I read somewhere that the most grating sound on the human ear is a baby’s cry. I can certainly identify with that! I have to disagree though, it may be guaranteed to shoot stress levels through the roof but it’s not the worst. I think by far the most horrible sound is the sound of a dentist’s drill. That dreadful whining whistling noise! Today I spent 2 hours in a dentist’s chair for the fourth time this summer (I’m having my bite corrected). If you’ve not been to the dentist lately (eww, go to the dentist!) a few things have changed for the better since I was a kid:
One of my memories of sitting in that chair as a child is the view…the dentist’s hairy nostrils. They wear masks now so you don’t have that wonderful sight anymore.
Needles don’t hurt as much as I remember. Dentists are a lot more gentle these days.
My dentist has a cd player in the surgery so you can listen to nice soothing music while you’re being drilled. It’s not loud enough to drown it out completely (nothing is) but it is something relaxing to concentrate on.
They have rubber wedges to bite on so that you don’t have to hold your mouth open for hours on end. No more “Now open wide please.”
The water’s not pink anymore. Did you know that that pink stuff doesn’t do anything, it’s actually supposed to be for the taste! Plus it’s not good for you.
They don’t like to use mercury to fill your teeth, they now use a tooth coloured resin which blends nicely with the rest of your teeth. Actually most kids these days are getting their teeth sealed when they come through so they’re less likely to get cavities in the first place!
I’ve even heard that “drilling” can be done with lasers although only on teeth which don’t already have fillings. So perhaps that awful noise will become a thing of the past too.