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CLEAR Temp: 58 °F Wind: S at 4 mph Thursday, October 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 4, 2003 With Norah Jones on the video screen, hygienist Micki Jurando prepares a patient at Dr. Greg Miller�s dental office. Miller uses concert videos to entertain patients and help them relax. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Relaxing in the dentist’s chair Medford office gives patients full video treatment By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Donna Kircher settled into a plush recliner chair, slipped on headphones and waited for the show to start. "How’s the volume, Donna?" attendant Ginger McGrath asked as she adjusted Kircher’s chair to give her a better view of the television screen suspended from the ceiling. "Perfect," Kircher said as Eric Clapton and his band filled the screen. The Eagle Point woman spent the next hour somewhere between Clapton’s concert in London and her dentist’s office in Medford. While Dr. Greg Miller prepared several of her teeth for crowns, Kircher watched one of her favorite rock stars perform on DVD. Advertisement "It’s totally cool," Kircher said. "You don’t even think about the dental work that’s being done. He was giving me an injection, and I wasn’t even thinking about it." Miller installed the ceiling-mounted video screens in his dental suites during a recent remodel at East Main Dental Center. He said dental videos are the latest step in the long march toward making dentistry less onerous. "It’s boring to sit there for hours," Miller said. "Why not watch a video and enjoy yourself?" Miller said the screens on the ceiling make his work easier by encouraging patients to fully open their mouths. "They’re tipping their chin up so they can see. As they tip their head back, their jaw naturally opens up more." Watching a concert video or a movie can help a nervous patient relax, Miller said. "Those chairs are comfortable enough to fall asleep. I have people fall asleep all the time. I have to put bite blocks in (to keep mouths open)." Miller has assembled a small library of concert videos that includes performances by contemporary stars such as Shania Twain and Norah Jones, as well as the work of old reliables such as the Moody Blues. There’s also a copy of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" for the young set. Patients can bring their own entertainment, Miller said, "as long as it’s not pornographic." The video screens are driven by the same computer that drives an "intraoral" camera Miller uses to look inside a patient’s mouth. A number of Rogue Valley dentists use the pen-sized instruments, which produce well-lit, magnified images of a patient’s teeth and gums on a computer screen. The pictures help dentists see small problems before they become big ones. The pictures also give patients a better view of their dentists’ work. Christopher Stoney watched his dentist, Dr. Rick Schmidt of Medford, do a root canal on one of his molars. "It’s kind of like watching the Discovery Channel," said Stoney, a Medford radio producer. "You can see in great detail what he’s doing. "I could see the tools he was augering out my roots with," Stoney said. "I’d never seen a dentist’s work so close up. The tooth he was working on practically filled the screen. "It made me realize a tooth is a lot more than what’s poking out on top." Schmidt estimated that about half of Jackson County dentists now use intraoral cameras. Miller is the only dentist who offers patients the opportunity to see videos, according to an informal survey conducted by the Jackson County Dental Society. Schmidt said the cameras help allay many patients’ anxieties about dental work. "A lot of fear (about dentistry) is driven by fear of the unknown," Schmidt said. "They don’t know what’s going on. When they see (inside the mouth), they can understand." No one has to look at the monitors, but Schmidt said most of his patients do seem to watch what he’s doing, even for major procedures such as root canals. "They seem to get a greater appreciation for how difficult dentistry is." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times