3D glasses to reduce anxiety at the dentist’s office

The Ahoa Dental Clinic uses 3D virtual reality glasses to reduce patient anxiety and stress during treatment.

The anxiety and stress that a high percentage of people suffer at the time of going to the dentist cause many of them to delay this moment as much as possible, with the consequent damage to their oral health. In addition, nerves during the visit can affect the procedure, especially in children.

Aware of this problem, the Ahoa Dental Clinic has incorporated a new relaxation technique into its practice: the Cinemizer® OLED virtual reality glasses, which allow patients to watch 3D videos or movies, play video games, read, listen to music, and can even be connected to their mobile device to access their own video or music files.

Managing patient anxiety is key in dentistry, not only to make the patient’s experience as pleasant as possible, but also to ensure that the procedure can be performed safely and effectively.

According to data, approximately 75% of adults experience some degree of fear or anxiety when visiting the dentist. This anxiety can lead to jaw tension, dry mouth, burning mouth syndrome and panic attacks, and the patient may even refuse the anesthesia or the treatment itself.

Since anxiety is a psychological rather than a physical factor, the Cinemizer® OLED glasses rely on distraction as a natural method of dealing with this anxiety. Positive sensory stimuli transport the patient optically and acoustically out of the tense atmosphere of the dentist’s waiting or treatment room.

This technique is generally used in any procedure of a certain duration, since the previous waiting time or the time the patient expects to be inside the consultation room are two of the main factors that trigger or aggravate anxiety. In the case of child patients, this can be applied to any procedure that provokes a stress reaction.

The system, developed by the German company Zeiss, is already being used in Europe and the United States with great success. It is compatible with PC, Mac, Blu-ray or standard DVD player, as well as Apple devices such as iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, allowing the patient to connect his or her own device to the virtual reality glasses.

About Ahoa Dental Clinic

Located in the center of Barcelona, the Ahoa Clinic was founded by Iñaki Cercadillo, an expert in oral implantology and immediate load implantology, and has more than ten years of experience in these procedures.