Gentle Dental - Comfort with your cleaning

Tava Brice considers herself to be a typical dental patient: nervous.

But she looked nothing but relaxed sitting in a reclining chair Monday morning waiting for Dr. Angela C. Ruff's gloved fingers to start probing her teeth. Ruff offers sedation to overly anxious patients, but Brice has no need for medication to calm her jitters. She has something, someone, better. Her name is Ashley Bunce. She is a certified massage therapist.

On a recent Monday, a soft chenille throw blanket covered Brice's bare legs to cut the chill of the air-conditioned dental office. Bunce stood next to Brice, massaging her hands and forearms and chatting about this and that.

Bunce graduated in May from the Medical Arts Massage School in Raleigh. Now two days a week she helps Ruff's patients relax and, as unconventional as it sounds, even enjoy their time in the dentist's chair.

Bunce said it not only relaxes patients, it also comforts them. "It's kind of like they can hold my hand," she said.

Ruff opened her practice in 1994. She graduated from dental school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ascot Aesthetic Implants & Dentistry is in Ascot Plaza off Ramsey Street near Methodist College. Many of Ruff's patients are frightened of dentists, Ruff said. The sedation helps. So do the extras.

Years ago, there were no topical anesthetics to numb gums before shots of Novocaine, Ruff said. Needles were sterilized and reused and were dull because of it. Traumatic experiences at the dentist's office have led many to associate dentists with pain and discomfort. Massage is one way to help.

Even the decor at the practice is spa-like and soothing. Soft beiges and browns color the walls and floors. Serene music caresses. Ruff even employs aromatherapy. Lavender extracts calm patients, and eucalyptus scents pep up her staff.

Ruff said she wants a visit to her office to compare to a shopping excursion at Nordstrom, where musicians often play mood music on grand pianos. She's aiming for quality of care and a positive experience.

Special touches, which are offered at no charge, include neck and shoulder massages, hand and arm massages, foot reflexology and paraffin wax treatments. The practice offers iPods to drone out the sounds of drills and other tools, chairs with form-fitting cushioning and the soft blankets.

Ruff said two part-time massage therapists cater to patients four days a week. She's looking to hire another therapist part-time in order to provide the service every day.

But not every patient is looking for anything beyond a cleaning, a filling or a root canal. "Between 15 and 20 percent of my patients want good dentistry and no foo-foo stuff," Ruff said. "But it is nice for people to have the choice."

Debbie Helms manages the practice's office. Word has started getting out among patients that a little pampering awaits them if they schedule their appointments on certain days. "The day we don't have a therapist is getting hard to schedule," Helms said.

The massages are a service Ruff started about two months ago. She heard the idea while attending a course in dental implants at the University of New York in Manhattan. During a visit to a spa there, she struck up a conversation with another patron. The man told Ruff his dental horror stories and told her his dentist offers massages. He raved about it.

Then a recent story in Dental Economics magazine described the growing trend of employing massage therapists in dental practices. Ruff, who grew up in Fayetteville, decided to try it.

Even the staff at the practice benefit from the massage therapists. They get treated once a week. Ruff hopes it helps treat stiff neck and back muscles that can arise from days spent bent over patients.

Ruff said the practice has for 10 years offered paraffin wax treatments. Patients dip their hands in warm paraffin, which soothes achy joints and muscles and smoothes the skin.

Brice and her husband and four children have come to Ruff's practice for seven years. She likes the special treatment.

"The reason we chose this office was patient care," Brice said. "This is a perk added to it that we are enjoying the benefits of."

With all the pampering, a scheduled cleaning every six months might not be enough dental care for some. Helms said patients have been known to ask her: "Are you sure I don't have a filling or something?"