Dr. Steven Kacel is a dentist with more than 29 years of experience serving patients in the North Shore area. Having graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Dentistry, he has become known as one of the premiere cosmetic dentists in his area. In this article, Dr. Kacel explains how patients benefit when going to a dentist’s office with a relaxing atmosphere.
When you start looking at making a dentist’s office as homey as possible, a lot of things can be done to improve the atmosphere. Simple things like adding soft music in the background and piping in pleasant smells — like candles or baked bread, for instance — can do a lot to make patients more comfortable and relaxed.
One thing that I have done at my own office, for example, is make the reception area look like a living room. Anything that makes the office look more homey and less stark has a direct correlation with patients becoming more relaxed and less fearful.
A more relaxed patient, in turn, is easier to work on and work with. People who are less fearful are also more likely to continue seeing their dentist on a regular basis, so it really is in everyone’s benefit to make the dental experience as pleasant as possible.
To make themselves even more relaxed, some patients may take a mild dose of Valium, which is a diazepam, while others do a bit of psychological training. And by psychological training, I don’t necessarily mean biofeedback, per se, but just talking to themselves a bit and telling themselves that everything is going to be alright.
Another thing that is helpful to both us and the patient is if the patient tells the receptionist on his way into the office that he’s experiencing symptoms of anxiety. That way the receptionist can warn the dentist before the patient enters the room, and we will go a little above and beyond the normal approach as far as going really, really slowly with everything we do during the checkup. Going slowly and talking slowly to the patient is one way that we try and help people relax when they are in the chair. And so if we know that someone is additionally anxious or stressed out about visiting the dentist, then we will put even more effort into making sure they are comfortable with everything going on.
Finally, I know that a lot of people find that the best way to relax is simply by zoning out. Because of that, we offer Dish TV service in every room at my dentistry practice so patients can just watch whatever TV show they wish and zone out. I have also have had patients come in with an iPod in their ears, or some bring their favorite DVD to watch during their appointment. That is all fine with me as long as they can hear me enough to open, close, or turn when I need them to. As long as a patient can hear me enough to know what I’m saying and what is going on, then I definitely encourage them to be as zoned out and relaxed as possible.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
