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How an Italian startup is bringing magic to children’s hospital appointments

An Italian startup has come up with a way to help children fight their fears of dentists, injections, and other medical procedures - through magic.

How an Italian startup is bringing magic to children's hospital appointments
File photo of a young girl playing in hospital. Photo: ArturVerkhovetskiy/Depositphotos

“We want to help children see magic in places where it's difficult to do so,” says Alberto Piras, CEO and founder of Brave Potions.

Even as an adult, Piras admits feeling nervous about hospitals and syringes in particular, and he didn't want to pass his fears on to his son. He and his team at the small startup have created an app which aims to entertain and reassure children visiting dentists and hospitals, through games and characters including medical magician Dr Potion.

“I got the idea when I saw a picture on Facebook where intravenous drips had been turned into superhero packs,” Piras tells The Local. “That was a one-off project in a children's cancer ward in Brazil, and I wondered if anyone had thought of using the same method to help children get over other fears.”

In 2015, he took part in the Innovaction Camp, a summer initiative close to Rome which helps would-be innovators develop their ideas into working prototypes. There he met Federico Simionato, an app developer, and within five days they had created both a complete idea for a project and a pitch.

“When we ended up winning the competition – after five days and some sleepless nights – we realized the project could have a future,” Piras says. “Initially, we wanted to produce simple covers to decorate medical instruments with superheroes, but the project has evolved and now, using a mix of physical and digital products, we have created a magic adventure for children!”

The most difficult moment for the entrepreneur came when faced with the decision of whether to focus on Brave Potions full time. “It meant having to leave my job, my home and my city for the second time to dedicate myself to a great, but fragile dream,” he says – but he took the leap.

The team also faced challenges in the form of Italian bureaucracy; when approaching hospitals with the idea, it took a long time to make contact and even longer to get a decision on whether they'd be able to use the service, due to form-filling and low funds. 

Piras decided to start targeting private dentists, who were able to make quick decisions on whether or not to buy the service, and it is now used in numerous dental practices and hospital wards around the country.

Children using the app are introduced to its superhero characters and by watching cartoons and playing games, they learn how medical instruments use magic to transform them into these characters. After each visit, dentists or nurses can give their patients 'Power Cards' which are used to unlock extra experiences in the game.

“One nurse told us about a regular patient, who was three and a half years old and often had to give blood samples,” says Piras. “The little girl had always cried, but the day she saw the image of our fairy [on the app] she looked at the nurse and smiled. And when she asked her to give her an arm to take the sample, she gave her both arms.”

READ ALSO: The Italian who spent a penny and made a splash

 

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LEARNING ITALIAN

The key Italian vocabulary you’ll need if you go to the dentist

A trip to the dentist can be a daunting experience in and of itself, but possibly even more so if your Italian 'dentista' doesn't have a good command of English.

The key Italian vocabulary you'll need if you go to the dentist

While some Italian dentists may be competent and confident English speakers, this certainly doesn’t apply to everyone. 

Additionally, an Italian dentist’s English vocabulary may not be enough to cover the full extent of medical and dental procedures involved, which is why they may naturally switch to talking to you in their native tongue when asking questions or providing information. 

So having some handy vocabulary under your belt can be a big help when trying to bridge any potential language gaps during your next visit.

Most people going to the dentista (dentist) will be heading there to have their denti (teeth) checked as part of a visita di controllo (routine checkup).

Once in the dentist’s seat, you may be asked, ‘può aprire la bocca?’ (‘can you open your mouth?’). You may be given some mouthwash (colluttorio) and asked to sciaquarti la bocca (rinse your mouth) and sputarlo (spit it out). 

The assistente (dental assistant) may take care of these steps while the dentist prepares for the rest of the examination. 

From there, it’s onto the appointment proper. The dentist will begin inspecting your teeth and your gengive (gums) for signs of carie (cavities). Plaque will also be on the agenda, and the dentist may opt to rimuovere la placca (remove the plaque) during a pulizia dei denti (literally, ‘teeth cleaning’) procedure. 

READ ALSO: ‘Very professional but underequipped’: What readers think of Italy’s hospitals

When taking a closer look at your teeth and gums or trying to remove plaque, the dentist or assistant may kindly ask you to girare or ruotare la testa verso di me (‘turn your head to me’). 

At this point, the dentist may also recommend you use filo interdentale (dental floss) more often, replace your spazzolino (toothbrush) or use a different dentifricio (toothpaste). 

If you are lucky, that may signal the end of your appointment. However, if your teeth haven’t fared so well since your last visit to the dentist, then it may mean you need further treatment, with a radiografia (X-ray) possibly required to determine the next steps.

In the event you do need some work done on your teeth, then there are a number of common treatments. The most common of these is an otturazione (filling). 

While some will get off lightly with a filling, other patients will need to have some more extensive procedures done. 

Treatments range from getting a corona (dental crown), undergoing an estrazione dentale (having a tooth removed) or doing the dreaded devitalizzazione (root canal treatment). 

If you have denti storti or affollati (crooked or crowded teeth), or a morso inverso (reverse bite), you may be required to wear un apparecchio (braces).

Whenever extensive (and painful) treatment is required, you’ll need to fare l’anestesia locale (get local anaesthesia).

Barring some exceptions, Italy’s public healthcare system doesn’t provide free dental care, which means you’ll have to pay for treatment out of your own pocket, though some services may be significantly cheaper than in the private sector. 

READ ALSO: Italian healthcare: Should you switch from public to private insurance?

Most Italians however prefer private treatment to public dental care to avoid long waiting times. 

Whether you seek private or public treatment, you’ll need to make a pagamento (payment) after any work done on your pearly whites. 

Other useful terms

Chew – Masticare

Molars – Molari

Premolars – Premolari

Canines – Canini

Incisors – Incisivi

Wisdom tooth – Dente del giudizio

Baby teeth – Denti da latte 

Tartar – Tartaro

Bad breath – Alito cattivo

Toothache – Mal di denti

Dental bridge – Ponte

Whitening – Sbiancamento

Waiting Room – Sala d’attesa

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