diff --git a/src/components/dialog/demoBasicUsage/dialog1.tmpl.html b/src/components/dialog/demoBasicUsage/dialog1.tmpl.html
index ee56e8ae9af..81079200d15 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/demoBasicUsage/dialog1.tmpl.html
+++ b/src/components/dialog/demoBasicUsage/dialog1.tmpl.html
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ <h2>Mango (Fruit)</h2>
     </div>
   </md-toolbar>
   <md-dialog-content style="max-width:800px;max-height:810px; ">
-    <div>
+    <div class="md-dialog-content">
+      <h2>Using .md-dialog-content class that sets the padding as the spec</h2>
       <p>
         The mango is a juicy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees, cultivated mostly for edible fruit. The majority of these species are found in nature as wild mangoes. They all belong to the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to South and Southeast Asia, from where it has been distributed worldwide to become one of the most cultivated fruits in the tropics.
       </p>
diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
index 5c131ee53d5..c69e7e9e04b 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
@@ -66,6 +66,9 @@ function MdDialogDirective($$rAF, $mdTheming, $mdDialog) {
  * - Complex dialogs can be sized with `flex="percentage"`, i.e. `flex="66"`.
  * - Default max-width is 80% of the `rootElement` or `parent`.
  *
+ * ## Css
+ * - `.md-dialog-content` - class that sets the padding on the content as the spec file
+ *
  * @usage
  * <hljs lang="html">
  * <div  ng-app="demoApp" ng-controller="EmployeeController">
@@ -417,7 +420,7 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
     return {
       template: [
         '<md-dialog md-theme="{{ dialog.theme }}" aria-label="{{ dialog.ariaLabel }}" ng-class="dialog.css">',
-        ' <md-dialog-content role="document" tabIndex="-1">',
+        ' <md-dialog-content class="md-dialog-content" role="document" tabIndex="-1">',
         '   <h2 class="md-title">{{ dialog.title }}</h2>',
         '   <div class="md-dialog-content-body" md-template="::dialog.mdContent"></div>',
         ' </md-dialog-content>',
diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.scss b/src/components/dialog/dialog.scss
index 90f4cf596aa..cfae0aeb0bd 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.scss
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.scss
@@ -46,10 +46,14 @@ md-dialog {
     flex-direction: column;
     overflow: auto;
   }
+
+  .md-dialog-content {
+    padding: $dialog-padding;
+  }
+
   md-dialog-content {
     order: 1;
     flex-direction: column;
-    padding: $dialog-padding;
     overflow: auto;
     -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;