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

If so, I'm wondering if 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 for any info or experiences that anyone can offer.

[Nancy T]

Thank you very much! I had a sudden sensorineural hearing loss in one ear from sneezing (15 years ago), and I still have tinnitus in that ear, but even afterwards I never had increased tinnitus from drilling. I am only concerned to prevent any loss in my good ear.

I will ask the dentist to do whatever he can to minimize drilling time and loudness. I don't want any further hearing loss, but on the other hand I also don't want to end up with rotten teeth and root canals, so I guess one crown per year it is. Thanks again.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Dental often cause ringing in the ear or tinnitus. Sudden hearing loss after dental works have been reported, especially the sensory-neuronal types (however, these are pretty rare). The sensory neural defect lies behind the cochlea, which means in the auditory nerve and the passage of signals to the auditory centers in the brain.
However, one dental procedure per year should not cause any hearing loss. Talk to your ENT specialist and audiologist before the procedure. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.