Fear of the Drill

For some, going to the dentist can a frightening experience. To tell you the truth…it takes a lot out of them! From the moment they make the appointment, a compelling sense of utter fear and detest is triggered, which is rather unending. The sights and sound of the clinic tend to make them very anxious, and the dentist’s chair is the last place they want to be. One of the tools that patients loathe the most is the dentist’s drill. In dentistry, a dental drill, also known as the “dentist’s drill” or dental hand-piece is used to remove residue from decayed teeth prior to inserting a dental filling. It is also used for the treatment of carries. Some times these drills have burs which have a diamond, as diamond can cut through practically anything, and since the dental drill rotates at a rate of 800,000 rpm, its performance and reliability is justified. Dental drills tend to generate a very high pitched shrilling sound when it’s operational, and this is what affixes the long-term fear of having to face the dental drill. Owing to the fact that our teeth and gums are very sensitive, any sort of dental tool similar to the drill is likely to inflict pain, however the extent of the pain depends strongly on the patient’s fear. Fear of the drill can be housed under dentophobia. Dentists have a rather hard time with patients having the fear, as treatments requiring the dental drill can’t be practised on them so easily, as using sedatives and anaesthetics is not always advisable. Today, methods of self-stress control techniques and dental hypnosis have made the job of dentists a whole lot easier. These techniques have allowed patients to be more at ease and more in control with their fear of the drill.