Extract The Tooth From Your Practice Logo (5 Great Alternatives)

Whether you’re an established dentist thinking about a rebrand or you’re launching a brand-new dental practice, you may be wondering what direction you should go with your logo. Your first instinct may be to go for a more “traditional” tooth-based logo – something like the example below!

And of course, there’s nothing wrong with choosing a logo that incorporates a tooth. But if you’re looking to think outside of the box and set your practice apart from the pack, going “toothless” in your rebrand is a fantastic idea. Need some examples?

For this blog, the team at Circulation Dental tasked our graphic design team to come up with five creative ideas for logo designs, using our own company as a fictional dental practice – none of which incorporate teeth, toothbrushes, floss, or other traditional dental imagery. Let’s get into it.

Sometimes, less is more! If you’re looking for a fresh, elegant look for your logo and your brand, choosing a logo based on typography is a great choice. 

The above logo uses a minimalist approach with four thin lines that create the “C” and “D” of Circulation Dental. This design even reinforces the name “Circulation” – the gaps in the typography allow air to “flow” through, creating an airy, modern feel. 

If you go with a typography-based logo, the design options are nearly limitless. You can play around with line thickness, colors, the shapes of letters, and much more. Together with your designer, you can come up with a logo that shows what makes your practice truly unique.

You’ve invested in dental technology that allows you to provide the very best care for your patients. So why not take inspiration from these tools and use it to create a unique logo?

In the above example, our designers took inspiration from panoramic X-ray machines and 3D CBCT scanners. The swooping lines, circles, and central dot are reminiscent of the way that these devices swivel and spin around a patient’s head.

There are lots of other ways to go with this, too. If you specialize in laser dentistry, for example, you could incorporate a laser beam into your logo. Not only would the design be memorable, but it would emphasize one of your practice’s biggest differentiators.

Abstract logos are really flexible for different purposes. You can use only the logo itself, or choose to accompany it with the written name of your practice (as in the example above). 

This abstract design contains the initials of our dental marketing agency (C and D) without this being immediately obvious when you first take a look at it. And while it’s mostly curved, both shapes meet in the middle to create a darker square that adds plenty of visual interest.

Playing around with different shapes and colors lets you create unique patterns and an easily recognizable logo. You can even hint at certain concepts related to your practice without being literal. For example, your logo could include two curved, swooping arcs that meet at either end to remind patients of a smile without actually having a tooth (or teeth) on your logo.

This is a particularly great choice for dentists who focus on holistic, biologic, and natural treatments. Choosing a nature-inspired design conveys freshness, health, and wellbeing to your patients.

In the above design, we’ve chosen a pattern of leaves, as well as two dots that are reminiscent of water droplets. The use of multiple green colors along with a symmetrical design hints at ideas of balance and harmony – which are great things to be associated with your practice!

Nature-inspired logos also give you an opportunity to get personal and truly make your logo your own. Do you have a favorite plant? Animal? Season? Hiking trail? Any of these things could inspire you as you collaborate with your designer and create your practice’s new logo.

Looking to connect with your local community and establish a relationship with your neighbors ? Creating a logo that uses a well-known local landmark may be a good choice for your practice! In this example, we’ve drawn inspiration from the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Tower since that’s one of the best-known landmarks near our office.

There are lots of landmarks you may be able to use to inspire your own design – things like statues, water towers, parks, natural landmarks, historic neighborhoods, and so much more. Not sure where to start? You can ask your staff or some locals for their recommendations.