There are few things more uncomfortable than having a cavity filled. No one knows that better than Dr. Bryan Laskin, who has been in the dentistry business for two decades.
In an effort to reduce the anxiety and discomfort some patients feel during their appointments, the Minnetonka dentist recently partnered with local virtual reality company Visual to create a virtual reality headset specifically for dentistry.
“One of the most common things people say is ‘I hate being here,’” Dr. Laskin said. “Now we can say, ‘Great. Let’s send you somewhere else.’”
Patients can choose from six videos, each about 10 minutes long, and be transported anywhere from the hills of New Zealand to a river boat cruise on the Mississippi. The videos are somewhat dull, which Dr. Laskin said helps patients relax.
“If a patient is anxious, they tense up, and that’s when things start to hurt,” Dr. Laskin said. “So if we can remove the anxiety, we remove the pain too.”
A self-proclaimed “huge nerd,” Dr. Laskin has developed several other devices and systems for the dental industry. His biggest success is Opera DDS, a dental communication software used in 4,000 offices across the country.
Dr. Laskin and the other dentists at his practice, Lake Minnetonka Dental, introduced virtual reality to their office three months ago. So far, he said, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. While Lake Minnetonka isn’t the first dentist office to use virtual reality, Dr. Laskin claims to be the first to develop software specifically for dentistry.
The medical field, like other industries, has started dabbling in virtual reality over the last several years. There’s still a good deal of in depth research that needs to be done. But early studies have shown that patients using virtual reality software for 20 minutes experience an average pain reduction of 24 percent. In other words, roughly the same effects as a light dose of narcotics.
Dr. Laskin said he originally wanted to name his headset “Digital Nitrous” because of the effect it had on patient pain and anxiety. Nitrous Oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, has long been used at dentist offices to help patients relax or relieve pain. Some patients experience so much anxiety about visiting the dentist that they opt to get knocked out for routine appointments, not just painful procedures.
And while laughing gas doesn’t have the same negative or addictive side effects as opioids, there are added costs and risks for the dental offices that carry it. Tanks can get stolen and some patients experience negative side effects. Many practices also bill patients if they request nitrous. Dr. Laskin said Lake Minnetonka Dental doesn’t charge for use of virtual reality, and it can be used by just about anyone.
Each of Dr. Laskin’s virtual reality systems cost $800 and includes the headset and software required to run the program. Pricey, but not nearly as expensive as some other medical virtual reality tools. A virtual reality pain control game called SnowWold developed by the University of Washington, intended for patients in intensive care units, retails for $35,000.
Dr. Laskin said that by offering virtual reality to his patients, he hopes to change the way they think about dentist visits.
“I want to transform the patient experience,” he said.
