Dr. Jessica Cohen Orthodontics: ADA Design Innovation Award winner

by Jean Williams

For Dr. Jessica Cohen, practice ownership was not only a dream, but it became reality in 2019 when she struck out on her own to pursue her solo practice, Jessica Cohen Orthodontics.

“I wanted my own office,” Dr. Cohen recalled. “I wanted to have a place I loved coming to, that felt like a home and was comfortable for myself, my team and our patients. After 10 years as an associate, Dr. Cohen got her wish. She stepped out in big style when establishing her private practice in downtown Highland Park, Ill., at a central location just off the train stop. Voters in the ADA’s third annual Design Innovation Awards recognized Dr. Cohen’s accomplishments and chose her practice as the No. 1 in the “Small New Build” category.

Catering to a range of ages, Dr. Cohen wanted a design that was complementary to her patients.

“I have a patient in his 70s,” Dr. Cohen explained. “He’s 79. I have patients as young as 7. We do all age ranges. There’s no limitation for improving a smile. That’s the kind of feeling we want in our office. I think we make the adults feel comfortable. Kids feel comfortable. That’s the vibe we’re going for.”

To achieve an aesthetic supporting this vision, Dr. Cohen chose a spot with a lot of natural light.

“I have huge windows that are at the corner of the street,” she explained. “We put our patients’ faces up there so all the kids can see their faces when the buses drive by. I love that we get tons of sunlight.”

The showcase-size windows also allow for seasonal decorative displays, including a colorful, exterior floral façade.

To ensure that the rest of her new practice was picture worthy and highly functional for growing her orthodontics practice, Dr. Cohen sought a spa-like setting, where patients have “something pretty to look at from every angle,” she said, and the design was coupled with top-notch technology.

Positioned on a high-profile corner in downtown Highland Park, Ill., Dr. Jessica Cohen Orthodontics’ exterior features large storefront windows that draw eyes with seasonal decorations, including faux flowers and foliage.

Dr. Cohen sought to offer a spa-like setting to her patients when designing and building out her new practice, Dr. Jessica Cohen Orthodontics in downtown Highland Park, Ill. The open reception area features calming, muted colors that incorporate hardwoods, gold tones, marble finishes, white walls, brick accents, and textured patterns with large windows drawing in plenty of natural light.

A nook just beyond the reception area conveniently serves as a toothbrushing station for patients. Graphic wall treatments, black lighting fixtures, wood cabinetry and two adjacent sinks at varied heights to accommodate adult and children patients make the small space aesthetically interesting.

A treatment area features clean, white walls; wood floors and cabinetry; and three DCI exam chairs.

The sterilization area features in island-style set of storage cabinets in the middle of the space facing another set of cabinets and sink positioned along a white brick accent wall.

The practice’s laboratory features clean white walls and surfaces, hardwood floors and open shelving.

Maximizing every square inch of 1,170-square-foot practice space in her small new build-out, Dr. Jessica Cohen used the corridor outside of the treatment consultation room/office to locate imaging equipment.

A treatment consultation room doubles as Dr. Cohen‘s office. Wallpaper, a family portrait, a cowhide rug and other decorative flourishes lend to the spa-like milieu Dr. Cohen sought in her build-out of the space.

The results were 1,170 square feet of practice space in warm and dark woods, black and white paint, Earth tones and other accents across a waiting area with reception desk, toothbrushing station, imaging station, sterilization station, lab, treatment consultation room, three-chair treatment bay and a staff lounge.

Dr. Cohen also invested heavily in her practice’s technology. “We’re really top-of-the-line here,” she said. “Everything I put in is all digital. If I was going to be investing in a new practice, it was important to me that the technology was as new as it can be.”

Technology equipment highlights for the practice includes a digital printer (Sprintray 3D printer) and a digital intraoral scanner (iTero). She sought to minimize hardware clutter as much as possible with computing equipment by using cloud-based software. “I’m using Dolphin cloud for all of our computers,” she added.

Other industry providers include DCI for exam chairs, A-dec for custom cabinetry and Ross for lighting.

Dr. Cohen was hard-pressed to point out a favorite part of her new build. “It’s all great,” she said. “I love coming to my office. It’s exactly how I wanted it,” she said.

“We’ve been very lucky,” Dr. Cohen said. “I started with just one team member, who I worked with 10 years ago. She came out here with me, and now there are six of us, including myself, on the team.”

While the practice experienced a growth spurt since launching, the practice was planning gor growth by annexing an adjacent space.