"Do you want the gas?"

I have a dentist appointment scheduled for next week. It’s just a routine checkup, but I’m hoping they find a small cavity or have to make an adjustment to an existing filling. Why you ask. Gas! I need my fix.

Growing up and for most of my adult life I have hated going to the Dentist. My dislike for dentists began with one of my earliest visits where I was forced to endure some drilling on a “small” cavity without the benefit of Novocain. From that point forward trips to the Dentist brought forth dread and fear. One time after I was seated in the CHAIR, I waited a few of minutes and then took off my bib, walked back out to the sitting room where my Mother was waiting for me, told her I was done, and we were half way out to the car before the dental assistant tracked me down.

My trepidation regarding dental work continued until approximately 10 years ago when I started seeing my current Dentist. It wasn’t really the Dentist himself, for he is a friendly enough bloke with and adequate enough spelunking techniques, but rather his practice of administering gas. I had heard tidbits about Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas as it is sometimes called, but never experienced it first hand until then. I had mistakenly assumed that the gas was used instead of other pain killing measures, so I didn’t look into it any further. Then I found out through my wife (who visited our current Dentist first) that N2O is in fact a supplement. The Dentist I was seeing at the time did not offer gas, so I scheduled an exploratory visit to check it out. It was love at first inhale!

With the gas they could set off a cherry bomb in my mouth and I could care less. I’m all for legal, mind altering drugs, especially when they’re administered with a healthcare professional close by. If they offered gas for regular teeth cleanings I would make an appointment for once a month instead of every half year. I love my gas!

The last time I visited my Dentist, I was shown back to the CHAIR by a new dental assistant. She asked me, “Do you want the gas?” My huge smile wasn’t to just show off my teeth.