After getting a job at a dental office, a woman who goes by the name of W wrote, “Ya know that dental office smell? Well, imagine working at one. You come home and that smell is stuck to you like white on rice…It’s in my hair. It’s on my hands… I can tell you I washed my hands over 100 times today. Maybe more… And I can still smell dental office on them.”
The dental office smell has been described by many internet users as smelling something like:
- Antiseptic
- Mint
- Latex
- A fake hospital (I’m not quite sure what that is)
- Cloves
- Air (whatever that smells like!)
The dental office smell: some people hate it, and some crazy people like it. So where exactly does that smell come from?
What Causes the Dental Office Smell
As far as I can tell, the dental office smell actually is a medley of many different odors that can be divided into three main odor-causing categories:
1 – Aromas That Come From Dental Products
In dentistry, we use a lot of funny smelling materials on people’s teeth. When you get a temporary crown made, we basically combine a strong smelling liquid and a powder to make acrylic. Acrylic is also used to construct many dentures.
Dentists put in fillings that contain eugenol – commonly known as clove oil – in people’s teeth. Many people say that clove oil is one of the major smells found in dental offices. An interesting study found that clove oil invokes sensations of anxiety and fear in people who dislike the dentist while people who don’t mind the dentist think that clove oil smells “pleasant.”
Another strong odor that occurs at the dental office is when you have a root canal done. The dentist uses disinfectants in the canal — many times bleach is used, which has a really strong smell when squirted into a tooth! Other pulp treatments may require the use of different chemicals such as formocresol and metacresylacetate (Cresatin). Those chemicals can quickly make a dental office smell like formaldehyde.
2 – Scents From Cleaning Products
Infection control in dentistry is very important. In fact, dentists use many infection-control products that have their own various smells. Here’s a few that may leave a lingering smell in the dental office:
- Antibacterial soaps
- Disinfection wipes used to clean have an alcohol smell
- Gloves – some people swear that the dental office smell is caused by gloves.
- When we sterilize dental instruments, we put them in what is basically a high-pressure oven that kills every form of life. This process can cause certain smells to gradually nestle their way into the walls of the dental practice.
- Glutaraldehyde can be used to clean products that can’t be heat-sterilized.
3 – Odors That Come From Dental Procedures
One of the main components of the dental smell is something that I like to call tooth dust. This is that smell that permeates the air when you get your tooth drilled for any reason (such as a filling, crown, or root canal.)
The smell of tooth dust can be lessened by using lots of water during the drilling and having the dental assistant hold the suction as close to the tooth as possible.
Although worse smells can come from infected nerves inside the tooth, I’ve never smelled those odors lingering in the dental office, so I figured I wouldn’t spend too much time on them.
Have You Noticed the Dental Smell?
I was talking with a few of my classmates during downtime in our emergency dental clinic at school and a few of them said they don’t notice anything. One classmate commented, “It’s the fluoride gel.” She thinks the dental office smells like a fruity fluoride treatment. Personally, I think it’s the tooth dust smell.
In any case, many dental offices around the country are turning to scented oils and waxes to try to infuse a more pleasant aroma into the dental office.
Have you ever noticed the dental office smell? Do you like it? Hate it? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
