Meet Winston Furchill, Our Office Therapy Dog

Therapy dogs can help people feel calmer in stressful situations, especially in cases where there are large crowds, loud noises, or unexpected things could happen. Winston Furchill is a trained therapy dog who visits our office regularly and helps relieve dental anxiety for many of our patients. Of course, it’s also perfectly fine when patients just want to have the company of a good dog while they are undergoing a lengthy dental treatment. To learn more about Winston, we recommend getting in touch with our friendly front office team!

Anxiety in the Dental Chair

Dental anxiety is quite common, and while some patients just feel a little nervous about dental visits, dental anxiety can cause other patients to cancel appointments or avoid scheduling them altogether. Our team never wants anyone to forgo the dental care they need due to nerves, as that can lead to more invasive and costly procedures becoming necessary down the road.

Our friendly and compassionate team understands how debilitating anxiety can be, and we promise to always do our best to help our patients have pleasant and positive dental experiences (Winston included).

Benefits of Therapy Dogs in Dentistry

When a therapy dog is present during a dental visit, patients often want them to lay on their lap during their treatment. The presence of a relaxed, well-behaved dog is comforting, and the pressure from the dog’s weight can also be very calming, similar to the effects of a weighted blanket. Therapy dogs can also:

• Lower Blood Pressure
• Lower Cortisol (Stress Hormone)
• Provide a Nice Distraction to Focus On
• Give You Something to Do With Your Hands
• Make Visits More Enjoyable Overall

Requesting Winston’s Services

If you need a dental treatment performed and want Winston to join you, please inform our team in advance if possible so we can make sure he is present for your appointment. We always want Winston to be available to patients who have dental anxiety or have a complex treatment coming up that they are anxious about, so just let us know if you are interested in having him attend your dental visit(s). If Winston happens to be free during your visit and you didn’t ask for him in advance, however, you can absolutely request that he tag along!

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