Virtual Reality Could Revolutionize The Dental Care Industry
The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day. Brushing twice isn’t that difficult and if you floss regularly, avoid unhealthy foods and drinks, and visit your general dentist often, you should be in great dental health.
Unfortunately, there are many Americans that don’t do these general dentist-recommended tips. Plus, even those that do take care of their teeth can still experience serious dental issues every once in a while. For both children and adults, sitting in a general dentist chair can be quite intimidating. Thankfully, virtual reality might be leading to some major breakthroughs in the dental care industry.
According to KXLY, OperaVR enables dental patients to watch calming nature scenes from behind the lenses of a Pico Interactive VR headset as they undergo various dental procedures.
Bryan Laskin, dentist and founder of Operability, the startup behind OperaVR, stated that the VR method is utilized both by anxious dental patients and people who are nervous about the social awkwardness of having such invasive treatment done.
“Once we have a headset on the patient, and they’re relaxed, it’s a better experience for everybody,” said Laskin.
Laskin’s dentist office is one of 100 dental care facilities utilizing the technology, which costs around $1,000 for each VR system.
Additionally, the VR system enables dentists and other dental professionals the ability to offer their patients options for what to watch, which the audio and video are then controlled by the dentist via a website. Dental patients can select 3-D videos of jugglers, animals, nature, and more.
The VR videos can range from only a few minutes to as long as 20 minutes because dental professionals want their patents to remain still and calm throughout the entire process. Also, the VR videos do not contain 360-degree imagery in order to ensure that their patients won’t turn their heads around while undergoing invasive dental work and treatments.
Though virtual reality has yet to hit the entire dental care industry, it’s still imperative to remain on top of your own dental hygiene. Again, visit your family dentist regularly and whenever you’re experiencing any tooth pain and always brush your teeth! If you want to schedule an appointment with an experienced dental professional, give Gainesville Dental Associates a call today.