Dread to do vs. dread doing

[Foreigner]

Why do we say
I dread to think what will happen, but
I dread going to the dentist

From the sentences above, can we add the verb dread to a certain category of verbs such as remember, forget, regret, try, stop, go on, mean and come which take the to-infinitive and the gerund with difference in meaning

Sincerely,
SardorBEK

[Anglophile]

The infinitive refers to a particular occasion/action while the gerund refers to a general trend or nature or feeling.
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Anglophile
I know only one thing - that is that I know nothing.

[Our Tort System]

My two cents:

Consider "to dread to think/imagine" as a set collocation (stock phrase):
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/I+dread+to+think

The other one is not a collocation: "to dread doing something" - "to dread the idea of doing something".
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"He who tries to establish his point by much yelling shows that his reasoning is weak"
-Jodi Ann Arias