Easing Dental Anxiety with Tend’s Patient-Centered Design

I never thought I'd say this, but my trip to the dentist was… pleasant. Seriously. I visited Tend out of curiosity—drawn in by their millennial-oriented branding and the fact that my dental coverage had just changed. It wasn’t just trendy branding slapped on a dental office; you could tell the team put in real time, effort, and creative thinking to craft an excellent dental experience.

For most people (myself included), the dentist is at best a necessary evil. It’s something you put off and dread. But Tend flipped that narrative. This wasn't a cold, clinical waiting room—it felt more like a spa. The whole vibe carried through the entire experience, from the space design to how the staff interacted with me. It got me thinking: there’s a lot that product people—whether working in physical or digital spaces—could learn from this.

The Problem: Why Traditional Dentistry Gets It So Wrong

Let’s face it: dental offices aren’t exactly designed for comfort. Sterile white walls, the lingering smell of antiseptic, fluorescent lighting that makes everything feel a little more clinical. It’s no wonder so many people (myself included) walk in feeling uneasy. I remember visiting a dentist where they showed me a tiny, barely visible dot on my teeth and claimed it was my first cavity. The sterile environment and lack of transparency made me feel like I was being hustled. But back to Tend...

From my perspective, Tend looked at that traditional dental environment and thought, “Nah, we can do way better.” They realized that the emotional and physical discomfort starts the moment a patient walks in the door, so they attacked the problem holistically—something we should all think about when designing any user journey.

Tend’s Approach: Patient-Centered Design with a Tech Twist

Walking into Tend feels like stepping into a wellness center. The warm woods, calming lighting, and cozy seating immediately put you at ease. Beyond aesthetics, Tend backed up that welcoming vibe with smart, user-centered decisions.

Details that make you feel seen: Instead of those awkward moments of staring at the ceiling during a procedure, Tend offers sunglasses to block out the glaring lights and headphones so you can listen to something other than the high-pitched whir of a drill. When they handed me the headphones, I almost laughed—it was such a small, unexpected gesture that made a big difference. The sunglasses also helped avoid awkward eye contact during the procedure. It wasn’t just about comfort; it felt like they truly understood what I needed in that vulnerable moment. These little touches? They show that Tend is thinking about the entire patient experience, not just the dental work. And that’s a huge lesson for anyone building a product—design for the whole journey, not just the core interaction.

Tech with a purpose: The technology at Tend isn’t there just for the sake of being shiny—it’s thoughtfully integrated to enhance the experience. Quick x-rays, seamless online booking, and treatment transparency on digital screens make the whole process feel smooth and under control. I remember booking my appointment online and thinking, “Why can’t every dentist do this?” It was simple, clear, and took the friction out of an already stressful task. The large TV screens showing my x-rays were a far cry from the old dental office experience I had before.

‍

Lessons for Product People: Service and Digital Design Takeaways

Here’s what I think we, as product people, can learn from Tend’s approach

Design for Comfort: Whether it’s physical spaces or service touchpoints, comfort goes a long way in shaping how users feel about your brand. Tend nails this by thinking through every interaction, from the environment to the small moments, like offering sunglasses during a cleaning.

When was the last time you thought about where your users might feel uncomfortable, and what you could do to change that?

Personalization = Care: Tend’s attention to personal details shows that small, personalized touches make a huge difference. The moment they handed me the sunglasses and headphones, I felt like they cared about me—not just as a patient, but as a person.

Whether you're building a service or a digital product, think about the moments where you can add that personal touch to make users feel cared for. It’s not about grand gestures; it’s about the small details that tell someone, “We see you.”

Frictionless Experiences Matter: Tend’s online booking system and easy-to-read digital treatment plans made every interaction feel frictionless. There was no guessing, no confusion.

In product design, making sure users can easily move through their journey—whether it’s scheduling, onboarding, or completing an action—should be the baseline. Ask yourself: where are the friction points, and how can you remove them?

Add Delight through Aesthetics: Tend’s use of warm woods, cozy seating, and calming lighting highlights the power of aesthetic design to enhance an experience. This means first understanding your audiences fears, wants, and needs and than creating a brand that speaks directly to that through color, animation, or typography to evoke emotions and keep users engaged.

Small Moments of Delight: Beyond functionality, consider small interactions that make users smile. Tend’s touches—like offering sunglasses and headphones—weren’t essential, but they made the experience memorable. Think about it. That addition is a minor cost, that truly elevated the experience. In digital products, small surprises, animations, or encouraging messages can elevate the experience beyond mere usability.

Tend Shows Us What’s Possible

At the end of the day, Tend didn’t just redesign the dental office—they redesigned the whole dental experience. And honestly? It got me excited about what’s possible when you put the user first—whether you're dealing with something as complex as healthcare or a digital product that often gets underestimated.

I walked away from that appointment with a clean smile and a reminder that great design can turn the most dreaded experiences into something you actually look forward to. And that’s something every product person should aspire to achieve.

‍