Are Redheads More Likely to be Afraid of the Dentist?

New research published in the July issue of the Journal of American Dental Association found that redheads are more sensitive to pain and therefore may have more anxiety at the dentist's office. The study found that redheaded people are twice as likely to avoid dental care than brunettes. A 2005 study said that redheads are more resistant to local anesthesia and they have a lower threshold for pain. Researchers believe that variations in the MC1R gene, the one that produces melanin (gives us our skin, hair and eye color), may play a part. Although brunettes, blondes and black-haired people also produce melanin, people with red hair have a mutation of this receptor, which produces the freckles, fair skin, red hair and.....perhaps pain! After Dr. Daniel Sessler and his colleagues published their study on redheads and their pain susceptibility, they received almost 100 emails from redheads around the world who complained of their painful experiences at the dentist. It appears that redheads might need more anesthesia in order to be comfortable while receiving dental care. If you have red hair, you might want to ask your dentist about this amazing new finding....and then you might see how painless dental work can really be!