I set contacts to 20 microns on the semi-adjustable, midline at 0.3 mm, characterized the incisal halo for 15 minutes, and the patient took a front-camera selfie and decided the centrals were “too aggressive.” Do your perfectly measured numbers also lose to portrait mode, or is it just my bench this week?
Pre-op win: 30-second ‘what you’ll hear’ demo; earbuds calm skeptics — just leave one ear free, @Guide. 
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Swapped our long spiel for a 30-second “three things we’ll do today” card and a $10 weighted lap pad — patients calm down fast… If they’re still fidgety, I let them pick from a 3-song playlist; giving tiny choices beats anxiety. Small caveat, @daniel_mc23: don’t promise exact pause times intra-op or they’ll clock-watch.