Father and Son Build New Family Practice Together, Setting Up Long-Term Future

Veenstra Family Dental - Midland Park, NJ | Doug Veenstra, DMD & Eric Veenstra, DMD

The third time appears to be the charm for father-son dental partners, Dr. Doug and Dr. Eric Veenstra. The doctors recently moved into their practice’s third location so they could expand the treatment areas and make the entire office more ergonomically sound. The new location is down the road from their previous office in Midland Park, New Jersey. The office, which was previously an orthopedic practice, is located in a building that’s surrounded by a leafy, residential neighborhood. The father-son team gutted and completely rebuilt the space, transforming it into the new home of Veenstra Family Dental, a 1,900-square-foot state-of-the-art dental office.

Dr. Doug Veenstra originally founded the practice in 1981 after graduating from dental school. Ten years later, after successfully building his patient roster, he relocated to a second, larger location, where he eventually welcomed his son, Dr. Eric Veenstra, into the practice in 2007. As father and son practiced together, there were factors that hindered their productivity: the office was not handicap accessible, their panoramic X-ray machine was on a different floor from the main office, parking was limited, and the layout of the office was not as usable as it needed to be. The doctors approached their Henry Schein Field Sales Consultant, Ron Hendrzak, with whom they had a strong relationship, to talk about building a new office. Eric Greene, Equipment Sales Specialist, was brought into the conversation as the doctors began to consider sites and equipment needs.

The doctors chose A-dec 511 chairs for the treatment rooms, as well as the Inspire line of cabinetry because they liked the company’s high quality and that the products are American made.

“We started the process by looking for possible locations in the area where we already were,” began Dr. Eric. “What would give us more room? What had adequate parking? What was handicap accessible? What would be a known location for our patients? Henry Schein’s design team, Integrated Design Studio, was very flexible and accommodating and had great ideas. They worked closely with our contractors and were able to take control of the project, so there were no loose ends.”

A White and Black Color Palette Creates A Modern First Impression Ten years after Dr. Eric joined the practice, the doctors moved into their new office, custom-designed to complement their workflows and operations. The new location is in a stately brick stand-alone building with a hip roof and a covered entryway that leads to a generous parking lot.

Their office is a ground-floor suite that’s 1,900 square feet, with six operatories, an imaging alcove, an open-concept sterilization area, and an onsite lab. The new Veenstra Family Dental office opened in December 2016 and has already created a lot of buzz among patients and happiness for the staff who work in this exciting new practice.

The reception area is awash in a simple color palette of white walls and woodwork splashed against a soaring black ceiling, black check-in desk, and black leather seating. Blown-glass pendant lighting hangs above, and a cozy children’s area provides ample distractions to young visitors while they wait.

Ergonomics and Ease of Integration Are Important Considerations

The sterilization area is completely open to the rest of the practice, located right along the main hallway. The doctors’ goal was to give patients an up-close view of the sophisticated Midmark equipment used to ensure their safety.

A frosted glass French door swings open to the practice’s clinical area, with a wide hallway laid with vinyl plank flooring that leads to two hygiene rooms and four rooms that doctors utilize, including a closed surgical suite. The hygiene rooms include A-dec 411 chairs, and the operatories are outfitted with A-dec 511 chairs, A-dec LED lights, new Inspire cabinetry and 12 o’clock units, and integrated electric handpieces.

A control panel, inset on the 12’o’clock unit, allows doctors to operate the clock, timers, ICV system, lighting, and basic chair functions, all from its touchpad. The rooms also feature ACTEON SOPRO 717 FIRST cameras.

“When choosing equipment and technology, the doctors were looking for the best quality, most efficient, and highly ergonomical options,” said Mr. Greene. “We did a VIP trip to A-dec to explore all of the equipment options. Dr. Doug and Dr. Eric chose A-dec products because they liked that the company was a father-son business similar to their own, and they were proud to buy American.”

Along the hallway across from the operatories is an open sterilization area, a walk-by configuration that efficiently moves instruments from dirty to clean. Installing it out in the open has been done intentionally so patients can see the complete sterilization process and the high-tech equipment the doctors have installed.

The doctors were already DEXIS and Dentrix users, so they just seamlessly upgraded to the latest versions of those technologies in the new office. Henry Schein TechCentral handled the networking of the entire practice, as well as the installation and interconnectivity of the computers and the practice equipment, ensuring synergy among all of the technology.

Comfort for Both Patients and Dental Team “When patients first walk in, they stop and say ‘Wow!’ They are awed by their first look at our new office,” noted Dr. Eric. “Patients comment on the warm, elegant, clean feeling of all our rooms, and parents especially like our Kids’ Corner.”

When Dr. Doug and Dr. Eric built the new office, their goals included creating a place that highlighted their dedication to excellent patient care and comfort, but it was also constructed to improve the working environment for the doctors and staff. Based on the feedback from everyone on the team, the new office has met that objective as well!

“The staff is excited and they have a renewed enthusiasm,” added Dr. Eric. “They love working in such an up-to-date, modern office with all of the bells and whistles. They greatly appreciate how the A-dec units make their work life easier because of the logical setup and convenience of the flow.”

Mr. Greene credits the success of the office build to the total team approach taken by all of the representatives involved. “I feel the doctors really are a part of the Henry Schein family,” he said.

Since the office has been open, new patients are hearing about it and coming in to see the practice for themselves. Dr. Eric noted that even though building a new office is a massive undertaking, it has actually reduced stress for the doctors and the staff.

“The new equipment and greater space has given everyone an overall positive attitude and made us feel very proud of our office and work,” he stated. “Also, being able to build and set up a new office together has allowed us to grow closer as a team.” ♦

Originally published in Sidekick Magazine.