Dental drill

[Nancy T]

Odd question, but my dentist wants to start replacing my ancient huge fillings with crowns, and I seem to remember there's a lot of drilling involved. I'll wear earplugs, but am wondering...

Does the high-pitched noise of the drill damage inner-ear hair cells THROUGH BONE CONDUCTION like it does through air conduction?

If so, do you think the amount of noise exposure of having five crowns done, one per year, would cause any further hearing loss, even if only a small amount?

I am already deaf (in higher tones) in one ear, so I need to preserve my good ear.

Thanks

[Nancy T]

Thank you very much for the reassurance! I will ask my dentist to minimize noise and drilling time as much as possible. I think it's longer for crowns than for fillings (and it's crowns I'm going to be getting), but I don't want to end up with rotten teeth and having to get root canals.

[Chana Lerner, AuD]

Hearing protection is always wise. In this case, dentist drills are quieter than ever nowadays and the drilling process is of short duration. Replacing 1 filling per year should not pose danger of hearing loss.