Something to Smile About
Kyle Roderick
Imagine going to the dentist and getting an aromatherapy foot massage and paraffin hand treatment while reclining in a chair with temperature and massage settings that you alone control. Sybaritic tooth spa services are becoming more common as dentists realize how these make patients feel blessed rather than stressed during and after daunting dental procedures. While Paul Tanners’ Manhattan dentist office features massage therapy services, Debra Gray King at the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry offers paraffin hand treatments, massage boots, and eye soothing wraps to patients.
‘I love offering spa services because in dentistry it’s hard to make people feel good,’ says Dr. Kent Smith of 21st Century Dental in Irving, Texas. ‘When our patients feel good, we feel good, too, so everyone’s happier.’ Besides offering massage and paraffin hand treatments, ‘we dim the lights in the rooms, burn aromatherapy candles, and play the patient’s favorite music,’ explains Smith.
While vanilla is by far the most requested scent, he also reports that ‘we are going to start offering more massage therapy to meet patient demand.’
What’s more, dentists around the country are scrambling to deliver similar services in an attempt to draw in more patients. ‘I’m starting to get calls from colleagues asking how they can create spa environments in their offices,’ says Smith.
