Snuggle-ready dogs are available to anxious patients at some dentist offices, but some patients worry about the risks, from slobber to nips [washingtonpost.com]
By Michelle Crouch, Photo: Michelle Crouch/Kaiser Health News, The Washington Post, February 26, 2022 The first time 11-year-old Levi McAllister had a tooth pulled, he screamed, kicked and struggled so much that his mom had to hold him down. So when Levi returned to Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry in January to get two more teeth pulled, dental hygienist Barb Kucera had a surprise for him: a friendly yellow Labrador retriever named Atkins. “Would you like Atkins to lie on your lap?” she asked.