Noise Cancelling Dentist Drill

One of the worst things about having to visit the dentist is the sound of the high speed drill that comes right into your mouth and causes your ears immense distress. The mere thought of the shrill sound is enough to give brave hearts nightmares. So it is indeed good news when a new invention can help cancel out that noise and make your visit to the dentist a little bit more peaceful.

Researchers at King’s College London, Brunel University and London South Bank University came together to work on this science project which was the brain child of Professor Brian Millar of King’s Dental Institute. The dentist was well aware of the psychological trauma that the noisy drill caused and was wondering if the principle of noise cancelling could help.

The sounds of the dental consulting room are converted into a digital signature, which is processed by a chip to monitor the sounds of the drill as recorded by a mike. Then the inverted sound is created to cancel the noise and thereby reduce the sound of the drill. The patient is still able to hear the voice of the dentist and not all noises disappear. It does however even have the option of playing an mp3 track to soothe patient.