The Dentist: not like when I was a kid

Young Fella eases back, feeling no pain while on Nitrous gas,
and watches a movie on the ceiling...

I took my 5 year-old to the Dentist on Thursday this past week. In the moments leading up to the visit, I was trying my best to prep him for pain and suffering which was to come. I was trying to be Vince Lombardi and Tony Robbins all in one.

I was to learn that this was not necessary.

When I walked in to the kid's dentist office, the first thing we see is this huge aquarium with fish galore. Right beside this is a video game room with an assortment of toys. The adults could lounge on these leather sofas while reading a magazine.

When it comes to be your kid's turn, he then goes to a "prep area". They basically sit on bean bag chairs and watch Disney movies. They administer this goop which is supposed to make your kid dopey. After 15 minutes they venture over to The Chair. While in The Chair, the fun continues. The tech then equips your kid with Nitrous gas to ease his misgivings and slaps on headphones and watches more TV, which is affixed to the ceiling. He's obviously too busy with all the fun to realize that he's at THE DENTIST!! While this is going on, I can't help but think about my own experiences at the dentist a generation ago.

When I was a wee lad, the difference between a kids dentist and a regular dentist was a few comic books strewn on the magazine table. Maybe a couple cartoon teeth with toothbrush posters on the wall. There was no TV, no radio, no games, and definitely no magic goop to alleviate the intense fear which would grip you as you were dragged in.

Where I came from, the dentist would give us a pep talk, then jabbed our gumlines with a huge spear, all the while we're wondering if this is Hell on Earth (later on in life, I was to visit Winnipeg and confirm that the dentist was in fact NOT the worst Hell on Earth).

So what the hell!! This generation is WEAK! They are SOFT! A little bit of pain now and then is good! It gives you character. If you can't count on the dentist for pain anymore, who can you count on??

I think I'll send him to College in Edmonton when he's older. That'll learn him some pain.

Ah, who am I kidding. This is the whole point of "progress", ain't it? Aren't your kids' lives supposed to be better than your own? I guess being a parent, I'm somehow programmed to say "I remember when I was a kid ...... ... ".