Most people experience some level of anxiety at the dentist. This is normal but unpleasant. And then there are people who find it hard to make their dental appointments because of their level of fear. This can seriously damage a person’s oral health. In the past, we’ve responded with sedation dentistry, which is effective, but not everyone wants to use drugs to calm down at the dentist. NuCalm is an exciting, scientific approach to relaxation that works without drugs and is appropriate even for people who have minor dental anxiety and wouldn’t want to use sedation. NuCalm works for about 95% of people who have tried it.
At the Center for Advanced Dentistry, Nashville’s leading dentist Dr. Forbes adopts technologies that help his patients enjoy better comfort as well as better results in a holistic health environment. NuCalm’s approach to using the brain’s own mechanisms to defuse anxiety makes it an ideal technology for our patients.
If you would like to enjoy a meditative relaxation experience during your next dental visit, please call for an appointment at the Center for Advanced Dentistry.
Dental Anxiety Is Normal
Many people just try to cope with their dental anxiety because they think it’s foolish. After all, their dentist is a doctor who wants to help–they shouldn’t be afraid. Or maybe they don’t want to offend their dentist.
But the truth is that dental anxiety is very common. About four out of five people report feeling some level of dental anxiety, and with one out of five, dental anxiety is so bad it keeps them from making regular dental visits.
And, if you think about it, dental anxiety is very understandable. A dentist puts you in a reclined position, shines a bright light on your face, stands very close, and reaches into your mouth. This is a situation that you would expect to elevate your stress level.
We understand your feelings, believe us, and we do all we can to attempt to make you feel comfortable, welcome, and in control during your dental visits. We also know that our efforts aren’t always enough. That’s why we’ve long been happy to offer sedation dentistry and why we’re now even happier to offer NuCalm.
How NuCalm Works
NuCalm is the world’s only technology patented for “Systems and Methods for Balancing and Maintaining the Health of the Human Autonomic Nervous System.” The autonomic nervous system is an unconscious network of nerves that regulates the function of your organs. It’s the system that controls your body’s stress responses, including “fight or flight” and “freeze and dissociate” responses. By regulating your body’s response to stress, NuCalm puts you into a relaxed state, one that many users compare to deep meditation.
NuCalm consists of four elements. First, there’s the sleep hormone, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which your body naturally uses to encourage sleep. These are derived from food sources and are completely natural. They can be delivered using a skin cream or chewable supplements.
Normally your body isn’t receptive to GABA when it’s stressed. But a gentle stimulation via cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) opens the brain to receive the GABA. CES has been approved for use in treating anxiety and insomnia, and it’s an effective, gentle treatment.
To further help your brain get into a relaxed state, NuCalm includes a neuroacoustic software. You will wear headphones that play music, but embedded in the music is two different beats, which play in each ear. Your brain tries to accommodate both beats by matching its brainwaves to the difference between them. This puts your brainwaves at the same frequency as when you’re at the edge of sleep.
Finally, we have to deal with the bright lights that can stimulate your brain’s stress response. That’s done with a simple eye mask.
The entire process takes just a couple of minutes to apply, and within five minutes you are relaxed. You’re not asleep, you’re fully awake, but you’re in a meditative state.
Because NuCalm doesn’t use drugs, and it has many positive side effects–people often report feeling energized, more creative, and getting better sleep after using NuCalm–it’s appropriate for every patient, even if you don’t feel any anxiety at the dentist.
Dr. Forbes Is a Leader in Dental Technology
If you are looking for a Nashville dentist who is at the forefront of the industry, then you are looking for Dr. Forbes at the Center for Advanced Dentistry. NuCalm is just the latest technology he’s introduced to his practice to help his patients enjoy a better dental experience.
To learn the benefits of NuCalm for yourself, please contact the Center for Advanced Dentistry at (615) 383-6787.