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It is possible to reduce stress and fear with virtual reality in your dental practice. The need to visit the dentist invokes real fear in many patients. Often this is a result of previous negative dental experiences. It becomes very hard for these patients to keep their appointments. They often repeatedly cancel appointments. When they eventually do overcome their fear, it is normally because their dental pain has surpassed the fear. They arrive in the chair requiring significant work that could have been avoided with early detection. They are also extremely tense and they transmit their anxiety to all around them.

Why use virtual reality in your dental practice?

Guided VRStudies have shown how virtual reality in your dental practice can distract patients, in turn greatly reducing his or her stress and anxiety. Up until now there have been few tools available to the dentist. These have been limited to general anesthesia, nitrous oxide, and local anesthetics. Virtual reality helps in three ways:

  • It distracts the patient and moves their attention away from a possibly horrible experience. By not focusing on the current situation, it is possible for them to relax.
  • The patient becomes immersed in the virtual experience. Studies have demonstrated that this level of distraction is much more effective than more passive means. For example, the watching of a movie or a slideshow of beautiful images will have some impact on reducing anxiety. This is much less effective, however, than the interactive experience of virtual reality.
  • Because the virtual reality experience is interactive the patient is completely engaged in the experience. This has shown to reduce the amount of pain experienced by as much as 50%. It is possible to reframe the belief that a dental visit is traumatic, and future visits become easier.

Setting up VR in your practice

It is easy to set up virtual reality in your practice. When you use Guided VR all you need is a headset and the associated software. There is no requirement for additional computers or cables, and we update all software remotely so the system is always up to date. Start now with a call to Guided VR and get the benefits of virtual reality for your practice.

 

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