New Research Shows Virtual Reality Can Be Used To Make Your Dentist Visits Less Painful
Experiencing calming coastal or forest scenes showed less pain during the procedure, as well as when remembered later.
No one enjoys visiting the dentist; it always hurts like hell, no matter the procedure, not to mention how uncomfortable it is with the whining of drills and polishers, the glaring light, and the awkward position you¡¯re reclining in.
Dentists realise this too, so anything they can do to put you more at ease makes the job easier for both of you. That¡¯s why, researchers in the UK are now experimenting with virtual reality to make going to the dentist just a little bit more relaxing.
Researchers at England's Plymouth University gathered 79 volunteers for the experiment. All the participants, who either needed a tooth extracted or cavity filled, were divided into three groups; one would view a coastal VR scene during the procedure, the second would explore a VR city, and the third was the control group with no VR distractions.
The team noticed that the group who got to explore the beach in VR experienced ¡°significantly less pain¡± than the other two groups, hinting at a possibility that the technology has actual therapeutic potential. Indeed, they even experienced less ¡°recalled pain¡± (i.e. memories of pain they endured) in later followups.
Researchers had the patients view different VR scenes as they underwent the dental procedure.
Oddly enough though, not all kinds of VR seem to work. The researchers noted that those exploring the VR city rated their pain about the same as those that had no VR distractions at all. This clearly indicates the type of scene they experience during the painful procedure needs to be calming. That may seem obvious, however the researchers previously believed that just the VR experience itself would have made a difference. ¡°Our findings are in line with literature, showing that contact with nature, even indirect contact through windows, can influence physical and mental well-being,¡± the paper explains.
Indeed, the findings are in line with previous studies involving virtual reality, which showed patients can tap into its therapeutic uses to reduce their dependence on pain medication. In the future, they believe pain treatments in patients following major injuries or surgeries could be managed with a combination of drugs and VR, a move that bodes well for countries like the US, where a large section of the population develop addictions to prescription medication over time.