An Indonesian dentist has developed a dental handpiece that uses music to drown out the instrument's traditional high-pitch whine.
Dr. Dhanni Gustiana from Purworejo, Central Java, decided to create the new appliance after concluding that the drill was what children feared most, according to a Daily Mail story.
He modified a conventional dental drill by replacing the buzzing sound with music from an MP3 player, and he allows patients to request which songs they want to hear. It also features colorful flashing lights.
Dr. Gustiana uses various toy figurines made from silicon that can be placed on the drill head, telling the kids that the toy will clean their teeth.
He treats more than 15 patients a day, about half of whom are children.
He spent about $600 to modify the instrument, which he presented at the International Dental Congress in March of this year.
