One of the most common childhood fears is going to the dentist. We all went through it as children, and childhood memories stay with us; just thinking about it can make us shudder.
No one likes to go to the dentist, even though everyone knows how important good health is. But the use of new technologies will revolutionize dentistry and our overall attitude toward health in the future.
As with other medical specialties, disruptive innovations will have a huge impact on how dentistry is practiced and how patients take care of themselves in the future.
Augmented Reality Technology
Augmented reality has found useful applications in dentistry. Before performing major dental surgery, dentists often need to take an impression of a patient’s teeth.
Swedish developers have introduced 3D scanning technology for the mouth and teeth. Once the program recognizes the user’s mouth and teeth, it overlays a 3D image of the future teeth.
The user can make changes to the model in preparation for the procedure. The spacing, shape and height of the teeth can be adjusted. This allows specialists and patients in dental clinics to see the final result of the procedure in advance.
Another interesting example of adapting technology to the needs of dentists and their patients is the AR Smile app: https://smarttek.solutions/portfolio/augmented-reality-smile-application/
The University of Strasbourg in France is using augmented reality to demonstrate dental modeling to students. An augmented reality simulator from Image Navigation allows students from around the world to improve their dental modeling skills. This training system is already used by dentists in 17 countries.

Virtual Reality Technology
Virtual Reality (VR) uses a special headset to completely block out the outside world and immerse the user in a virtual environment. By placing a headset on their head, students and aspiring dental surgeons can be transported from their couch to the operating room, while patients can visualize a soothing landscape while sitting in the dreaded dentist’s chair to enhance their experience.
Today, few students can look over a surgeon’s shoulder during an operation, and such tricks are difficult to master. With a virtual reality camera, surgeons can broadcast surgeries around the world and allow medical students to actually be in the operating room through their virtual reality goggles.
In comparison, the first VR-recorded surgery was performed at the Royal London Hospital in 2016. This technology can be further used to help dentists develop their empathy skills through simulation, putting them in the shoes of their patients or in difficult situations.
For patients, virtual reality could be a solution to dental appointment anxiety. An experiment with 69 participants showed that virtual reality can be used as an effective distraction in dentistry.
Patients who wore glasses that displayed calming, natural scenes had more positive memories of their treatment. OperaVR is one such virtual reality tool to reduce dental anxiety.