For some of us, a dental visit is just another item to check off the to-do list. While it’s not something we circle on the calendar with the kind of glee reserved for birthdays or the Super Bowl, it’s something we enter into with the same enthusiasm one might bring to mowing the lawn.
For a large number of people, however, a trip to the dentist can be a rollercoaster of anxiety. There’s actually a term for it: dental anxiety (or dentophobia if you want to get technical). It’s very real, and it’s something that ROC Dental Group has made it their mission to overcome.
“I always feel like I want to be engaged and ask that question, ‘What can we do to make this more comfortable for you?” said Dr. Matt Mastrorocco, principal and founder of ROC Dental Group. Creating that comfort is a comprehensive effort at the Hilton Head Island practice. For nervous patients, a warm blanket or a knee pillow are available at a moment’s notice to help ease the tension.
Sometimes it just takes reassurance. “I know some patients have had previous experiences at the dentist that were not so great,” said Dr. Jordan Haire of ROC Dental Group. “I’m always trying to make sure they are comfortable, whether it’s talking about the previous experience, or letting them know that if they’re uncomfortable, we’re going to do everything in our power to change that before we proceed.”
But it goes far beyond pillows, blankets and communications. Every aspect of ROC Dental Group has been fine tuned to create comfort. Everything from the colors of the walls to the artwork on display was meticulously chosen to soothe and relax. “That even extends to something like our front desk. I want the patient to feel like our team member will stand up and greet you,” Mastrorocco said. “It’s not just, ‘Sign the clipboard and sit down.’ We want them to feel like we know who’s coming and we are welcoming them.”
The end result of all this careful deliberation and patient care even has a name. “We call it The Epic Experience,” Mastrorocco said. “So, they’re wowed from the first phone call until they leave the office. We want them to love coming to ROC Dental Group.”
Naturally, one of the biggest anxieties that has sprung up over the past year revolves around the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been no known transmission in the clinical dental setting, ROC Dental Group has taken every step to ensure the kind of safety and peace of mind that adds to The Epic Experience. Beyond the standard protocols, ROC Dental Group employs a trio of surgical quality air filters, positioned throughout the office, that destroy viruses and impurities on contact.
“This system is basically surgically scrubbing the air every 15 minutes,” Mastrorocco said. “This not only gives patients a lot of comfort; it has helped us maintain our office with zero cases coming out of our practice.”
These technological marvels are not the only tool at ROC Dental Group’s disposal. Embracing the leading edge of dental technology has long been a hallmark for the practice. “We’re very proud of the technology we have at our disposal,” Haire said.
One advanced piece of tech, called the cone beam CT scan, allows for a level of visibility that would have been the stuff of science fiction just a few years ago. “We can now look at the mouth in three dimensions for surgeries and placing implants,” Mastrorocco said. “It has also enabled us to detect infections and abscesses in a way we couldn’t before.”
Another, the iTero Scanner, replaces the traditional dental impression with a digital scan. To the layman, this means you, as the patient, don’t have to deal with the tongue-curling bitterness of impression mold. “No one likes that,” Haire said with a laugh. And there are far more tools, like lasers used in periodontal therapy that sterilize the pocket around the tooth. But for all the tools at their disposal, ROC Dental Group knows that each is just the means to an end.
“We’re always on the forefront of this technology and making sure we’re ahead of the curve on that. But in reality, the thing that always sets us apart is our connection,” Mastrorocco said. “There’s an underlying fear for a majority of our patients, and our entire team tries to focus on the patient experience.”
His colleague concurs. “Ultimately, with the scanner, that’s all about patient comfort. But all these technologies are making our dental work more exceptional than it already was,” Haire said. “The higher success rates they enable make our dental work more top notch and set us apart from other dental practices, but I’m always trying to make sure my patients are more comfortable.”
And that is the end goal of The Epic Experience. The technology, the customer service, the bedside manner, it’s all in service to turning a trip to the dentist into something better—not something to fear, and maybe even something to look forward to.
“There are always bells and whistles, but you need to feel comfortable in the chair,” Mastrorocco said.
To learn more, visit rocdentalgroup.com or call (843) 682-4601.
