Movies on a Screen
How can movies on the screen help with sedating patients?
Because many patients experience fear or apprehension when visiting the dentist for dental procedures or even routine checkups, Dr. David Peck has formulated a novel approach to putting his patients in a state of calm and relaxation during their dental appointments in his clinic in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Peck has observed that showing movies on a screen during a dental procedure effectively distracts the patient from sights and sounds that trigger their anxiety. Movies on the screen help patients focus their attention on something else other than what is happening during the procedure. As the patients concentrate on what they see and hear on the movie screen, they are able to block out a conscious awareness of what is actually happening in the dental treatment. It has been found that this method is one of the most useful and making sure that the patient is comfortable and stress-free while the dentist continues with what needs to be done in the patient’s mouth.
Most patients may not be aware, but dentists have slowly incorporated this technique to relax the patient prior to a procedure. Often times, the patient is also allowed to enjoy additional types of comfort such as blankets, head rest pillows, and even soothing music. In addition to the movies on the screen, these techniques induce a feeling of well-being, warmth, and safety. All of these components work together to create an atmosphere that eliminates patients’ fears of what procedures may be conducted by the dentist during the appointment.
For many dentists, including Dr. David Peck, flat movie screens may be attached onto each treatment chair so that patients are able to view the movie comfortably during the procedure. Showing movies on the screen is a good way to keep the patients preoccupied during the procedures. Dentists may give the patients different movie titles to choose from so that he can be sure that the patients will be engrossed in whatever they are watching, as opposed to the showing a generic video that loops repeatedly on its own.
In cases when movies on a screen are not enough, however, there are additional methods of sedation that could easily be used by the dentist in order to keep patients relaxed and comfortable during procedures. It is important to let the patients know that they can, at any time, alert the dentist if the pain becomes unbearable or if the discomfort is getting to be too much.
