I Spent Months Trying to Mount a TV. Then I Found Something Better.
I spent months trying to figure out how to hang a TV from the ceiling.
It sounds simple. Plenty of dental offices have screens mounted above the chair so patients can watch something during treatment. But I couldn't find a setup that felt right for our space; the angles were wrong, the positioning interfered with the equipment, and nothing I looked at matched what I actually wanted for Brush House.
So I kept looking. Months went by. The project sat in the back of my mind while I focused on other things: the remodel, picking flooring, finding the right pieces for the space.
And then it hit me. I didn't need a TV at all.
The Glasses
What I'd been wanting all along was something more personal; a way for each patient to have their own private screen, regardless of how they were positioned or what kind of treatment they were getting.
The answer was a pair of Viture Pro XR glasses.
When you put them on, a screen appears in front of your eyes like a massive display floating about 10 feet away. The image is crisp, bright, and immersive enough that you forget you're in a dental chair. And because the screen is in the glasses rather than on the wall, it doesn't matter where my hands are, or whether I'm leaning in with a mirror; the show never gets blocked.
The Patient Who Changed My Mind
I knew the technology was cool. What I didn't know was how much it would matter to the people wearing them.
The first real test came with a patient in her 70s. She put on the glasses, we pulled up Hulu, and she picked something to watch.
The joy was palpable. I mean genuinely palpable; the kind of reaction you can feel in the room. Here was a woman in a dental chair, getting treatment done, and she was giddy. Smiling behind the glasses. Laughing at whatever was playing. Completely relaxed.
I've spent my entire career thinking about ways to reduce patient anxiety; and I've tried a lot of them. Walking through every step before I start. Soft music. Slower pacing. Nothing (and I mean nothing) has been as immediately effective as handing someone a pair of glasses and letting them watch their favorite show while I work. As a Hixson dentist, patient anxiety solutions are at the core of everything I do.
Why It Works
I think the magic is in the combination of immersion and normalcy.
When you're wearing the glasses, you're not staring at a ceiling tile. You're not counting the seconds. You're not bracing for the next sensation. You're watching a movie in a world that feels bigger than the room you're sitting in.
And because the glasses are lightweight and don't fully block your peripheral vision, you can still interact with us. Need to rinse? Want to ask a question? Just lift them and you're back in the room. No fumbling with earbuds, no pausing a ceiling-mounted screen the whole office can see.
The Bigger Picture
The glasses are just one piece of a larger philosophy at Brush House. If anxiety is the real problem, then every sense in the room is part of the solution.
We're working on bringing pleasant scents into the office; something warm and grounding instead of the sterile aroma most people associate with the dentist. We have noise-canceling headphones for anyone who wants to disappear into silence. We keep soft blankets in every operatory. And someday soon, I'd love to have a small hypoallergenic lap dog who can curl up with patients during treatment; because it's hard to stay anxious when there's a warm dog napping on you.
For patients who need more than distraction, we offer anxiety-reducing medications as part of our comprehensive patient anxiety solutions. For those who'd rather get it over with before the day's worries build, we schedule early morning appointments. And every patient of this practice has my private phone number; not a service, not a front desk, me. If something's bothering you after a procedure, you call or text me directly.
What It Means
Not every patient wants the glasses. Some prefer to close their eyes and let me work. Some want the headphones and a blanket. Some want the medication. That's all fine; every option is just that, an option.
But the response from patients who do try the glasses is hard to overstate. The shoulders drop. The breathing slows. The grip on the armrest loosens. They're not enduring the appointment anymore; they're watching a show, and the dentistry just happens to be happening at the same time.
I spent months looking for the right way to mount a TV. I should have been looking for the right way to make the experience disappear altogether. Turns out the best distraction isn't on the ceiling at all; it's right in front of your eyes. And that has made all the difference for patients at Brush House.
Dr. Gustavo Moretta Brush House Neighborhood Dentistry — Hixson, TN
Curious what a visit to Brush House looks like? Call us today; we are happy to walk you through our anxiety-free approach to dental care.
