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Prevention
Redheads may be stereotyped as having fiery tempers, but those tempers may turn to fear and loathing when they walk through the door of a dentist’s office, according to research published in the Journal of the American Dental Association. The study shows that people with a specific gene that often occurs in redheads tend to experience heightened anxiety when they pop in for a regular teeth cleaning.
The details: The study’s authors recruited 144 people for the study, 67 of whom were natural redheads, and 77 who were dark-haired. The participants answered survey questions about any fears or anxieties related to dental visits, and the researchers took blood samples that they later tested for specific gene variants common in people with red hair. People with one specific gene, MC1R, were more than twice as likely to report that they avoided dental appointments because of fear and anxiety than people without that gene. Of the 85 people in the study with MC1R, 65 were redheads.
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What it means: It’s possible, say the researchers, that redheads with the gene in question tend to be resistant to certain pain medications. This could mean redheads are more prone than most to experience a difficult dental visit, affecting their expectations about future appointments. Redheaded or not, most of us have probably had reservations about going to the dentist at some point in our lives. But don’t let fear prevent you from getting your twice-yearly checkups. Recent studies have linked periodontal disease to a wide variety of chronic diseases, including heart disease, strokes, and type 2 diabetes. If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the dentist, you might be pleasantly surprised at the experience. “Things don’t hurt anymore,” says Kimberly A. Harms, DDS, consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. Anesthesia has become much more effective, she says, and patients don’t have to experience the pain that used to be common in dental procedures.
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Here are some ways to ease angst about the dentist’s office:
• Know if you’re an early bird or a late riser. Schedule your appointments during the time of day that’s best for you, recommends Dr. Harms. “Come in the morning if you’re a morning person, or late in the afternoon if you’re an evening person,” she says. You’ll be in a better mood and better frame of mind.
• Prepare the night before. “Get a good night’s sleep,” Dr. Harms adds. If you have trouble sleeping the night before a visit, she suggests calling your dentist’s office and asking if they can provide you with a sleep aid.
• Talk, lots. Make a list of what it is that bothers you about going to the dentist, whether it’s fear of painful procedures or lack of control over what’s going on, and talk about it with your dentist. “The most important thing you can do is communicate with everyone, right from the beginning,” says Dr. Harms. “A lot of people come in with anxiety and fears, and they’re embarrassed,” she says, “but we do this all the time and we understand.” Dr. Harms also suggests developing signals, such as raising your hand, between you and your dentist, in the event that you do start to feel pain or discomfort.
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• Distract yourself. Dentists offices are getting decidedly high-tech these days, providing patients with headphones, MP3 players, and even virtual-reality goggles that distract patients while they’re in a chair. Dr. Harms says her office provides goggles that play movies for patients, which are especially helpful for lengthy procedures like root canals. If your dentist prefers a low-tech atmosphere, bring your own headphones and music. It will help drown out unpleasant sounds like drills, suction tubes, and anything else that can raise your blood pressure.
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Leave a Comment:
Pertains to anethesia for surgery as well.
My wife was a redhead. During surgery, though they thought she was completely under, she heard every word spoken but couldn't move to tell them. After surgery, the anethesiologist didn't believe her until she said you told this joke and repeated it. Redheads certainly are different.
"While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats." -Mark Twain
My dentist is a redhead!
The sight of someone sticking metal tools in your mouth will always cause anxiety, and novacaine is a joke. Dentists try to fool you, but the craft has changed little in my lifetime. Stick a drill in my mouth, hardly high tech. Nitrous is the only solution, but my regular dentist doesn't use it.
We've run out of news stories, pick one out of the not-newsworthy jar and keep busy.
Why redheads and dentists don't get along
Ginger snaps?
hahahahahahaha!!!!!!! yes that is exactly me when I sit in the chair at the dentists office.
As I recall, the medical term is "gingervitis" . . .
It is my concern that we actually spend money on this type of research. Let's concentrate on the things that really matter and will make a difference in this country!
What the crap did they write this article for....who cares!?
Redheads! :)
I first read the headline as; Why rednecks and dentists don't get along. And I was thinking, "because they don't have any teeth?"
Hahaha! That is too funny!
i am not a redhead, but i did not get along with the dentist, because i did not have a dental insurance!
I did not know it was just dentist that had a problem with redheads. They are a problem for everyone so tell us something we did not now!
Redheads always have issues that stem from their lack of having a soul.
We always have your soul to eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yum, pass the ketchup (another redhead)
Gingers with issues???! (cue sarcasm font) Not here on the vine!
I dunno, I'm a ginger and I've never had any issues with the dentist, pain medications, or anesthesia.
But that's probably because I don't have a soul.
Throughout my life, dentists have lied to me. I'm not making this up. Total bald-faced lies. It started when I was little. My mouth was crowded and I needed several teeth pulled out. The dentist was going to do several at once, and I was terrified. I begged for only one, and the dentist agreed. With my parents in the room he agreed. As soon as they left for the waiting room and he had control of me it suddenly changed he was going to do two.
It took everything I had to get out of the chair against his force and get out of there. Liars. I had one wonderful dentist in my life, and he retired. All the rest have been hideous liars.
I am a brunette with a little bit of red highlights. Honestly I would just say I have brown hair. But for the people who want to know why we study this, it is because of the amount of medical waste out there. As well as how many people could actually benefit from not having lawsuits against them? Because think of the patients that were not fully asleep during surgeries etc and doctors still operated. imagine the extreme distress and pain...
the reason I bring up my hair color is that all my life my dentist told me I wasn't telling the truth when i told them I felt everything. They refused to give me more Novocain. I woke up very quickly to the surprise of the nurses after my wisdom teeth were out and walked out on my own. it was not until I had to have a surgery to check for melanoma that a nurse did not believe me again when I said that I felt the touch of a needle while she was testing the numbness. She gave me more medication and commented to the doctor that I had been given twice the normal amount. Then when the doctor reacted to my slight jerk (it felt like a pinch versus a razor cut) when she cut, it was the first time that people finally acknowledged that some people just metabolize it faster than others. The nurse was in disbelief as the doctor had to numb me again just to give me the stitches.
What is with the Ginger bashing, is this 11th grade? Are you cranky because mom and dad won't let you drive the new Toyota? What gives?
Lighten up Francis.
Red heads can feel pain differently than most. This study has been out for years. The real question is about what sorts of pains and why- which is what this study was really about.
My dad is a carrot top (odd, tops of carrots are green.... anyway..) He really feels pain differently. I was also born a redhead (though it lightened up a LOT in my early years) and I do feel pain differently than my brunette wife.
And PFFFT to all you ginger haters. My nephew has BEAUTIFUL red hair and he is the sweetest thing ever.
So what did Ann Margaret do when she needed to go to the dentist?
Thumbs up if you misread the headline as "Why rednecks and dentists don't get along"
I have a terrible time with dentistry. The answer for me is nitrous oxide. There is no substitute.
Be aware this is not true for all red heads! I have had more than one dentist overdo the anesthesia for me, once even so much I vomited. In general, pain killer are VERY effective on me, and usually a lower-than-normal dose is plenty. Dentists would do well to ASK rather than ASSUME
I have a reddish caste to my brown hair, but the reason I don't get along with dentists is because I was tortured by dentists as a child. One yanked out a baby tooth so violently, my whole face was swollen and black and blue and the other one decided that meant I was allergic to Novacaine. He gave me no pain killer at all when he drilled my teeth. In an old Dustin Hoffman movie called "Marathon Man" (?) Lawrence Olivier was going to torture Dustin Hoffman by drilling with no Novacaine---I just thought -- "Ooooh, big deal, been there, done that, many, many times, starting at age five."
A lot of the fear is due to the plethora of marginally effective procedures your dentist is going to con you into in an effort to generate more revenue. Especially if you have insurance but even if you don't. And you guessed it - the questionable procedures not only are expensive but painful.
Do people actually get paid to conduct these useless studies?
Useless to whom? I am a redhead and need 2-3 times the novacaine. General anesthesia makes me green. Literally. I got so nauseous, my skin was green. It would be good for those administering anesthetics to redheads to know that we will react to it differently.
I relate to all of the comments regarding how painful visits to dentists have been. I'm not sure it has a thing to do with my hair color (black, now salt 'n pepper), it may well be that most dentists are just barbarians in a hurry to make their overhead and get onto the next patient. In any event, every procedure I've ever had done has been extremely painful. I don't go anymore, and if that means I die of gingivitius or heart disease--so be it, as I'd sooner die than go through another dental procedure. The dentists quoted in the article is a LIAR! I've talked many times, set up consults which I gladly paid for just to make sure Dr. Attilla was aware of my history and that most pain treatments have not worked for me. They say they understand and have "new" methods. So, I pay them upfront for things like root canals, bridges due to an adolescent car accident, caps, whatever they want. When they do the work it is like we never had that conversation, they got my money and forget everything promised in the so-called "treatment plan." I bolt from the chair, screaming and they still believe it's all in MY HEAD!! Hate them all, and wish them all the most painful death ever -- and that they still have to pay for their treatment.
I do have to take issue with this study in that this info has been around for about 50 years. Also, the story is woefully incomplete, big surprise, considering it's 21st century journalism reporting on 21st century research. The real rub with redheads, is that not only are they more resistant to painkillers, but they are more likely to overdose, which means the window for a safe & effective dosage is much smaller. Competent anesthetists know all about redheads. Another brilliant study by the living under a rock research institute.