I feel funny.
February 3, 2009 3:22 PM   Subscribe

Father takes a video of his 7 year old son after he had his tooth removed. SLYT
posted by gman (108 comments total) 27 users marked this as a favorite
 
har, har. 7 year old is stoned.

let's hope his father has that video camera when the kid is 15 & snorting heroin. might be interesting to compare the two.
posted by msconduct at 3:25 PM on February 3, 2009


I thought that this was amusing when I saw it yesterday.

That is all.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:26 PM on February 3, 2009


"Is this real life?"

I find myself asking this all too often.
posted by mullingitover at 3:28 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


"will this last forever?"

only if you're lucky kid. Believe me, it all goes downhill from there.
posted by shmegegge at 3:33 PM on February 3, 2009 [5 favorites]


Makes me glad I've always just had locals for dental work frankly.
posted by edd at 3:37 PM on February 3, 2009


RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.
posted by spec80 at 3:41 PM on February 3, 2009 [9 favorites]


I got several valium when I had my wisdom teeth out and all I got out of it was wicked withdrawal shakes a few hours later.

Also: creepy how the dad suggests "feels good, doesn't it?" Dude, please don't encourage your kid to be a stoner on the interweb.
posted by GuyZero at 3:42 PM on February 3, 2009 [8 favorites]


Makes me glad I've always just had locals for dental work frankly.

When I was having my wisdom teeth extracted, I graciously received nitrous oxide & local anaesthetic for the procedure, and T3s post-op. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
posted by gman at 3:44 PM on February 3, 2009


gman: Yeah I won't argue with that. I know people that hate being drunk for similar reasons, but I.. well... I've been known to have a few. Different strokes indeed.
posted by edd at 3:46 PM on February 3, 2009


The poor kids scared. He doesn't understand what's happening to him and he's afraid it's permanent. That's not a good feeling.
posted by diogenes at 3:48 PM on February 3, 2009 [7 favorites]


"Makes me glad I've always just had locals for dental work frankly."

Hmm...yeah personally I'd prefer that the nitrous was administered starting when I called the office to make the appointment, if not sooner.
posted by mullingitover at 3:52 PM on February 3, 2009 [8 favorites]


I went under when I had my wisdom teeth removed. The the anesthesia was two part; an intravenous agent followed by gas. The IV hit me pretty quickly and I was feeling mellow when the anesthesiologist asked me how I was doing as he leaned in with the mask.

The last thing I remember was asking him, "Have you seen Brazil?"
posted by lekvar at 3:53 PM on February 3, 2009 [11 favorites]


Oh man Nitrous Oxide is the best, I wish I had been introduced to it so young.
posted by MrBobaFett at 3:55 PM on February 3, 2009


I have two fingers.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 3:59 PM on February 3, 2009


"Is this real life?"

"Why is this happening to me?"

"Is this going to be forever?"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"


7 year old + dental anaesthetics = EXISTENTIAL ANGST
posted by Rhaomi at 3:59 PM on February 3, 2009 [54 favorites]


Aw yeah, general anesthesia for dental surgery.

The last thing I remember before the operation was me laughing super hard, telling the doctor to go ahead and shoot me up right in my fucking jaw. The first thing I remember after the operation was the doctor's receptionist opening the door to the recovery room and asking me to please be quiet, because my singing along to the Muzak was scaring the other patients. In between was a gentle fog of nitrous and demerol.

Oddly enough, I was twenty when it happened, but I remember asking my mother the same questions. "Is this real? Are things always going to be like this?"
posted by infinitewindow at 4:00 PM on February 3, 2009 [13 favorites]


diogenes: "He doesn't understand what's happening to him and he's afraid it's permanent. That's not a good feeling."

I can vouch for this - based on a time when I chugged a bottle of cough syrup to get high.
posted by Joe Beese at 4:01 PM on February 3, 2009


it wasn't nitrous... it was probably Verced... serious sedation...
posted by njohnson23 at 4:02 PM on February 3, 2009


After listening to many of my friend rave about Phish for over a decade, I decided to check them out for myself in Miami on NYE in 2003. For those who've never been, the parking lot prior to the show is more of a spectacle than the concert itself. It's like this fenced off area where anything goes and the police tend to stay out of. I was waiting in line for my balloons for over 20 minutes. One dude was dispensing the pump, while a massive bouncer type guy ensured payment was received. The kid in front of me bought like 5 balloons and needed to get sorted before he could move along. Irritated, the dude pumping the balloons demanded he move out of the way. When buddy told him to wait just a sec, the big fucker punched the kid out and loudly asked, "can't a brother make some money in this country?" The other prick asked me how many I wanted, to which I replied, "None". Ah, Capitalism.
posted by gman at 4:06 PM on February 3, 2009 [3 favorites]


It's nice that the guy actually listened to his kid talk about how he was feeling instead of just putting him in the car and driving home.
posted by Heretic at 4:07 PM on February 3, 2009 [8 favorites]


I remember getting the gas for a dental procedure as a kid.

I hallucinated that there was a ring of cartoon teeth spinning around my dentist, who was playing them like a xylophone.

It was great.
posted by orme at 4:08 PM on February 3, 2009 [7 favorites]


Anyone else on nitrous ever think the light above you was an alien's eye? No? Ok then.
posted by gman at 4:11 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


I've hallucinated aliens without nitrous. Which maybe explains my above comments further.
posted by edd at 4:13 PM on February 3, 2009


I've watched this about 10 times since seeing it yesterday.
posted by azarbayejani at 4:20 PM on February 3, 2009


@Heretic: I agree! And I think Dad saying, "Feels good, doesn't it?" was just his way of trying to talk the kid down from his bad trip.
posted by queensissy at 4:25 PM on February 3, 2009


It's nice that the guy actually listened to his kid talk about how he was feeling

And was so touchy feely about it he posted it to youtube for the lulz.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 4:33 PM on February 3, 2009 [5 favorites]


can we just make it ethical to get kids high already, if only for youtube value?
posted by borkingchikapa at 4:40 PM on February 3, 2009 [3 favorites]


And was so touchy feely about it he posted it to youtube for the lulz.

I would make a very bad parent.
posted by gman at 4:40 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


"Is this real life?"
"Why is this happening to me?"
"Is this going to be forever?"


He's just a poor boy, from a poor family
Spare him his life from this monstrosity.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:44 PM on February 3, 2009 [23 favorites]


When I was 11 or 12 years old, I had to get general anaesthesia for a biopsy and my uncle helpfully told me that general anaesthesia was basically the same as dying and being brought back to life.

I don't think I ever entirely recovered from that, mentally.
posted by empath at 4:45 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


Also, my windows box has a wierd bug where it randomly decides to play audio at half speed, which makes that video TRIPPY AS FUCK.
posted by empath at 4:46 PM on February 3, 2009 [4 favorites]


When I was 11, I had several teeth extracted, pre-braces. As soon as I went under, they tell me, the massive release of nervous tension made me let out an extended, bloodcurdling scream. Oh, to have YouTube video of the faces in the oral surgeon's waiting room, including my long-suffering mother's.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:51 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


I remember being about 6 or 7 and having N20. It's still to this day (after many more a delightful evening) the trippiest trip of my life. I remember feeling as if I was floating three feet above the chair and that my body, buzzing like it was alight, was flapping in waves much like a rug does when you fling the dust from it. I remember marvelling when I realised I could open my eyes...and therefore could not be asleep.

6 or 7.
posted by 6am at 4:57 PM on February 3, 2009 [3 favorites]


Man, I can't wait to not do this with my son. Don't get me wrong, I'll take him to the dentist and whatnot, but ain't none of you gonna see it.
posted by boo_radley at 5:00 PM on February 3, 2009 [4 favorites]


As a teen I went to a dentist who was awesome enough to teach me the ideal way to breathe nitrous and let me know which prescription pills were the most fun. In retrospect it was kind of like having my own Dr. Spaceman during my formative years.
posted by bunnytricks at 5:00 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


At 11, I broke my collar bone playing football at school. At the hospital, they tried injecting me with anaesthetic, but I was so fat it didn't have much impact, so they switched me onto the nitrous oxide. I can still picture the high mullioned window going blotchy and indistinct as I took my second and third huffs.

I remember the nurse saying to me, 'Feels just like getting drunk, doesn't it?'

To which I replied, 'I don't know - I'm 11.'

Then it's all a bit of a blank until I overheard the same nurse saying, 'We'd better stop - it's having a weird effect on him,' and I realised I was singing at the top of my voice, whilst crying.

The phenomenon of huffing gas - or 'hippy crack', as it's usually known - at festivals, has always seemed odd to me. I remember sitting with a friend who was already tanked on a whole load of other stuff, and watching him inhale a balloon. He kind of zoned out for thirty seconds, then punched the ground and sprang to his feet.

'Yes!' he said. 'That's exactly how it feels to die!'

Thanks for the existential buzz-kill, Monsieur Sartre.
posted by RokkitNite at 5:15 PM on February 3, 2009 [4 favorites]


I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed at once, and I got a shot of something that knocked me out. When I woke up, I was singing "I'm a Little Teapot".
posted by TurquoiseZebra at 5:18 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


This is nothing. When I was nine my younger brother stole a 16-ounce Shipyard out of my parent's cooler and snuck off into the attic to drink it- he wanted me to help him finish it, I said no so he drank the whole thing and could hardly walk. I haven't seen such a belligerent seven-year-old since.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:20 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


I had this exact conversation at three in the morning in my dorm room.
posted by Bookhouse at 5:24 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


My dad, who was reading Lonesome Dove at the time, insisted that everyone in the pre-op room call him Gus McCray. When they shaved his neck (he had a bad disc), he told them to just take it all, so he would "look like Jean Luc Picard."

My mom still won't tell me what I said to her after I woke up from having my wisdom teeth out. Every time I ask she just smirks, shakes her head, and says "Oh, you said some stuff."
posted by PhatLobley at 5:36 PM on February 3, 2009 [6 favorites]


I think this was sweet. I feel bad for the kid, but he was brave.

And hilarious.

Very hilarious.
posted by seanbickford at 5:43 PM on February 3, 2009


Nine years ago I had to have all my wisdom teeth out, at the age of 25. They couldn't completely knock me out (due to sleep apnea), so they gave me nitrous.

I didn't seem to really notice anything, other than at one point thinking "hey.. there's a dude.. he's got pliers in my mouth, and is breaking my teeth into PIECES! Nifty!" Afterwards, I told my wife (who drove me home) "Eh, honey, I'm FINE! I don't need any painkillers!". She laughed, and filled the prescription.

Four hours later I was curled up in a ball on the bed, softly whimpering, and calling for my mommy. The all-knowing wife brought me my painkillers and a bag of frozen peas for my jaw.
posted by mrbill at 5:50 PM on February 3, 2009


Twelve years old, I had all four wisdom teeth removed, as well as some work on some molars. I woke up at home, with my mother re-packing my mouth full of bandages.

Between the blood and the smells and the drool, my mother stood up, walked into the next room and passed out. Smacked her head on the floor. Bang. Out. Out like few people have been out before.

So, there I was -- bleeding, drooling, pretty much unable to move -- wondering what that THUMP sound was that came from the other room.

"Mawhm? Maaawwhm???"
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:20 PM on February 3, 2009 [13 favorites]


I've got a friend who, to put it politely, often doesn't handle his substances very well. I showed him this video and he said, "I think that 7-year-old holds it together better than I do." And it's true.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:29 PM on February 3, 2009 [3 favorites]


I wish that recording kids' dental visits, as per the related videos, was common when I got my first x-ray. The dentist and his assistant insisted on fussing with that cardboard film-holder, despite increasingly urgent warnings from my aunt that they were going to make me puke.

*Blargh* Open-mouthed, projectile vomit that would have made Linda Blair proud.

Just before he retired 15+ years later, he'd still flinch with the slightest gag from me.
posted by CKmtl at 6:48 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


When I was about 22 I had my wisdom teeth out (they came in sideways and I have a small jaw so the poor guy had to literally go in with a mallet and chisel to break them into small enough pieces to get out) and the dentist explained the procedure to me beforehand.

I'm also dentist-phobic, so I was basically dripping sweat and hyperventilating as soon as he said "mallet" and by the time he said "possibility of nerve damage" I was close to blacking out.

So I got N2O just to cure the shakes, then some IV Valium to chill me out, then (I think) Demerol and scopalamine, and the last thing I remember is a view like the scene from Brazil referenced above.

When I woke up in the recovery room the first thing I did was stagger over to the nurse's station and slur/drool "kin ah have somemoreoftha?"
posted by dolface at 6:52 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


When I was 14 I had to go in for a bunch of testing that involved giving me a demerol drip and when I came out, apparently, I wandered into the parking lot and strolled over to a tree and said something like "this is the most amazing tree, oh my god, this is amazing, it's so wonderful, I FUCKING LOVE YOU TREE I don't want to leave, I want to stay with the treeeeee" and my mother, my strait-laced, one-glass-of-wine, disapproves-of-inhaling-helium-because-it's-a-drug mother, said "jesus christ, it's woodstock all over again" and picked me up and slung me over her back and carried me to the car, snorting laughter all the time.

And if she could have videotaped it and posted it online to embarrass me in front of millions of strangers, you know what? She totally would have. My mother is awesome.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 7:06 PM on February 3, 2009 [18 favorites]


My dentist wife, who works on kids mostly, says the kid was overacting.
posted by iconjack at 7:14 PM on February 3, 2009


I've had general anesthesia several times. Most recently, I was put under as the anesthesiologist's assistants were asking me my address, phone number, etc. to help judge my level of consciousness. Several hours later, I was given some sort of IV push to bring me out of it and make sure I didn't have any problems before I was knocked out again - at which point I said my phone number and zip code before passing out. I love general anesthesia.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 7:15 PM on February 3, 2009


The last thing I remember before I passed out (laughing hysterically) was the dental surgeon saying "Wow, you're a cheap date!"

Then I woke up, completely dazed, my cheeks stuffed with gauze and blood.

My dad drove me home, then went off to fill my prescription. He took a really long time. Soon I was pacing around the room, trying to distract myself from the pain in my gums. When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was me, tears streaming down my face, holding Ziploc bags filled with ice to my cheeks, reproachfully "Mrrrr!"ing at him. So he decided to give me two. Of the morphine pills.

Then I woke up (hours later), completely dazed, cheeks stuffed with gauze and blood, my t-shirt soaked with drool, holding two Ziploc bags of water (that had once been ice) to my face. My mother was sitting on the couch opposite, staring at me. "I thought you'd DIED," she said.
posted by duvatney at 7:25 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


hunh. i'da never thought i'd get this giggly over reading a bunch of strangers' tooth removal stories. thanks, folks! this is fun!
posted by CitizenD at 7:39 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


When my daughter was five, she had to have a tooth pulled and they gave her Nitrous Oxide. She bit down on the dentist's finger and wouldn't let go. By the look on his face, it must'be been quite painful.

On the way home, she looked over at me and said, "I dreamed that I bit the dentist."
posted by tamitang at 7:40 PM on February 3, 2009 [10 favorites]


I can vouch for this - based on a time when I chugged a bottle of cough syrup to get high.

What..., Tuesday??
posted by LordSludge at 7:53 PM on February 3, 2009


the big fucker punched the kid out and loudly asked, "can't a brother make some money in this country?"

Everybody knows the dudes selling nitrous are always terrible people. They're often the one class of people to whom a general code on the lot that prohibits NARCery of all stripes does not apply.

You can bet your ass is wasn't medical grade nitrous either, but rather some industrial shit with a ton of impurities most likely purchased from a mechanic.

However, if you can find the clean stuff, and make sure that you get adequate oxygen intake and don't just breathe pure laughing gas, it can be an awesome experience. William James once said that nitrous enhanced his understanding of Hegel.

That Miami run was far and away the best post-hiatus live Phish
posted by solipsophistocracy at 8:12 PM on February 3, 2009


So, back when you could get anesthetic-grade nitrous, rather than welding quality crap, with just a clipboard, lab coat, and a serious expression (don't try this anymore, kids, that's about a ten grand fine these days), we'd occasionally get a tank (deposit: $70) for a radio station party. Sometimes we'd buy enormous balloons and lay against the wall. Once, I managed to retain just enough presence of mind to manipulate a stopwatch and grok for about fifty-three seconds what Blake was talking about regarding laughing gas and ego death; decided it was all crap a few lungfuls of standard nitrogen / oxygen mix later.

Other times, one person would get a wrench and wrap themselves around the cannister like a particularly-well endowed Buddha, that they might dispense the gas to the faithful and the groovy alike. As the bankroller for one specific venture, I had first dibs, but I allowed a young lady the first turn at it; she took a big lungful and promptly swooned, eyes rolling back as we caught her. She came around about twenty twitchy seconds later while we were asking if she was alright. "No problem, I feel fiiiine," came out of her mouth in a particularly deep tone. Everyone backed off nervously, but I just pointed at the tank and said, "Oh, I have got to take a hit off this motherfucker."

Twenty seconds later, I'm bellowing out in a solid bass, "I find a little giggle-gas before I begin increases my pleasure enormously" and shotgunning the remainder of my breath into a unknown lass' mouth. Probably not very sanitary (I ended up with strep from someone, who?), but it's a great way to meet people.

It's awful hard to have fun these days, and nobody appreciates Little Shop of Horrors. *makes note for a dental appointment*
posted by adipocere at 8:17 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


Nitrous stories aren't really that fun to share, I've found.

Wahhh waahhh waaah waaah waaah waaah waaah.

That's basically my memory of it.
posted by empath at 8:42 PM on February 3, 2009


Official list of things MetaFilter does well:

1. Drugs
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:29 PM on February 3, 2009 [21 favorites]


Well, if you're going to do something...
posted by empath at 9:47 PM on February 3, 2009


That's not a good feeling.

Nope. It should be more like this.
posted by IvoShandor at 10:02 PM on February 3, 2009


OMG, That's SO me.
posted by not_on_display at 10:17 PM on February 3, 2009


Always check the label first, never laughed harder than seeing a friend hit a giant balloon of C02.
posted by jeffmik at 10:19 PM on February 3, 2009 [2 favorites]


The kid sounds like he's on salvia. Seriously. Now I want to get the gas.
posted by tehloki at 10:32 PM on February 3, 2009 [1 favorite]


My mom still won't tell me what I said to her after I woke up from having my wisdom teeth out. Every time I ask she just smirks, shakes her head, and says "Oh, you said some stuff."

Please tell her the Internet wants to know now, and report back.
posted by five fresh fish at 11:00 PM on February 3, 2009 [3 favorites]


I don't know about the video, but the stories in this thread are hysterical.
posted by Space Kitty at 11:36 PM on February 3, 2009


My nephew needed some teeth pulled when he was four. When he came to, he catapulted out of the dentist's chair, looked at his mother with a crazy, shit-eating grin and yelled "Let's go!"

Then his eyes rolled back in his head and his head spun around on his neck a few times. He sank to the floor in a puddle groaning under his breath. The dentist said he had never seen anything like that happen before.
posted by Foam Pants at 11:56 PM on February 3, 2009


It's funny, but the kid probably was pretty scared at least some of the time. Probably no worse than a nightmare though afterwards.

I once passed around a bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey in barter to some shady guys at a with a tank of welding nitrous for balloons for some friends and me. You only live once, as they say.

This thread today is a great coincidence because I like a balloon or two of nitrous occasionally. I've done it with someone's metal cracker or dispenser but I decided to buy my own whipped cream dispenser both for the huffing and because I thought I could make some excellent whipped cream. Tonight I tried heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar, and I was correct because IT TASTES LIKE JESUS CAME IN YOUR MOUTH.

This thread puts me in the mood to make another dent in my year-lasting $10 bag of salvia but I accidentally my bowl the other day.
posted by Sockpuppet For Naughty Things at 11:57 PM on February 3, 2009 [7 favorites]


Anyone else sit outside high school on their lunch hour with one of these? Perhaps it's a Toronto thing...
posted by gman at 4:12 AM on February 4, 2009


When I was a barista we had a 25-pound nitrous tank that we would use to fill one of those with, so when it was really slow later in the evening I would fill it up and take massive hauls off it out back. Lots of fun, right?
The last time, I just kept on going until I thought I was sitting by a campfire with two little crying children, asking where their parents were. I got up and tried to help them but kept on walking around in circles in the bathroom. Once I thought I was cool, I went back into the store, to be greeted by a couple of what at the time looked like deformed gnomes at the counter. "Hi, can I make you guys a drink?" I said, and made up a couple lattes.
I stopped doing nitrous after that.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:20 AM on February 4, 2009 [3 favorites]


I had my wisdom teeth dug out of my jaw when I was 12. My mom was hyper-worried about anaesthesia, so I had no general, no nitrous, no demerol, just novacaine and an occasional topical anaesthetic whenever I'd grunt. And those suckers were deep, too; the dentist had to cut through bone to get to them. I had to breathe through my nose, of course, so the smell of the drill pulverizing and burning away my jaw and teeth was overwhelming, and the occasional touches of the drill to raw nerve were excruciating. 30 years later, I remember it like it was yesterday.

Most traumatic experience of my life. The kid in the video is lucky.
posted by MrMoonPie at 5:38 AM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


And was so touchy feely about it he posted it to youtube for the lulz.

Or maybe he asked his kid's permission to do so. I'll not pass judgment on the posting of the video to Youtube, since I don't know the family involved.
posted by Heretic at 5:49 AM on February 4, 2009


I had general two years ago when I had my wisdom teeth removed, and it was fantastic. I did wake up halfway through while the surgeon was really digging in there, though. I remember looking around, seeing him really having a tough time with something, thinking, "Hm, this is odd," and then promptly drifting off again.

I will tell you, though, that trying to explain why your insurance might not be active yet--dazed from anaesthesia and with a mouth full of novocaine and cotton--is almost impossible. And repeating it at the pharmacy is just a recipe for drooling blood all over the place. They don't seem to mind that in CVS, though.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:57 AM on February 4, 2009


Best part: "Is this going to be forever?"

I remember a certain someone asking that so many times on their first acid trip.

They were so convinced it would...
posted by tbonicus at 6:06 AM on February 4, 2009


I've been under twice in my life. I have absolutely no memory of either time. It just goes from doctor beginning to apply whatever drug to blinking in the recovery room, usually about six hours later.

The doctors say they've never seen someone sleep as long and hard as I do under anesthetic. I guess we all have to be good at something.
posted by Scattercat at 6:31 AM on February 4, 2009


I am so glad that despite my many dental problems, I've never had any trouble with my wisdom teeth. I tried to get braces once (Mom got a dental plan! whoo!) but I couldn't stand the rubber bands they put in and made a big enough fuss that I got them removed and the dentist basically called me a pussy. Thanks Dr. Asshole D.D.S!

Fun Fact! The recreational aspects of nitrous were known and popular before the medical uses. Traveling fairs would put on "Hell Nights" where they would take men from the crowd, get them wasted on nitrous, and watch them run around and giggle to show the "Madness of Hell" or something. It was only after people broke legs or lost teeth without apparent pain that it was adapted to medicine and painless dentistry was born.

"Philosopher Clubs" In England where thinly veiled excuses for college men to get together and do lots and lots of nitrous. See, we're just like William James! We just don't write dense, analytical examinations of faith and experience!

and finally, David Rakoff:


"As anyone who's ever worked in an ice-cream parlor can tell you, two things end up happening really quickly: you get sick of ice cream almost immediately, and soon thereafter you fall in love with the nitrous oxide used to make the whipped cream. You Heart Whippets. This ardor eventually cools when you realize that it's been weeks since you've been able to subtract simple sums, use an adjective correctly, or spell your own last name. But at the first bloom of narcotic romance, you merely wonder where whippets have been all your life."


Why do I get the feeling this will one day be used against me
posted by The Whelk at 6:43 AM on February 4, 2009


I was 25 and after the dentist at the VA tried to pry my broken wisdom tooth out, I came out of the chair and I put my hands up in a defensive posture. Becuase...If he would have taken one more step towards me with those pliers, I was gonna drop him. They ordered me to return on Monday with a licensed driver. My wife was kind enough to take me and when I woke up from the N20, my wife told that I told the dentist that he was good and he should do that for a living. N20 = LOVE.
posted by winks007 at 7:01 AM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


The REMIX
posted by empath at 7:09 AM on February 4, 2009 [3 favorites]


Strangely enough, a very close relation worked at the same shop as I did 25 years ago, where they say they also took advantage of the nitrous tank, to great effect.
One girl took it straight off the tank and got a liquid nitrous burn down the side of her face.
posted by dunkadunc at 7:16 AM on February 4, 2009


One girl took it straight off the tank and got a liquid nitrous burn down the side of her face.

Laughing gas is supposed to be funny.
posted by gman at 7:18 AM on February 4, 2009


*and there were supposed to be italics on the word 'supposed' above. As in, that ain't funny.
posted by gman at 7:30 AM on February 4, 2009


I had my wisdom teeth removed in my early 20's. They didn't give me laughing gas, they gave me an IV drip of some sort of cocktail, I think one of the ingredients was morphine, but I don't remember exactly. They said it would "twilight sleep". I was a very straight laced type at the time, and had rarely ever sipped alcohol, let alone anything more potent. They told me to count backward from 100 and I almost made it to 93.

I only remember one thing between 93 and waking up in the recovery room. They told me that at one point they had to break one of the teeth to get it out, and I think it was at that point that I briefly emerged from unconsciousness and thought to myself, very calmly, "Wow, this is the worst pain I've ever experienced in my entire life", then laughed to myself and was gone again.
posted by Reverend John at 7:33 AM on February 4, 2009


Last year I had to get some dental work done that was going to last a couple of hours, so the doctor suggested that rather than going in one hour blocks, it might be easier all around to schedule a full morning appointment, where they would load me up, and take care of all the work while I was out of it.

He warned me that it was pretty likely that I would not remember much of it.

I figured he was overstating the effect, so I laughed and said "Ok".

The night before I took the Valium they prescribed and that morning I took the other stuff the name of which I've forgotten, but damn was it powerful. When I got there, they put me on Nitrous and a few fast hours later my wife was picking me up.

Some time later that night (about 18 hours after my appointment) I was still wondering when I was supposed to go in and begin the work.

Frankly, when I realized how out of it I was, it was scary as shit. I lost an entire day. A full day that I have virtually no memory of, whatsoever.

When my dentist called a couple of days later to check up on me I joked "Well, I can't remember much, but I hope I didn't say anything incriminating, ha ha..."

He deadpanned back to me "Well, there was all that stuff you were saying about the government, but you were a bit hard to understand, so we just turned up the gas..."

It seemed like such a perfectly, awesomely wrong thing to say to a patient, that I'm honestly jealous that it wasn't a line of my own invention.
posted by quin at 8:27 AM on February 4, 2009 [4 favorites]


Some of my fondest teenage memories are from working at dairy queen and that huge ass canister of nitrous oxide...

... mostly the concussions and ringing ears from waking up lying on the tile. Remember kids - deep breath, hold it, lay down on the floor...
posted by Jeremy at 8:31 AM on February 4, 2009


STORY THAT INVOLVES NITROUS OXIDE DISPENSED IN A SITUATION OF TOTAL LEGALITY:

My mother was a dental hygenist and she was the one who gave me the nitrous oxide when I had my wisdom teeth taken out. "How do you feel now, hon? Do you want another hit of gas?" "Right on, Mom." It's a very odd sight to have your mother hover around you with a surgical mask on while a dentist pulls at something in your mouth that you can't feel, only to have your skull resonate with these insanely loud cracking sounds. Later, Mom drove me home after the operation and laughed uproariously at every thing I said, although I don't know how she could've understood me what with my face smooshed up against the car window and everything.


STORY THAT INVOLVES NITROUS OXIDE DISPENSED IN A SITUATION OF DUBIOUS LEGALITY:

Many years ago I worked at a call center which made the brilliant decision to kick off Customer Service Dept. Appreciation Week with an announcement that within six months' time, they were outsourcing the entire department to India. And then there was a make-your-own ice cream sundae party.

As I worked the evening-to-night shift, even the sundae party was a disappointment considering the ice cream was mostly melted and all the good toppings were gone by the time I got there -- except for a large supply of whipped cream canisters. The, er, "good" kind.

Understandably disillusioned by this display, a coworker and I decided to take matters into our own hands. Once the office emptied out for the night, took the whipped cream out to her car and spent the better part of our lunch break depleting them all.

We returned to our desks feeling suitably appreciated indeed.
posted by Spatch at 9:17 AM on February 4, 2009 [2 favorites]


What a bunch of weenies you all are. I had my impacted wisdom teeth removed a couple years ago, age 40. Lots of cutting and pliers and crunching-breaking-ripping and stitches. On local. Sure, it was unsettling and uncomfortable, but it wasn't painful. Why risk the near-death experience of general for something so freaking minor?
posted by five fresh fish at 9:22 AM on February 4, 2009


Why risk the near-death experience of general for something so freaking minor?

If you were a real man, you'd have gone over to India and had your wisdom teeth pulled on the street with no anesthetic. Pussy.
posted by gman at 9:51 AM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


OK - two quick post-surgery stories:

1) I had six wisdom teeth. (I now have one.) About 18 years ago, I went to the dentist to complain of a soreness. He said it looked like an infected wisdom tooth which hadn't emerged yet, and sent me to the oral surgeon. The oral surgeon took some xrays, left the room for a bit, came back with the prints, slid the developed prints up on the screen, flicked the lights on, and suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa!"

"What?" I asked. "Whoa!" is usually not something you want a doctor to say about you in your presence.

"You have six wisdom teeth!" And he went to explain how he would take the four out, including the infected one, but the two way, way in the back of my upper jaw, on each side, would probably not need to come out (and maybe shouldn't, as they were close to the sinuses).

So, less than a week later, I go in to the local hospital. They put an IV in, and drug me with antibiotics. They give me a cup of yellow-highliter-colored medicine, and said it keeps the stomach from doing anything it shouldn't do while I'm under--this one tasted like feedback from a large amp sounds. The last drug they put in, they told me, was to alleviate any anxiety before surgery. When they slipped that in the IV, I felt immediately blissful.

So I go in, they knock me out, and I wake up a seeming second later (from a great dream I wanted to cling to) with my mouth stuffed with cotton.

"Mmmmph mummmph!" I called.

"Hi!" said the attending nurse, "What can I do for you?"

"Maf maf!" I said.

"Water? Coming right up!" She went and got me a cup of water and a straw. Exactly what I'd asked for! "Anything else?"

I looked around; I was the only one in the reception room.

"Mph Mm Mphhff mfuhfuh?"

"Oh, you'll be here about 30 minutes, and then we'll wheel you out to another room."

"Ma ha haff m mffphoh?"

"I don't see why not!" She left and, a minute later, returned with a radio. "What station do you want?"

"Muh hu fu fu muhm." So she tuned it to the radio station I wanted.

Wow. I had to ask. "Wuh huhff mff moo daff?"

"It's a skill you learn after many years working here."

* * *

2) When my son had his ears intubated (about 9 years ago), the staff let me into the prep room so that he could hold my hand while he was being put under. He was very nervous. As they were gassing him, one of the attendants told me, "And now they're going to put some nitrous oxide in with the gas, as a calming agent."

"What? Nobody told me they were going to do this!" I said, and then my son started laughing, but with a scared look on his face: he was laughing, and didn't know why, and was still scared! The look on his face was awful! He tried to get up, but they held hium back for a second before the anaesthetic kicked in and, click, out-like-a-light.

When he woke up, he was crying. Not wailing, or pained crying, but a weeping of sadness. I asked him if he was sad; he said, "Yes, but I don't know why." He cried for two hours, all the way home on the subway, and while watching Pokemon after we got home. Finally he shook off the sadness and was back to his normal self. I still get a wave of sadness flowing through me when I think of it.
posted by not_on_display at 9:59 AM on February 4, 2009 [8 favorites]


1) I had six wisdom teeth

You taught me a new word.
posted by gman at 10:06 AM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


No, you just taught me a new word! Thanks!

Hey everyone! I have supernumerary teeth! I'm a hyperdont! RAWR!! LOOK OUT!!!
posted by not_on_display at 10:20 AM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


A buddy of mine knew of a restaurant in Santa Cruz that had a tank of nitrous for whipping cream. One day he decided to get fully liquored up and skateboard through the restaurant, grab the tank, and skate out. After successfully completing that task, he and some buddies went down to the beach. They kinda camped out under a cliff near the beach. After a while some people started throwing wood off the cliff so they could make a fire. My buddy and his friends yelled at these people to fuck off. Some dude came down and punched him in the face. Apparently their friend had died and they were having a bonfire wake on the beach.

The upside of having all that nitrous was that every time his face started hurting, he could just stop and take a hit.

I camped at Space Camp when I went on String Cheese Incident tour. They just gave out weather balloons and passed them on.
posted by schyler523 at 11:30 AM on February 4, 2009 [2 favorites]


Hey everyone! I have supernumerary teeth! I'm a hyperdont!

Just because there are others like you, doesn't make you any less a freak.
posted by gman at 11:36 AM on February 4, 2009


ME: Hey everyone! I have supernumerary teeth! I'm a hyperdont!
gman: Just because there are others like you, doesn't make you any less a freak.

No, no, gman... I'm a dinosaur... a Hyperdont!! RAWR!!! [/me rises up against the restraints on my car seat] Is this really happening?

(Techincally, is this a derail? I'm referencing the OPYT now.)
posted by not_on_display at 11:49 AM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


For not_on_display
posted by The Whelk at 12:01 PM on February 4, 2009 [1 favorite]


When I had my wisdom teeth out, all I remember is counting backwards with a bunch of people surrounding me and then waking up alone in a dark room, curled up in fetal position with bloody drool on my pillow and my mouth full of cotton. I can relate to this kid.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:11 PM on February 4, 2009


I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 13 or 14. While I was recovering from the anesthesia, I apparently told my mother all of the things I'd done with girls and all of the things I was looking forward to doing as soon as possible.
posted by diogenes at 12:48 PM on February 4, 2009 [7 favorites]


No dental hilarity stories to share. I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 17 and I try not to think about it because it was awful. I had to have general anaesthesia since they were sideways (and yes, the mallet and the pieces and I really stopped listening after the words "mallet" and "we have to put you under") and I didn't really say anything hilarious afterwards.

My one moment of real drug-induced hilarity was after my first MRI. My neurologist was feeling generous or something, because he ordered a nice big hit of Valium beforehand. (They were taking scans of my head and didn't want to have to re-do anything if I got claustrophobic and y'know, moved.) I was having a very chillaxed experienced going from the hospital back to the car. My mother was way more freaked out by all of this than I was (she thought her kid might have a brain tumor. I thought I'd just had a boring - and loud - procedure), so she had her arm around my shoulders and was guiding me through the parking lot. This was really a bit much, and I told her to calm down with the famous words "Mom! I just had an MRI, not an autopsy!" (PS - I was 19 at the time. Sadly, this was not a precocious childhood moment.)

Ah, drugs.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 1:44 PM on February 4, 2009


Ooh. Last time I had nitrous was at uni - - I remember that a friend and I decided to have a tea party (with a child's teaset), huffing nitrous the whole time. Her roommate walked in, saw the tea and balloons and two ridiculous girls giggling like mad and trying desperately to breathe balloons in and out and walked away.

Good times!
posted by grippycat at 5:04 PM on February 4, 2009 [2 favorites]


If you were a real man, you'd have gone over to India and had your wisdom teeth pulled on the street with no anesthetic. Pussy.

No doubt. Alas, my medical coverage wouldn't pay the shot.
posted by five fresh fish at 5:23 PM on February 4, 2009


I have not laughed so hard in a long long time.

I'm going to go to bed wondering what insane things I've done & said while under the anesthetic/nitrous influence in all sorts of doctors/dental offices.
posted by susanbeeswax at 10:22 PM on February 4, 2009


I love it when he screams. As if he can yell his way out of the daze. I've done that.
posted by gabecal at 11:29 PM on February 4, 2009


Better Remix Zomg.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:04 PM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]


I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 13 or 14. While I was recovering from the anesthesia, I apparently told my mother all of the things I'd done with girls and all of the things I was looking forward to doing as soon as possible.

That's apparently pretty common, I've heard several variations on this from people I know.
posted by empath at 5:12 PM on February 5, 2009


Remix with Christian Bale
posted by desjardins at 10:56 AM on February 8, 2009 [1 favorite]


I just came back in here to post that, desjardins. It actually, surprisingly, made me laugh out loud.
posted by miss lynnster at 1:59 PM on February 9, 2009




Best YouTube comment ever: "I'll have what he's having"
posted by mike3k at 7:41 PM on February 10, 2009


German TV Interview.
posted by ericb at 8:50 AM on February 14, 2009


Flippy After Dentist.
posted by ericb at 8:56 AM on February 14, 2009


WSJ: How a Dentist Visit Became a YouTube Hit.
posted by ericb at 8:57 AM on February 14, 2009


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