Nearly half of people who visit the dentist say they’ve gagged at least once during a dental appointment. You may find yourself gagging in certain situations, such as in the dentist’s office, or when trying to swallow something unnatural, like a pill. Gagging is a normal reflex, and you may or may not experience it as an adult. You may gag at the dentist’s office during a routine cleaning because it triggers one or more of your senses.Īt home, you may conduct the same types of oral cleaning routines without incident because not all of the triggers from the dental office are present. This could lead to gagging when even thinking about something that could stimulate this reflex.īecause a combination of factors can lead to gagging, you may find that you do it only in certain circumstances. In some instances, gagging may also activate your cerebral cortex. The nerves that send this signal are the trigeminal, glossopharyngeal, and vagus nerves. This then signals the muscles in the back of your mouth to contract or push up and leads to gagging.
When any of these spots in your mouth become stimulated by touch or other senses, the stimulation goes from your nerves to your medulla oblongata in your brain stem. There are five places near the back of your mouth that when triggered can cause gagging. You may find yourself gagging from physical touch, but also because of the sight, sound, smell, or thought of some object or situation that triggers the reflex. These two types of gagging aren’t always separate.
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