considerations when deciding how to dress a front-office team. This means you should dress in a way that aligns with your brand’s core values and creates a memorable image that resonates and leaves a lasting impression.
Attire choices for the front office are not just about being fashionable; they can be a powerful tool for effectively communicating your brand message.
Attire is considered a visual language that says something about a business. The image created can either enhance or diminish the brand. Staff are regarded as ambassadors of the practice, and their appearance should represent the professionalism necessary for a positive perception.
For example, if the attire worn by a staff member is all wrinkly and unkept, it will be perceived as inattentive to the details of the desired brand representation by that person.
Physical identity in attire must be a consistent visual application that encompasses the practice’s core values.
Demographics
Demographics of the office are an essential measurement of what type of dress may be considered appropriate.
If the practice is in an affluent business district where your patient base consists of a high professional concentration, it may be prudent to match their look and dress choices for your staff. More classic and refined business attire may be warranted to command attention and convey a sense of leadership, competence, and authority.
If the practice is in an urban area with many choices for dental care, then color and slogans on a shirt may be needed to execute individuality and memorability. Color usage is more impactful than we realize and can represent passion, energy, harmony, and strength.
A practice in rural areas may get away with a very relaxed and casual front office attire to ensure their patients feel warmly matched in style choices and pretentiousness.
Lastly, scrubs are often seen as a frontrunner of choice and acceptable in almost any demographic. They produce the b predictability for staff wear to eliminate uniformity, deviances, and subjectivity.
Unsolicited Marketing
Furthermore, dental office attire can serve as an advertisement for the dental practice.
When the attire displays the dental practice logo, it becomes unique and identifiable, creating a memory. The mere exposure effect refers to a psychological phenomenon in which people prefer things they are familiar with and routine exposure lessons any chance of deviating.
Every visit, staff in the same branded attire can bring that comfortable and safe feeling through familiarity.
Branded attire of staff can also create conversations about the practice outside of the business as a free form of unsolicited marketing. The more branded attire can be visually seen, the more it attracts and influences curiosity, which can invoke a substantial competitive edge in heavier saturated markets.
No matter what attire is chosen to represent the front office team, the look has value and says a lot without saying anything. There is never a second chance to make an excellent first impression, and you are constantly being evaluated personally and professionally by the public in business.
About the Author
Lisa Scheer, MAADOM
Lisa is currently the office manager of an endodontic practice in Gilbert, Arizona, where she has been employed for 23 years and in dentistry for over 35 years. Her longevity with the same practice is a proud accomplishment, as is her commitment to making each day better than the last.
The honor of FAADOM was achieved during COVID-19 when the class had an online graduation. She received her MAADOM in September 2024.
Her spare time is simply for faith, family, and friends.
