Day at Dental Spa Takes a Bite Out of Tension

During those dreaded moments when her dentist drills and scrapes, Nancy Rubenstein enjoys a back massage, a manicure, a cool mask for her eyes and slippers to warm her feet.

If that isn’t enough, she can slip on virtual reality glasses and escape to Hawaii or some other exotic place as the aroma of chocolate-chip cookies drifts from a nearby oven.

“Can I come here on vacation?” Rubenstein jokes after her dentist, Dr. Kenneth Mogell, peers into her mouth during a recent checkup.

Mogell started adding the cozy touches -- aromatherapy candles, warm pillows, spa services -- to make dental appointments less frightening and even enjoyable.

The concept is becoming more popular nationally, with dental offices making simple additions, such as massage-padded chairs, to complete transformations that make the office look like luxurious day spas.

“We want to distract them so much that they don’t notice the fact that I’m putting a needle in their mouths,” Mogell said from a dimly lighted office with cozy seating reminiscent of a home library.

The spa-like approach is designed to attract the dental-phobic -- clients too anxious to go through with their dental appointments. It helps bring in those who might seek out beauty treatments. Some offices offer Botox and collagen injections to help erase any smile lines around those new porcelain whites.

The pampering -- cosmetic dentistry services, for instance -- also draws clients who typically need less dental work than their parents did.

Far fewer people are missing their teeth than 20 years ago, according to the latest U.S. Surgeon General’s report. Young adults, on average, have 20 permanent teeth without fillings or decay today compared with 16 in the 1970s.

As a result, less than two-thirds of adults visited a dentist in the last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even so, the money that Americans spend on dental work is climbing by billions of dollars each year, with $60 billion spent two years ago on oral health. The vast majority of dentists also report that they do some cosmetic procedures.

Dr. Gary Green, who specializes in reparative and cosmetic dentistry in his St. Louis-based practice, said he won’t entirely copy the spa trend that’s creeping up and down the East and West coasts. Green has patients who sit in his chair for four or five hours at a time to get their smiles completely reconstructed, so it helps if they’re relaxed and comfortable.

But he said having a masseuse work on his patients’ feet while he’s working on their mouths might compromise the sterile environment. And if a masseur tickles the wrong spot, that could cause problems.

“We can’t afford to have the patient move. We need their undivided attention,” he said.

Instead, Green is considering renting space in his historic mansion-turned-office to a massage therapist who can work with clients before and after appointments. He also offers small touches -- stereo headphones, scented candles and warm pillows.

“We’re at a time now where people want instant gratification, and any way we can make it easier for them is good for both of us,” Green said.

Some services at dental spas cost little more than a traditional dentist. At Mogell’s office, teeth cleanings start at $75, just below the national average of $85. And there are no additional fees for clients who choose to take advantage of the spa treatments, lipstick samples or other perks.

Dental spas that offer more elaborate services, such as Houston’s Imagemax Dental Day Spa, charge for each treatment separately. There, clients can breathe pure oxygen in a Japanese Zen garden before having a $160 bubble-jet gum massage as part of their teeth cleaning. They can spend the rest of the day pampering the rest of their bodies, with seaweed body wraps, micro-dermabrasion facials, hot stone massages and Botox injections.

Dr. Kimberly Harms, a consumer advisor for the American Dental Assn., said patients, many of whom have become more accustomed to conveniences and small comforts in their daily lives, are driving the changes.

Harms, who describes herself as a dental-phobic patient, said she designed her Farmington, Minn., office with a living room, library and garden with birds, flowers, trees and water.

Although the services vary, most dentists say they want their offices to feel less like a doctor’s office and more like home.

That’s why Mogell doesn’t mind if his patients sully their freshly cleaned smiles with a warm chocolate-chip cookie.

“We just like to spoil everybody,” he said.