The dental chair can now be considered a place of relaxation providing an opportunity to escape from our busy day-to-day lives. As you recline and allow the contours of the chair to cradle your body you will begin to switch off and feel true calmness. Your teeth cleaning procedure then becomes a more comfortable experience enabling the body as well as the mind to fully relax.

Before beginning a cleaning session, I like to invite my patients to breathe deeply and enjoy a few moments of guided meditation. This helps relax the patient's jaw and facial muscles allowing me to reach the more inaccessible areas of the mouth. I am often surprised at how challenging some patients find these simple deep breathing exercises as they have never before attempted any form of yogic breathing, instead their normal breathing pattern is short and shallow without using the full capacity of their lungs.

I allow a few minutes for my patients to develop a deeper breathing pattern which brings more air into their lungs, and increases oxygen flow to the brain and body. This often has a profound effect, allowing them to feel completely cared for while receiving a much more thorough dental cleaning. When guiding patients through the breathing exercises I also become more relaxed and present throughout the procedure increasing a feeling of healing and harmony for my patients.

This mindful and more spiritual approach to dentistry effortlessly aligns with the recently technological advancements we have seen in the industry. By conducting the dental hygiene sessions in this way, we can effectively create a more healing environment for the body and mind and not merely for the teeth and gums.

As a regular meditation and mindfulness practitioner, I believe the dental chair is an ideal place to pass on my knowledge to others and feel more actively engaged with my patients. By connecting to the natural rhythm of our breath we are able to feel a deeper sense of calmness. This creates a beautiful moment of feeling truly grounded and at peace.

The physical and mental health benefits of mindfulness and breathing exercises are well proven allowing patients to immediately experience the change in their dental procedure experience. Several of my patients have told me they began meditating regularly after their sessions with me. I find it magical to bring this experience to the dental chair. And it never feels ordinary for me. The more I do it, the more it confirms my confidence in its power to support health, vitality and happiness in life.

If you have experienced discomfort, or anxiety with dental procedures in the past you can say goodbye to these old behaviour patterns. If you are already relaxed in the dental chair try it and see how much deeper you can get into your relaxation. The more relaxed the mind, the more relaxed the muscles. And you will be surprised to see how much more you can get out of your dental hygienist experience.

There are many fields like psychotherapy, and other health focused treatments that are incorporating mindfulness practices in their fields. Please feel free to check out the following links.

I look forward to seeing you soon for an appointment with me.

Let’s take our dental hygiene appointment to the next level.

Yours Sincerely,
Maryam Abrishami RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist)

Very Well Mind

Positive Psychology