There are places we can visit where we know before we get there that a fun time will be had. Looking back through the years, some of those places for me have been amusement parks, hikes in the woods during the fall, family reunions, just to name a few. However, do you think a trip to the dentist can be an enjoyable experience?
Good dental health has been a challenge for me all my life. I was one of the thousands of poor children in the state of Arkansas. U.S.A. who, even today, suffer from lack of good dental care. I can recall having my first tooth extracted during my teenaged years. After graduating from college, one of the first things I did was invest money in getting some seriously needed restorative dental work done. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be… a few fillings here and there, and I was ready to go out into the world with a good smile.
For years, I would get good checkups at my dentist. There was very little need for what I call hard-hat construction work. Then, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2,000. I’m sure there was some mention of the problems chemotherapy and other drugs would cause to my dental health; however, I didn’t make very good mental recordings. Then came the need for this root canal and that root canal. The need for much more extensive dental work than I had ever had before led me to discover Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas).
Nitrous Oxide is that wonderful relaxant that allows me to get the rest I need while sitting in what otherwise could be a torture chamber. I recall, a few years ago, my dentist shot me up with anesthesia, placed the Nitrous mask on my face and left me for a few minutes until the area she was to work on became anesthetized. By the time she came back, I was somewhere rollicking in a land far, far away. So far, in fact, that she had a difficult time arousing me. When I became alerted to her interference, my complaint was: Why did you wake me? The relaxing effects of Nitrous Oxide are wonderful. That little venture into a land far away caused quite the stir in my dentist office that day. I’m still trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. From that point forward, my dentist is reluctant to turn the Nitrous up to one hundred percent. My ongoing joke with her is that I want the full dose, since she charges me the same regardless of whether it’s one hundred percent or some lesser concentration.
I’m a huge fan of smooth jazz! Putting on the earphones and adjusting the volume just right to the sounds of my favorite jazz artist has always been a relaxing distraction for me. Now, when you combine Nitrous Oxide with smooth jazz, the experience of visiting my dentist becomes more pleasant than a good night’s sleep. You see, my dentist always asks me what’s my musical pleasure as I’m reclining to have dental damage performed. Who would’ve ever thought a visit to the dentist would be so pleasant?
I’m old and blessed…hope you will be too.
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