How long will it be before health insurance agencies start recommending ASMR to their clients?

If you had asked me this last week I would have said 5 – 10 years  from now at best.

Ask me today and I will show you a bulletin recently posted by a dental insurance company titled, “Does ASMR ease dental anxiety?”.   It was written by Erin Coleman R.D., L.D. and posted July 5, 2017.

To my pleasant surprise, the bulletin is quite informative and supportive of the potential benefits of ASMR for dental patients.

The company which posted the bulletin is United Concordia Dental and the About page of their website clarifies, “Dental insurance is what we do“.

The short article begins with a good introduction of ASMR by explaining the sensation, common triggers, and how not everyone may experience it.

The article continues with explanations and links to published ASMR research, along with appropriate encouragement for more research and a better understanding of ASMR.

Dental role-play videos are further mentioned along with the potential utilization of ASMR-inducing behaviors by dentists and hygienists.  The list of behaviors included the following:

• A soft, whispering voice
• Gentle touch of the face and head
• Personalized attention
• Slow movements
• Crisp sounds (like tapping and scratching) of dental instruments
• Vacuum sounds from dental instruments
• Smiling
• A warm, gentle personality

And the article concluded with the following statements,

“How can knowing about autonomous sensory meridian response be beneficial for employers (and employees)? There are several potential benefits. Offering the right dental insurance plan helps ensure employees have access to regular dental cleanings and exams by providers that might utilize ASMR triggers.

And, mimicking key triggers associated with autonomous sensory meridian response (like giving employees personalized attention, smiling often and using a warm, gentle voice to speak with employees) may help reduce stress and anxiety in the workplace—and boost job satisfaction and retention.”

Wow.  Erin Coleman has beautifully articulated the potential benefits of ASMR in dental practice.  I hope this type of understanding continues to spread to many others involved in all corners of patient health care.

If so, then the clinical future looks bright, and relaxing.

Read Erin Coleman’s dental insurance bulletin, “Does ASMR ease dental anxiety?”

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This post brought to you by ASMR University.  A site with the mission of increasing the awareness, understanding, and research of the Art and Science of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.