Research has shown that 30 to 40 million Americans avoid the dentist entirely because of dental anxiety. The number is even larger if you consider all those who are able to go to the dentist but then experience some degree of anxiety during their dental visits. At Smile Cabarrus we are always looking for new, innovative ways to ensure that our dental patients, adults and children, have the best dental experience possible!

ATKINS provides Deep Pressure Therapy for our adult and pediatric patients. This is achieved when she is positioned in the chair with the patient during their dental procedure. Deep Pressure Therapy is proven to lower heart rate, reduce blood pressure and mitigate the symptoms of anxiety. If patients prefer not to have her in the chair but believe her presence will improve their dental experience she can still be in the room with them during their appointment.

Our pediatric patients love her! ATKINS walks them back to the dental chair, and then she will model how to have their teeth examined. She jumps up in the chair, gets her own patient napkin and has her teeth checked with a mirror. At the end of the appointment ATKINS loves to show off some of her fun commands like fist bump, turn, wave and roll! She even has a special basket that she uses to bring them their toothbrush!

ATKINS is a yellow Labrador Retriever that was raised and trained by paws4people®Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Wilmington, N.C. ATKINS began her training when she was only a few weeks old. She knows over 100 commands and was specifically trained for her job at Smile Cabarrus. She and our hygienist, Barbara trained together for 50 hours before ATKINS joined us at Smile Cabarrus. For more information about ATKINS training and to hear more about Barbara’s testimony visit paws4people.org and https://paws4people.org/give/barb-kucera/ .

Appointments with ATKINS are scheduled by request prior to the day of your appointment. If you would like ATKINS to assist during your visit, please let our staff know when you are scheduling. ATKINS is available for NP Comprehensive Exams, Cleanings, Crowns and Fillings.

ATKINS is owned by paws4people® and is assigned to our hygienist, Barbara. When ATKINS isn’t working at Smile Cabarrus she lives with Barbara and is a member of the Kucera family. She loves playing with the Kucera pets, Grace, a silky terrier and the Kucera cats, Simon and Teddy. Her favorite toy is her orange ball and she will play fetch as many times as you will throw it!

Assistance and Facility Dogs are being utilized nationwide in various medical settings. paws4people® has Facility Dogs that are currently assigned at the UNC Chapel Hill Pediatric Oncology Clinic and the UNC Chapel Hill Dental School.

A dental office is a “clean” environment not a “sterile” environment. An example of a sterile environment is a hospital surgical setting. Patients in non-sterile, “clean” settings enter the treatment area with germs on their clothes, on their skin and in their hair. When ATKINS assists with a patient she is either on the patient’s lap or on the floor near the patient, several feet from the patient’s mouth and the sterile instruments that are being used.

ATKINS is utilized in an isolated area of our office, separated by doors. If this is a concern we guarantee that you will never come into contact with her. Please alert our team and we will take extra precautions to make sure your request is honored.

We have several HEPA filtration systems in place and our cleaning crew vacuums with a HEPA filter vacuum each night. ATKINS is utilized in an isolated area of our office, separated by doors. Several areas of the office are “dog free” zones and ATKINS never enters these areas. Please inform our front office team of your concern and our team will make sure your appointments are in the treatment rooms that are not utilized for Assisted Animal Intervention.