What's the most important room in your dental office? Well, a lot of dentists might say it's the operatory or the reception area, but it's probably the bathroom because that's where patients really get to be private. When they're in there by themselves, they're looking around at everything that's present.

I know for me, one of the ways I judge a great restaurant, besides the decor and the food, is the bathroom. It's backstage. When I walk into a bathroom, if it's nice and clean, has a speaker playing music, lit candles, nice artwork, and meticulous details like hand towels with the restaurant's logo on them, I feel like it's a special place.

If I walk into a bathroom and see furniture in there or, even worse, baby seats sitting at the table and then see those same seats in the bathroom, it bothers me. If I see a mop in the corner or if it's just disgusting with paper overflowing, and it's early in the evening so they haven't taken the time to clean the trash, I know that if they're neglecting the bathroom, which everyone sees, they're probably doing the same in the kitchen. I've walked out of many restaurants because I didn't like what the bathroom looked like.

My son sometimes asks why we leave early, and I tell him to check the bathroom. He thinks I'm being crazy, but I believe it's a reflection of what goes on inside. Your insides should reflect your outsides. A good bathroom should be clean, meticulous, smell good, and be cleaned daily. The trash can should never overflow with towels. There should be fresh towels for patients to wipe their hands, and nice soaps like Williams-Sonoma or Molton Brown. We also provide lotions, toothbrushes, floss, combs, and mouthwash.

During the course of our day, our team is responsible for cleaning the bathroom. If I find it unclean, I lock the door, get down on my hands and knees, and clean it myself. If I don't walk the talk, my team won't either. In our bathroom, we have a framed sign I took from Disney that says, 'If you find anything wrong with our bathroom, please alert any team member, and we will take care of it immediately.' It's an overture to our patients to tell us if something's wrong because we want to fix it. We also have toilet seat covers, which you see in many airport bathrooms. Though airport bathrooms are rarely clean, they at least have toilet seat covers.

Your bathroom should have all the amenities for the patients and always smell good. Keeping the bathroom clean should be a team effort. If possible, have a special bathroom just for patients, make it well-lit, well-appointed, and handicapped accessible. Have a sign to make it easy to find. All these details make a big difference. The bathroom is a reflection of you, your practice, and your standards. So, remember, clean your bathroom and be the gift.