Bet You Can’t Top This: Orthodontist Shows How Office Décor is Fun Marketing

This post is mainly for fun. But there’s a practice marketing lesson in this exceptional example of wildly interesting and unique office décor--from an orthodontic practice.

You’re going to have to drive to Conway, Arkansas to experience the office decor of orthodontist—and admitted car enthusiast—David J. Myers, DDS, MS. If you’ve never seen a medical or dental practice office that resembles a 50’s service station, it would be worth the trip. Check out these pictures.

We’ve visited a lot of medical and dental offices around the country, but Dr. Myers just might have the coolest “hot rod office” that we know about. Inside and out, the 3,800 square-foot office has the look and feel of an earlier time in America. “Not wanting to build your average taupe brick building,” Dr. Myers writes, “I wanted something that had more the look of a 50s era diner/drive-in/gas station.

“I had the vision of the inside being a bit of a city inside with the outside of the rooms having facades of different buildings you would think of when you think 50s—soda fountain, burger joint, gas station, etc. It took a fair amount of back and forth with the interior folks to get that sort of thing meshed with the stuff you gotta have for an orthodontic office. Stepping in the front door, you are greeted with the Woodie Wagon front desk parked in front of a Big Boy.”

Above and beyond the fun, the “wow” factor and a ton of free publicity, Dr. Myers says it also means business. According to one news account: "I am getting new patients from it," he said. "We always ask who we can thank for the referral and one person wrote on our form, 'Cool building.'"

This exceptionally unique office is the product of about three years' of work, much of it done by Dr. Myers who hand-built custom furniture and did the car restoration. Dr. Myers writes: “Something like this does not come off with just one guy. I really got to thank some folks who without their help and input this would not have happened. First is my wife, certainly. She has been very patient and indulgent and most helpful with ideas. My dad who is the reason I am a car nut and who helped figure this crazy furniture mess out.”

OK, we know that not every medical or dental office can run with this idea the way Dr. Myers has done. But this illustrates that clinical facilities don’t always have to be…well, too clinical. The medical marketing lesson here is that your décor can contribute to the patient experience, generate free publicity and contribute to the bottom line.

There are more pictures here. And by the way, if you have a unique or distinctive office, we’d like to hear about it. Send us your pictures and we’ll help you tell your marketing story.