The Birth of the Dental Spa

By Sumayyah Meehan, TMO

A trip to the dentist often results in some degree of pain or a jolt of fear-induced adrenaline, as the various instruments required in dentistry buzz and whir inside your mouth. For this reason, a lot of people fear going to the dentist and put it off until the pain of a tooth ailment forces their hand. Fear of dental treatment is something universal regardless of whether you live in the USA or somewhere like Kuwait. However, if you reside in the latter, a new type of dental facility has been born that will not only facilitate repairing your teeth but will also soothe your senses at the same time.

Currently known in the Middle East as “dental spas”, the facilities are a hybrid of a regular spa and a dentist’s office. And they can be found all over Kuwait and in neighboring Arab countries. A typical dentist’s office looks a bit banal with its minimalist décor and stench of disinfectant floating in the air. However, a dental spa is something extraordinary that is evident the moment you walk in the door. The reception area of a dental spa is the most notable with plush sofas and heavily decked out tables. You won’t find a stack of outdated magazines on the tables in a dental spa, but what you will find are aromatherapy candles, natural stones and knick-knacks scattered about for the sole purpose of creating a relaxing atmosphere. Depending on the poshness of the dental spa, you will also find an espresso or cappuccino machine complete with ornate glass teacups perfect for sipping.

When it comes to services, once you get behind the façade of the waiting room and staff decked out in colorful matching uniforms, it really is just the same as any other dental office. However, in the Middle East at least, the services are far more state-of –art than what you would find in an ordinary government run dental clinic which is heavily subsidized by the state and offers the bare minimum of dental services. In a dental spa, close attention is paid to both repairing teeth and giving clients that Hollywood smile. Dental implants, whitening sessions and lumineers are just a few of the specialized services offered in a dental spa. And while you won’t be treated to a foot massage or even a back rub, dental spas do succeed in numbing a bit of the anxiety that results from visiting the dentist.

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