Bold Design and Efficient Layout Launch a Start-Up Practice into Success

H2 Dental Center - San Ramon, California |Hee Song Seo, DDS

Across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, tucked into the upscale community of San Ramon, H2 Dental Center is a new general dentistry practice with an ultra-contemporary interior. The space is clean, modern, and monochromatic bringing an incredible “wow” factor as well as advanced dentistry to the area. Dr. Hee Song Seo opened H2 Dental Center in July 2015 after working as an associate dentist in San Francisco for six years. Today, the 1,650-square-foot dental office welcomes an average of 20 new patients every month and is open two to three days per week.

When the doctor decided to open his own practice, he first spoke to Gary Houser, Henry Schein Equipment & Technology Specialist, about the possibilities. According to Mr. Houser, the Henry Schein team helped the doctor find the perfect location in a very desirable and prominent commercial area of the city, Bishop Ranch. This master-planned office park contains the headquarters of several global companies and is also the home of many medical and dental professionals, so it was an excellent area to build a dental practice.

The crisp white color scheme continues in the treatment rooms, which are outfitted with comfortable Midmark dental chairs, soft LED lights, and an overhead monitor for ultimate patient comfort.

Initial Plans Take Shape

The Henry Schein team invited Dr. Seo and his wife, Leslie Shin, to attend an office design seminar in Portland, Oregon, and it was there that they began to fine-tune their goals and overlay them on top of an optimized practice design that was created using best practices as recommended in the seminar.

“We wanted to build an office where everything reflects our mission of providing the most up-to-date, efficient, and patient-centered treatments in both a modern and minimalist setting,” says Dr. Seo. The Portland seminar helped the doctor see how properly executed design affects efficiency, productivity, and profitability while providing an optimal patient experience. Henry Schein’s Integrated Design Studio drew up the practice plan, and the décor and overall aesthetics of the practice were driven by the doctor’s wife, Leslie Shin. “Leslie had an absolute vision for the practice, and she worked very closely with the design team and the architect to perfect it,” explains Mr. Houser.

They chose a space in a medical building that had been used as a dental office, but walls needed to be demolished to make way for Dr. Seo’s plans. “The office had been upgraded several times,” recalls the doctor, “but the original floor plan had remained the same, and it wasn’t sufficient for the needs of today’s dentistry.”

There were no surprises during the demolition process, and construction moved forward very smoothly.

Sleek Interior Welcomes Patients The result is a cutting-edge dental practice. If H2 Dental Center can be summed up in a word, it would be modernistic. Its crisp color scheme—almost entirely bright white with black and light gray accents—incorporates well with the creative architectural details. A curved and glossy white check-in desk, with accent lighting along the floor, matches the custom overhead cloud lights that seem to float from the ceiling.

The contemporary, state-of-the-art office, is complete with a Midmark Artizan sterilization center that’s open to patients so they can see the doctor’s commitment to safety and health.

Bold black and white artwork sits above the stylish molded shell chairs in the reception area and has an array of abstract shapes and text that are both striking and soothing. The stark décor is serene: it makes the office feel spacious and uncluttered. Gray industrial-grade vinyl flooring winds through the practice back to the treatment areas. Floor-to-ceiling glass walls divide the consultation room and provide privacy, but also allow for transparent sight lines.

Streamlined Design Extends to Office Layout H2 Dental Center features Midmark Artisan side cabinetry and rear-delivery units for the treatment areas, chosen because of their streamlined design. Midmark dental chairs in bright white leather match the practice’s ambiance and provide patients with a comfortable experience, as do quiet electric KaVo handpieces. The Artizan line also appears in the walk-through, galley-style sterilization area, and Dr. Seo intentionally showcases that area behind a glass wall so patients can see how he values their health and safety. It features the Pelton & Crane VistaPure water-treatment system and the QUATTROCare Plus instrument management system, which greatly reduces processing time.

The paperless practice uses Dentrix practice management software, a proven and supported software that is expandable and compatible with third-party services. “Dentrix’s grouping of eServices was something that appealed to the doctor,” Mr. Houser adds.

Overall, Dr. Seo and his wife have been successful in bringing their vision to fruition, and the first impression made on their patients has been fulfilling. “It is rewarding to see how our staff and patients appreciate the interior design of our office,” notes Dr. Seo. “It’s truly a reflection of what we strive for in complete patient care: it’s modern, efficient, and transparent.”

He attributes his success not only to the H2 Dental Center’s design, but also to its highly visible location: “My advice to other doctors who want to build a new practice is to find a good location first as it is the most important part of the new office process.” ♦

Originally published in Sidekick Magazine