News, Scared of the dentist? This is why, say neuroscientists (teeth, pulling)

[JD59]

Unraveling how brain reacts to the sounds of dentists’ drills could help scientists put anxious patients more at ease

The whir of a dentist’s drill might bring on the shakes and a racing heart, but what happens in the brain has long been a mystery.

Now researchers in Japan believe they are closer to an answer after scanning people’s brains while playing them sounds of dental drills and suction instruments.

Scared of the dentist? This is why, say neuroscientists | The Raw Story

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I dunno about that....

Being in a dental chair is a lot more than the sound of a drill. It's about the unknown (will I need a filling or a root canal?), dental injections (aka, pain), hitting nerves, blood...

[Redline]

Most of my fearful adult patients had bad dental experiences during childhood.

[Kayekaye]

Originally Posted by Redline

Most of my fearful adult patients had bad dental experiences during childhood.

This is true for me and it took me decades to figure out. Several reasons came to mind for me.
One, having to allow pain and sit there while it happens, even the needle of the novacaine, is reminiscent of being abused and not being able to fight back. Second the way one reacts to fear and pain, wincing, induces a buzz in the ears which is quite similar to the drill. Now that I know that it helps a bit. But it's still trying to go to the dentist. I have been avoiding pulling two teeth from bad root canals for a year now but go for checkups.