A dental office in the Greater Sudbury area is hoping a new approach it is taking will pave the way for other dentists everywhere.
It has added a four-legged staffer to help calm patients' anxiety.
And so far, the new addition is proving to be popular.
Barrington is a Labradoodle that is almost two-years-old. He is one of the most important team members at Dr. Brenda Bubnik's dental office in Azilda.
Bubnik says the reason she got into the profession 14 years ago is because she knows a trip to the dentist can be terrifying for people at the best of times.
She thought she could use some assistance in making people feel more comfortable.
"I always had the dream of a dog coming in and take over part of that work, and luckily there are predecessors to me that did do the hard legwork, I guess, and kind of break it into the system that it's ok to have dogs present. So, there's about four people in the world, that I know of, that are doing this, but we're certainly the first in northern Ontario." said Bubnik.
Barrington looks cute and cuddly, but the dentist says he does actually make a difference and she saw it during his first patient interaction.
"That person was kind of making themselves very sick the night before their big treatment. So, he didn't think he would be even able to go through it. He came here, he was nauseous, just not having it, and that was the first day that Barrington (started). And I was like ‘well, we may as well start with him’ and the guy calls him his ‘saviour.’"
And other patients, like Taiga and Keitha Mahon agree.
"I really like having him with me when I’m at the dentist when I’m getting my teeth done because he makes me feel really calm." said Taiga.
"He just deflects the anxiety of coming to the dentist, especially for my kids. They love coming here and seeing him. And he just makes everyone calmer." said Keitha.
Bubnik says she hopes that one day seeing a dog at dentist office becomes the norm.
