Background Music at Your Dental Office Helps Patients Relax
Long before patients are “in the chair” they tend to become nervous and tense, and as a result three senses become extremely heightened. These are:
1. Smell
2. Touch
3. Hearing
While we have touched on the benefits of using scenting in waiting rooms, it’s equally as important to address he importance of having a music therapy strategy for your dental practice. After consulting with numerous dentists, it’s become very clear that many practitioners do not have a plan regarding music at their dental office and this is unfortunate.
Using overhead background music to ease or lessen anxious thoughts or feelings is nothing new, and it’s especially not new in the healthcare industry. Since this discovery and practice, healthcare professionals have been using different genres of music to calm their anxious patients and dental office are no exception.
Below we take a look at how the right music therapy strategy not only helps anxious patients, but your dental practice as well.
Blocking Out Equipment Noise will Reduce Patient Fear/Anxiety
An estimated more than 30 million people a year avoid going to the dentist due to fear. By using the right background music strategy with a bigger intention than to merely entertain or pass the time, a dental office could even see an increase in traffic. Tailored background music (slower tempos, major keys instead of minors , etc) has shown the ability to lower heart rates, blood pressure and respiratory rates. When those rates are lowered, anxiety can be lowered.
Skip the Commercial Breaks
With radio or other music sources you’re most likely subject to commercials or DJ interruptions. The break in music could cause your patient to become uneasy or the station could be playing content that just causes the patient more stress (or worse, start playing a commercial for a competing dentist practice!). Stressful news reports or bad weather forecasts can also increase the anxiety of a patient during dental work, so providing a commercial-free background music allows for a more relaxed experience.
Helps to Reinforce a Positive Brand Image
Music helps to not only set a relaxed tone, but also maintain one. You’ll want this tone set from the waiting room to the exam chair and out the door. If a dentist practice has multiple locations and keeping brand uniformity across those brands is a goal, then uniformity is key to branding. Keeping brand uniformity in your dental office helps patients know what to expect, thus helping to lower levels of anxiety.
Make Sure Your Music is Legal
Make sure the music you play is in compliance with U.S. copyright law.For some good reading on this subject check out this article from the Richmond Times about not opening up pandora’s box like one California restaurant who had to pay about $200,000 because it played eight songs without permission and then repeatedly ignored requests from a music-licensing organization for it to buy a license.
When you choose a background music service that specializes in music for business use, they have already taken the necessary steps needed to take to ensure compliance with copyright law.
Final Thoughts…
Patients struggling with anxiety before visiting a dentist is nothing new; however, with new media technologies, there are more tailored options to help put patients at ease and give them a good atmosphere. At Original On Hold, we provide a tailored, customized approach that addresses your patient’s anxieties, keeps your overall brand goals in mind and creates a great auditory environment.
Are you looking to add background music at your dental office? Contact us and let our music designers create a custom playlist that will reduce patient stress, increase patient loyalty and generate more referrals.
