THE CALMING EFFECT OF THE DENTAL ENVIRONMENT

Ever wonder why dental offices and medical offices in general seem so calm? It's all an effort to make you feel less anxious. A less stressful environment makes patients feel much calmer. This is especially true for children. The Journal of Pediatrics has reported the results of an Israeli study that children we're markedly less anxious in a dental office that played soothing music and had softer lighting. In addition, the children were given a covering that produced, in the words of the study, a "hugging" feeling. Less stress is a good thing for both the patient and the doctor!