The Spa Treatment-—Plus Fillings

Amid the masseuses and lavender scent, an experience in spa dentistry may make you wonder why you ever hated the dentist in the first place.

By:Katie Gilbert

Getting a root canal is often the butt end of a bad joke. But now you can trade in those nightmarish memories of visiting the dentist for something a little dreamier. Just imagine the whir of the drill quieted by a babbling brook, and the smell of rubber gloves replaced by the aroma of lavender. You won't feel those pokes and prods of harsh tools because you'll be too preoccupied with a deep tissue massage. Sound inviting?

Complementary treatments have become mainstays in dental offices around the world. Now that dentists can see that there are people attached to the teeth they treat, we all have reason to smile. Offices that employ the so-called "spa dentistry" techniques report that patients leave cavity-free and relaxed to the core. Not only that, today's dentists receive many more referrals from clientele.

What can you expect from an experience in spa dentistry? The term serves as an umbrella to a bevy of practices—aromatherapy and massage are among the most common—coupled with traditional dental procedures. All practices employing spa dentistry focus on helping the patient leave their anxiety and tension at the door.

A typical appointment at 21st Century Dental in Irving, Texas—the "Four Seasons of Dentistry"—gives us a taste of what to expect. To distract them from their surroundings, the patient's eyes are covered with "landscape glasses" portraying a more desirable locale, like a peaceful stream in the woods. They are also given headphones playing music of their choice, remote-controlled massage mats that knead their backs, and aromatherapy oils that soothe and calm. At the end of the appointment, every patron is treated to a hot towel, ibuprofen, lip balm and a milkshake—all served on a silver platter.

Superfluous as some of these amenities may seem, each is chosen for a reason. For example, the purpose of the milkshake is to soothe mouth soreness and delay the desire for heavier foods while the effects of the anesthesia dissipate.

Aromatherapy scents are carefully chosen to create specific moods. Scents like lavender can soothe and calm patients in the operating room, while rosemary stimulates and refreshes those in recovery. Also, several clinical trials have shown acupuncture to be an effective pain reliever in the dental office. In fact, the spa dentistry trend found its beginnings with acupuncture in the 1970s, and today it is still widely used by dentists to control pain.

Perhaps the most commonly used spa dentistry treatment is massage, which is known to release endorphins and lower blood pressure. Normal dental office anxiety can raise blood pressure and encourage the production of adrenaline, decreasing the effectiveness of anesthesia, writes dentist Debra Gray King in Woman Dentist Journal. She adds that massage can offset these undesirable effects, in turn requiring less chemical anesthesia for the same numbing effects.

Surprisingly, these additional services don't often up the size of the bill, as they cost the office little to implement. This makes spa dentistry a viable option for everyone, especially those who tend to avoid necessary teeth cleanings due to phobias. Who knows—maybe you'll start longing to see the dentist once that dental chair looks less like an electric chair and more like a throne.