Rapid Relaxation: Practical Management of Preoperative Anxiety
DENTAL NEWS, VOLUME XIV, NUMBER III, 2007 Rapid Relaxation Practical Management of Preoperative Anxiety <By John G. Lovas (jlovas@dal.ca),* David A. Lovas** *BSc, DDS, MSc, FRCD(C). Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada **BSc, MD. Psychiatry Resident, Cambridge Health Alliance, and Clinical Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA ABSTRACT Rapid relaxation (RR) is a brief set of suggestions, given while applying topical anesthetic, to reduce anxiety during local anesthesia and subsequent dental treatment. RR is recommended for managing mild dental anxiety, which is almost universal. RR combines elements of hypnosis, meditation and good basic chairside manner. It is noninvasive, takes little additional time, and empowers patients by providing them with an attractive, immediate alternative to catastrophization. We have found that RR markedly i...