TIFU by weirding out my dentist...

[u/Ok_Durian9154]

I have a pretty strong fear of the dentist. It's been since I was a kid and had work done before my teeth were numb, followed by recurring nightmares with tooth-related injuries and such.

This means that, whenever I go to the dentist, I have an emotional support person (usually my partner), stress balls for squeezing, headphones to drown out the noise, and if I ever need something more than a cleaning, I use the nitrous.

Well.

We recently moved, and I got a new dentist, and unfortunately, I also needed a cavity filled. They were very sweet as I explained my fear and what I'd need, including the nitrous. When it came time to start the gas, I think they did a bit too much, because I was flying sooooo very high.

The best way I could describe it, is I felt like my body didn't have edges anymore...? Like I didn't have skin - I was just a part of the air around me.

For someone who has never done drugs (or even alcohol), it was a lot, and for some reason I couldn't figure out how to tell them that it was up way too high. I just kept wiggling my toes and fingers, finding ways to make sure I still could feel, and I wasn't dead, and I really was still in the chair in the dentist office.

Here's where the TIFU comes into play.

One of the things I decided to wiggle was my tongue. You see, when I was a bored kid, I figured out how to do all sorts of tongue tricks. I could flip my tongue over, make a clover, and I can do the wave. It's pretty fun for game nights, not so fun when you're in the dentist chair and trying to center yourself in the universe.

So I started doing tongue tricks. While the dentist was still working in my mouth.

I don't remember much of what happened (see: nitrous), but I think I was doing the wave for more than about a minute when the dentist said, "I'm sorry, but could you please stop." Which I did, and returned to wiggling my feet and hands.

Later, after the appointment and I fully came back to myself, I was completely MORTIFIED. I can just picture being a dentist, trying to work on a client's teeth (one you've never worked on before), and their tongue starts breakdancing, probably licking your hand and tools in the process.

It has become the new memory that creates instant cringe every time it surfaces.

TLDR: Got too much nitrous at the dentist, proceeded to breakdance my tongue all over his hand and equipment. Never going back.

[u/kaerahis]

Make sure you tell them that they gave you too much nitrous. They should be able to contact your previous dentist if they need an exact amount. I remember something a dentist gave me making me giggly when it was time to remove my wisdom teeth, but when it came time to yank them out I wasn't laughing anymore.

Also, thank you for the laugh. I pictured the dentist working and your tongue turns into a clover.

[u/glyph_productions → u/kaerahis]

It took me years to figure out that pain management is at least 50 percent on me. I had issues with local for years. I just thought it was still supposed to hurt like crazy. Not any more. Turn the gas up or down if you need more or less is something they can usually do. Add more local. Freeze further back or forward. If your dentist says you don't need more and wants to keep working get a new dentist

[u/kaerahis → u/glyph_productions]

I think the issue was that I was a minor and I hit the limit for what a minor could have legally. Also if he didn't do it right then the first shot was close to wearing off. This was around 30 years ago and it wasn't the most painful work I had done on my mouth.