Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Drugging up the kiddies at the dentist

Yes indeed, going to the dentist for kids these days is a walk in the park. For the nervous or tantrum prone child they now can be administered a light dose of Nitrous Oxide also known as Laughing Gas. This wonder drug was offered to my daughter for getting a baby tooth "wiggled" out of her gum. I declined and the tooth was out in less than 5 seconds after the doctor put some numbing gel on her tooth. In fact the tooth fell out using just the cotton tipped sticks he had the oral medication on. WOW! Sarah let out a little yelp and it was all over. Geez maybe I should of let them drug her up for that first! I remember when I was a kid that was not an option. You sat in that chair and saw the big needle filled with novacain coming at you and you took it like a soldier or else! No screaming or crying allowed! In fact I had 4 perfectly good teeth pulled to make room for my other permanent teeth. All molars too! Then after you get to enjoy the feeling that your face was a big puff of hot flesh jutting out from your skull and feeling yourself drool on yourself! Mom would spoil us with nice soft food and icecream too! Nope no laughing gas for me! I didn't get to experience the charms of that particular drug until the early 90's when my brother, sister in law and some others went up to northern Vermont to a Greatful Dead concert and there were these nice people selling these pretty balloons. But that is another story... :)


5 comments:

  1. Dentist, not a big fan. I have sensitive teeth, and have shamed several dentist with the amount of novacane required to do their evil work. Never tried the nitrus though, hmmmmm :o)

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  2. I am afraid of that stuff. My daughter got some of that in a dentist office in her late teens. Next thing she knew a nurse was sitting across her legs beating on her chest trying to get her to wake up. My daughter asked her (are you trying to kill me as was laughing) the nurse told her with not a smile of anykind on her face that it was not a laughing matter. She has never used it again. Helen

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  3. I'm not a fan of that needle either, but I'll take it over the nitrous!

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  4. Just imagine what it must have been like before they invented the big, scary needles. I don't even want to think about that. I think you did the right think, opting against the laughing gas for a wiggly tooth. Seriously, shouldn't laughing gas be reserved for more serious procedures?!?
    Best,
    Marty

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