A day of pampering
It can be hard to imagine what a different world awaits you here at our nationally acclaimed Atlanta dental spa.
At the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, we are committed to the goal of making your next dental health experience stress-free, restful, and yes, even enjoyable.
Dental Spa Amenities
To help further ease your anxiety, we have created a soothing, peaceful atmosphere. Unlike the typical sterile feel and smell of most dental offices, our practice has tried to create an ambiance reminiscent of a fine, upscale resort. The reception area is accented with comfortable furnishings, flowers, oil paintings, and a refreshment center with coffee, tea, bottled water, juice, and cookies baked fresh on site. This immediately tends to relax guests anticipating a dental visit. Scented aromatherapy candles burn in various corners of many rooms. Instead of nurses in scrubs, cheerful dental concierges dressed in designer outfits greet clients by name.
Cosmetic dental treatments are performed in our very own “dental Zen chairs” which send soothing sound waves from your head to your toes. With a complete spectrum of relaxing comforts, including a warm neck pillow, cozy blanket, headphones to listen to your favorite CD, or escaping into a movie on one of our flat screen TVs, the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry has it all.
The bottom line — we not only want you to love your new smile, but to enjoy the process. Most importantly, our entire team wants to make sure you’re comfortable at all times.
Massage In The Dental Office Is Not Just a Feel-Good Amenity
The American Dental Association strongly recommends stress reduction techniques in the dental office, especially for patients with anxiety problems or known heart disease. But we’ve taken patient comfort and pampering to a whole new level.
One of the most important services we offer our patients is our massage therapy. Massage services include chairside massage, TMJ reflexology, and myofascial release. These techniques have been proven to be effective when treating the pain associated with TMD, as well as the side-effect headaches that people experience.Therapeutic massage not only helps you to relax and reduces your anxiety levels, but also provides many other important health benefits. It relaxes the nervous system, and increases blood circulation and joint flexibility. The psychological benefits of massage can include an improved sense of well-being, reduced stress and anxiety, and increased body awareness – all so important for overall health.
By utilizing massage therapy, we can provide a more organic and healthy way of sedation in patients, instead of using a lot of drugs. This is especially good for patients with existing health problems.
We’ve found that our pampering amenities, such as massages, actually reduces the typical amount of anxiety present and anesthetic needed in a dental visit. Studies show that massage releases endorphins and lowers heart rate and blood pressure. The December 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) published an article by Dr. Larry Lawton, a dentist for the State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) residential facility for developmentally disabled patients. The article discussed the benefits of massage in the dental office:
“As a result of using massage therapy during dental treatment, we have recorded a decrease in resistant behaviors and a more positive response to treatment. Pre-sedations have been reduced to almost zero. The dosage for sedation has been reduced by one-third to one-half the amount used previously. Use of the mechanical positioning device also has been drastically reduced (again, to almost zero). Patients who are relaxed as a result of massage seem less resistant and more receptive to dental treatment. Recovery times for patients who do require sedation have been reduced as well.
At our residential facility’s oral care clinic, we recently introduced massage therapy to help our patients relax and have had good results. Perhaps this could be considered for general dental practices for all apprehensive patients-not just those with developmental disabilities. A review of client management techniques had shown that many clients were agitated during simple dental procedures.
These clients required pre-sedation, sedation and manual restraint to undergo procedures safely. As a result of the review, we found that about 30 percent of our clients were receiving sedation for dental work. Additionally, there were others who routinely required mechanical positioning devices. A number of clients also required pre-sedation to be calm enough to be cared for safely in conjunction with the sedation and positioning devices. We were looking for a way to reduce the use of chemical or mechanical restraints. Massage therapy seemed to provide a way to relieve anxiety and help calm the patient and decrease the amount of chemical or mechanical restraints used during the dental procedure. Massage therapy can include head and neck massage as well as hand or foot massage by a massage therapist.
We also use aromatherapy in the dental clinic to help our patients feel more comfortable. Essential oils reported to have calming properties are diffused in the operatory for relaxation benefits, and oils with stimulating aromas are diffused in the recovery area to refresh the patients after dental treatment. Establishing a relaxed atmosphere, communicating in a soft voice, and using a gentle touch will go a long way toward helping the patient relax.”
We’ve created a comfortable environment where our Atlanta cosmetic dentists provide you with personalized care at an unhurried pace. We take our time because great aesthetic dentistry is precision dentistry with artistry.
