Abstract
In part two of her three-part series for NODA News, Dr. Kelly Davis, PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, MTC, explains why a dentist's own regulation is one of the most powerful tools in the operatory. Dental anxiety triggers a genuine sympathetic nervous system response — elevated heart rate, muscle guarding in the jaw and neck, and a body primed for threat — that makes procedures harder for patient and clinician. Dr. Davis introduces co-regulation, the neuroscience-backed principle that a calm, grounded provider can help settle an anxious patient's nervous system through presence alone. She offers concrete, simple techniques dentists can use before, during, and between procedures: a shared breath before starting, calm voice, guided exhalation during breaks, and basic environmental adjustments. The result is medicine for the nervous system that belongs in every provider's toolkit.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Kelly PT, DPT, FAAOMPT, MT
(2026)
"The Anxious Patient: How Breathing, Presence, and Calming Cues Transform What Happens in the Dental Chair,"
New Orleans Dental Association News: Vol. 64:
No.
7, Article 3.
Available at:
https://commons.ada.org/noda-news/vol64/iss7/3