Fort Myers dentist patient less fearful with new VR technology

Ive Carrington has been to the dentist countless times. But, Monday’s trip stands apart. Thanks to a virtual reality headset, Carrington went places beyond his dental chair.

“It was a cityscape, kind of skyscrapers and big buildings, like New York City,” Carrington said. “It’s definitely distracting in a good way.”

That allows Carrington’s dentist, Dr. Adam Beno, to work on his teeth while he is relaxed.

“It really provides the patient with that ease and they feel more comfortable in a setting where a lot of us don’t like to come into,” said Beno, who is the owner of Gulf Coast Advanced Dentistry.”

Beno told WINK News he bought the Opera VR after seeing it work wonders at a dental convention. He can see his patients relax more. Now, the headset is part of his everyday practice at Gulf Coast Advanced Dentistry.

While Carrington is a regular at the dentist, the hope is the headset will help people who skip the dentist to give them another try. Carrington told us his wife is suddenly a fan of virtual reality.

“My wife enjoyed it and she even said, ‘you know the next time,'” Carrington said. “I was thinking like, ‘why is she worried about the next time?'”

It is great because the hardest part of the dentist is overcoming your fear to schedule an appointment. Beno also told WINK that patients who use the headset actually save money because it cuts down on the need to use any anesthesia or other drugs.