Thanks to dental and orthodontic professionals who are dedicated to improving comfort and convenience, many patients are no longer as anxious about their appointments as they used to be.

As a young girl growing up in Brazil, Dr. Anna Palombini was the rare child who had no butterflies in her stomach whatsoever when it came time for a dental checkup. Coming from a family full of dentists, she felt right at home in a setting that could be seen as scary for many youngsters.

“I was actually the example my mom would use—she would bring me to the office to show other kids that everything was fine,” she recalls. “She would give me a cleaning or apply fluoride or just do simple procedures to make other kids feel comfortable sitting in the chair. … Since I was a baby that was always my spot.”

More and more children today—as well as adults—are finding trips to the dentist’s or orthodontist’s office to not be quite so intimidating, even without having the benefit of Dr. Palombini’s background. The stigma has lifted thanks to those in the field committing themselves to patient comfort and convenience and taking advantage of technological advancements.

“I would definitely agree with that,” says Dr. Palombini, an orthodontist at Imagine Orthodontic Studio. “The patients are more educated and more informed nowadays, and they come in with less of the unknown by the time they get to the office. We do offer more advanced technology too, which is less invasive and makes it more comfortable, so that also helps. There’s been a shift in the society perception as well, as far as braces and aligners being part of a self-care aesthetic routine. The narrative has shifted from it being something that was a discomfort to something that is more of a self improvement.”

Dr. Andre Baptiste of Baptiste Orthodontics agrees that most patients—especially the teens who make up a large percentage of his base—have a better understanding of what to expect during their visit.

“I think the younger generation with social media and such, they know more,” he says. “It’s not a mystery what’s going to happen when they go to the dentist because they can go on TikTok and Instagram and they can see exactly how these procedures go. A lot of these kids are very excited about getting braces nowadays; it’s not like when I was a kid. I’m also an orthodontist, so my patients generally don’t come in scared.”

Dr. Baptiste is active on social media, with pages dedicated to his profession as well as his gardening hobby. Showing a different side of himself makes him more relatable to his patients, and when they come in he’s able to connect with them on a personal level to put them at ease.

“Whether it’s children or adults, I try to find things we have in common,” he says. “I have a wide range of interests so I feel like with any person, I can find something that we have in common, whether it’s cartoons or hunting or sports. And a lot of times I’ll tell kids when they’re getting braces on, ‘Nothing is going to hurt you today at all. If anything hurts you, you can punch me in the stomach as hard as you want.’ They laugh … and I say, ‘No, for real.’ But I’ve never been punched.”

For those patients who are still not sure about getting their teeth worked on, Dr. Jason Battle of Premiere Orthodontics stresses transparency.

“The reason people feel nervous or anxious is because there’s a lack of information,” he says. “Communication is the start of everything we do, and we want to make sure the patient is informed about everything that’s happening: what it’s going to feel like, how long it’s going to take, how much it’s going to cost. There are no hidden surprises about what they’re dealing with when they walk in the office, because they know every detail. The communication has to be consistent throughout the entire treatment process, because people might forget what I said or what the conversation was about, so we have apps that allow the patients to ask questions 24 hours a day. It goes directly to my cell phone and I can send them a message. … It allows us to have free-flowing communication and [gives them] access to pictures or treatment plans or pricing, so they’re always informed.”

Of course, even though much progress has been made in changing the narrative, there will always be some patients who remain nervous or anxious, particularly kids receiving treatment for the first time.

“I think if you compare past generations, it’s definitely gotten better, but children are still nervous about new situations,” says Dr. Domenic Aloise of Maitland Pediatric Dentistry. “[They] are up close and personal with someone they just met and you are doing things that feel, sound, and taste different than what they are used to. Parents who have a history of unpleasant dental experiences and anxiety also translate that stress to their children. The children are nervous because the parents are nervous and it can snowball from there. So, we definitely still see it on a daily basis, but my goal is to try to alleviate dental fear, anxiety and apprehension as much as possible.”

Dr. Aloise’s methods for helping kids become more comfortable include modeling, in which they first accompany an older sibling for his or her appointment to get a feel for what it entails; distraction, or using TV and music to occupy them while being treated; and is some cases administering nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to relax the child.

But the technique he believes works the best is called “tell-show-do.”

“It’s an approach to help create familiarity with the dental procedure,” he says. “Its essence is that we tell the child what we’re going to do, then we show what we’re going to do, and then we do it. We might illustrate that on a doll or stuffed animal before actually doing it on the patient. It’s a nice introduction for them. We also use our imagination and make names for our instruments or tell jokes and just ease them into the appointment instead of rushing into it. I also use a dinosaur puppet that has big teeth, and the children will brush the puppet’s teeth before we brush theirs. We named our puppet Dino and the children really like that.”

The waiting room in either a pediatric or general dentistry office can go a long way as well.

“I feel like anxiety is something so many people are dealing with in today’s day and age, so our goal at Winter Garden Smiles is to create an atmosphere that is clean, polished and professional but also relaxing and laid-back,” says Chenelle Collins, the practice’s assistant office manager. “We still have patients who are anxious, definitely children who are anxious, so when you arrive at our office you are greeted with a smiling face. Our lobby is pretty spacious and is equipped with three TVs, a coffee station, two gaming stations and ample seating. We do our best to make sure the atmosphere is as laid-back as possible and you don’t feel like you’re walking into a typical dental practice.”

Dr. Breck Brewer of Fravel Brewer Orthodontics combines education with fun activities.

“In our orthodontic office, we go out of our way to make sure that even simple procedures, like capturing X-rays or evaluations by the dentist, are explained ahead of time,” he says. “We make our office a fun and exciting place by offering prize wheels, blooper videos on our TV screens, video games and fun music. The atmosphere among our team is overwhelmingly supportive, positive and energetic. This can go a long way toward overcoming the fear that can come with dental and orthodontic checkups and procedures.”

The convenience factor has improved for busy patients as well, with a major assist from technology. Dr. Battle says that Premiere Orthodontics was one of the first practices in the area to utilize telemedicine in 2017, helping patients glean information about cost and treatment time through virtual appointments without having to physically come to the office.

Once COVID hit in 2020, that approach was adopted by many medical offices, and it has remained as a viable option ever since.

“During the pandemic, we were able to update our new patient enrollment process by utilizing our simple three-step, free virtual screening exams that are still in use today because of their ease and convenience for our busy families,” says Dr. David Lach of Lach Orthodontic Specialists. “Our patients now have the option of visiting our office personally or scanning our QR code or website link in order to send us their smile selfie photos that are forwarded directly to the doctor for immediate review.

“Insurance benefits are also verified and our insurance office new patient team will reach out and collect valuable detailed information from our new patients that enable us to best understand their treatment preferences and goals and any limitations that need to be considered when customizing their treatment plan. New patients can then be sent a preliminary treatment plan and a cost estimate, which will be confirmed at the initial visit to the office for the doctor clinical exam with X-rays.” 

Finally, the technological changes to actual dentistry and orthodontics have made a world of difference, from digital scanning and 3D printing to the Synapse Dental Pain Eraser that uses electric pulses to calm the nerves and provide lasting relief.

“There are always going to be errors with humans no matter what we do, but the fact that we have digital technology allows us to reduce those errors,” Dr. Battle says. “When we reduce the number of errors, the treatment goes faster because we’re making fewer mistakes. … Dentistry is expensive, so the less you have to do it over the course of your lifetime, the less it’s going to cost.”

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