Everyone has been "that kid" at some point
Posted by Jsmith2127@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 162 comments

At least I have , at least once or rice š
Posted by Jsmith2127@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 162 comments
At least I have , at least once or rice š
Kalenie9744@reddit
Cause moms and dad's would freak if they did this now. My parents lined up for the polio vax cubes. There's no way this stuff would fly now. It's sad.
Alcoolique_Mondain@reddit
Fun thing with this sub is to see what was common and what was different depending of where you were born. I am genX but not from the USA so I've got no idea what that is. What kind of pills were you given over there?
Slim_Chiply@reddit
I'm GenX from the USA and I have zero memory of these things.
MuttsandHuskies@reddit
These are like a dye that sticks to plaque and just other crap on your teeth and it also sticks to the enamel, by the way. They had the dentist come in and show us how to brush our teeth and they gave us two or three of these little things to take home so that we could brush our teeth and make sure we got all the spots. But they had us to the one that day in school so that we could see right now. Well, thatās humiliating a shit for people who donāt have insurance. And second of all that stuff sticks to your enamel, too.
Alcoolique_Mondain@reddit
Thanks, we were given advice on good teeth hygiene but not any product. What we were given was Milk, shitload of Milk, probably drank all the surplus production of the Milk industry in elementary school.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I actually ended up having to go to the dr when I was in gradeschool, basically because I had too much calcium. Dr. Said I had calcium in my urine. I was getting sick, vomiting, and had a lot of back pain. "Thanks mom"
Hopeful_Hamster21@reddit
I had to have baby teeth pulled because of too much calcium. But we had a well at home, were not only city water. So a lot of that calcium came from our water supply. So much so that every few years we had to have our water pump replaced due to calcium deposits destroying it.
Also, because we were on a private water system, we had no fluoride. My mom gave us fluoride pills that we'd eat. They looked just like this, thats what I thought this post was at first.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
That sucks. When my son was 5 he had to have a "pulpotmy" on a baby tooth that became infected. Its basically a procedure for when tooth decay reaches the pulp. But we never figured out what caused it.
ZoraTheDucky@reddit
Thank the dairy industry for brainwashing an entire generation or two into thinking the only way you were going to get enough calcium in your diet was to drink excessive amounts of milk.
Lonely_Storage2762@reddit
My brother got anemia according to the doctors because he drank copious amounts of milk every day
I had lived with my grandparents on their dairy farm with my mom while my dad was in Vietnam. I never liked the packaged milk because it tasted slightly spoiled to me after drinking fresh milk every day. I can handle it now but I tend to drink organic or milk that is pasteurized but not homogenized. I pay the extra.
travlplayr@reddit
Definitely worth paying extra for organic milk. Basically, because it's milk that hasn't been fucked with.
Lonely_Storage2762@reddit
It lasts longer without spoiling. If you check dates and compare between the regular and organic. The organic always has a longer shelf life. No idea why. I know they don't add anything to it.
NiteNicole@reddit
We were always told NOT to use them at school...so we all waited and used them on the bus. It was a gross ride home.
ascii_ebcdic@reddit
For schools that did this, the tablets were handed out to the entire class, everyone had to chew the tablets, and the teacher chose kids to use as examples of "good" and "bad" dental hygiene. The kid with "bad" hygiene was usually already being picked on for other things, and really didn't need this added to it. plaque disclosing tablets
AbbreviationsFun4560@reddit
There was always the kid whose entire mouth was bright redā¦ā¦.ha! Ha! Ha! Youāre gross!!
marshallkrich@reddit
Wow, didn't experience this one in school.
sanityjanity@reddit
In my class we chewed them, and then were given mirrors to look at our own teeth.Ā No public shamingĀ
HandleAccomplished11@reddit
I'm from the US, and we only got these at the dentist. I don't remember ever having them in school?
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
We usually had it around the same week as they did tge "scoliosis checks" and "lice checks"
TripThruTimeandSpace@reddit
Yup and hearing and eye checks.
AbbreviationsFun4560@reddit
Raise the left hand, right, left, left
nottodayautoimmune@reddit
I remember the scoliosis check, because they found mine. They showed me this ridiculous penguin waddle exercise to do. It was more humiliating than enlightening. If they had actually properly followed up with x-rays, they would have found that my scoliosis is caused by a couple of lumbar vertebrae that are solid bone fused to my pelvis. Wasnāt actually found until after I had kids.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I always got called back for a "second check", then nothing. It wasn't until I was in my 30s, and went to physical therapy, because of ongoing lower back issues, that I found out that I have scoliosis in my lower back.
leeloocal@reddit
And they never found my scoliosis š
AbbreviationsFun4560@reddit
70ās babyā¦.happened in the 1970ās
eatitwithaspoon@reddit
I'm in Canada, and when I was in school a hygienist would come in to teach about brushing and flossing, and what foods will damage your teeth the most, and we'd all get a loot bag of dental care stuff.
And occasionally, they came to give deep fluoride treatments. You picked your flavour, then they squeezed the gel into little teeth molds, and you had to bite down and hold for two minutes. It was so gross.
SamePhotographs@reddit
We had to swish with a flavoured fluoride rinse. It was awful to swish around for a full minute.
Apocalypstick_now@reddit
So many kids in my class would cry because it hurt their cheeks to swish for a full minute. Great times!
eatitwithaspoon@reddit
Ah yes, we did swish & spit too. My favourite was the light blue minty one. The rest were awful.
Since we were keeners, my friends and I were the crew who filled the cups and delivered the trays to all the classes. š
NVJAC@reddit
Yeah, same here.
No-Day-5964@reddit
We did the same thing as OP. They gave you a toothbrush, tiny toothpaste and these pills.
xczechr@reddit
I'm from the US and also had no idea what these were. Maybe it's regional?
TripThruTimeandSpace@reddit
Iām originally from NYS and we did this.
Conscious_String_195@reddit
I am from Gen X USA, in Florida, and have never seen these at school, unless it was molly. However, the school did not hand them out.
3rd grade was rough. :)
Physical-Flatworm454@reddit
Iām Gen X, was born in America and I have no idea what this is. Maybe my state didnāt do that? Who knows.
Norse_By_North_West@reddit
We had these in school a few times in Canada. If the other comment didn't clarify for you, these are chewable dyes that stick to the plaque on your teeth. Generally part of health initiatives back in the old days.
FiddleStrum@reddit
I wanted these so badly but my dentist didnāt offer them
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I'm sure that your taste buds are grateful
AbbreviationsFun4560@reddit
These changed my dental habits !!
old-man-punk@reddit
I got some from my dentist once when I was in 3rd grade and gave one to a kid on the way to school telling him it was candy. He missed an entire day of school trying to get that crap off his teeth.
ApplianceHealer@reddit
āKirk unit! Disclose the information!ā
Iykyk š
FictionForest@reddit
Lice day was even better! Theyād have the nurse pick through your hair with these chopsticks. The kids identified with lice had to sit in the hall and wait there until their parents picked them up. I loved it!!!!
99titan@reddit
Our principal would call the infestedās names to the office over the intercom as their parents arrived. Everyone knew any. Many fights over the next month at my school.
The same principal would read the Presidentās Physical Fitness Test result over the intercom, including the failures. Retired football coach and general dick head.
ApplianceHealer@reddit
Gotta love jock cultureācured me of any desire to engage in physical activity. Will probably mean I die early, but the scars run deep enough that exercise = disappointment, humiliation, and asthma attacks.
99titan@reddit
Our principal would call the infestedās names to the office over the intercom as their parents arrived. Everyone knew why. Many fights over the next month at my school.
The same principal would read the Presidentās Physical Fitness Test result over the intercom, including the failures. Retired football coach and general dick head.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I actually enjoyed when they did those. It was like a little head massage š
Physical-Flatworm454@reddit
Ha me too!
A2Rhombus@reddit
I still gotta get it done every year for the summer camp I work at. It's their policy to lice check everyone who comes in.
It does indeed feel like a little head massage
isoprovolone@reddit
I remember we each had to bring a pencil of ours, and the examiner used those instead of chop sticks to lift portions of our hair along our scalps.
Thatguy-J_kan-6969@reddit
had to watch anti-drug movies that showed deformed babies.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I'd rather have these nasty tablets
SynthPrax@reddit
GODDAMNIT! It's been 45 years and I can still taste that shit!
Malapple@reddit
Right up there with lining the whole class up for lice checks or scoliosis checks.
The latter was uncomfortable because they had every male student in a line all the way down the hallway with our shirts left in the class. It was obnoxious and I was in decent shape. Felt terrible for the kids who werenāt.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
For the lice checks someone just walked up behind us, one by one, while we were seated at our desks. Scoliosis checks , no one had to remove their shirts, and they were done one on one. Each kid was called into a separate room , as our name was called alphabetically
The way they did it to you guys sounds horrible
Professional_Sky4216@reddit
Omg those were the worstā¦vomit inducing badš¤®š¤®
Lonely_Storage2762@reddit
They never did this in my school. We were given supplies to take home. However, as a teacher they tried this. I wouldn't let my class chew them after the first time as you would find pink spittle everywhere. I packaged it all up and informed parents at pick up that it was sent home and there was a note inside to explain what this was.
Round-Boss-1435@reddit
These tasted so bad I š¤®
Moontoya@reddit
lucky me, I turned out to be allergic to them
back in the day before anaphylaxis was considered "real" - so the next day was spent wheezing for air and puking because my throat was so irritated.
they made me do it again the next 2 years (primary 5, 6,7 topping out at around 11 years old in primary 7 - N.ireland)
this was also when schools (enthusiatically) carried out corporal punishment - being spanked/slapped/chalk dustered/meter ruled/gym shoe'd/ping pong paddled/caned/hairbrushed didnt correct my "bad" behaviour - cos ADHD doesnt respond to being brutalised.
but Im not bitter, I just daydream about burning the buildings down with all those teachers trapped inside - never mind it was 40 years ago.....
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I have at least one teacher, that sometimes I just think "well at least I can take solace in the fact that the bitch is dead now"
Former_Balance8473@reddit
I thought these were really tasty and I used to chew them all the time.
Basic_Scale6330@reddit
Back in my day it was either lemonheads or fireballs
charliefoxtrot9@reddit
We just had fluoride treatments, Swish & Spit time.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
We did those too. That nasty ass fluoride rinse.
Zestyprotein@reddit
The tablets you posted are still available. I use them with my kid. I'm a late bloomer, and have a 6 year old.
effie-sue@reddit
Ughhh⦠Fluoride treatments were THE WORST! I used to cry when Iād get them. I threw up at least once or twice after getting a treatment. Thankfully when I had gotten home.
purl2together@reddit
My pediatric dentist did a fluoride treatment one day, disgusting stuff on a tray he put in my mouth. I bit him. Not intentionally, just instinctively.
My current dental hygienist showed me a q-tip covered in some gunk and said, āThis is a fluoride treatment weāre using right now.ā I said, āOK, but fair warningā¦I bit the last person who tried to do that. In my defense, I was 8.ā She laughed and said, āI promise this tastes better, but thanks for the heads up.ā
equal_poop@reddit
I was going to post that. I loved the fluoride treatment it tasted good and then sometimes we'd get a toothbrush after. I remember them being an alligator. The pills I didn't like at all.
WordleFan88@reddit
I'm at a loss here... what are those?
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
They are nasty tasting dye pills. They made most kids chew them in class. They dye the plaque on your teen pink. It's supposed to show you where to brush your teeth, and to brush better.
WordleFan88@reddit
I grew up in the south. As far as I know, they didn't do this.....and in retrospect, you can tell.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Idaho, here.
GarionOrb@reddit
I have never in my life been given one of these.
DaChiDMV@reddit
I used to give these out to the other kids when I was in elementary school on April Fool's Day...š
ennuiui@reddit
Oh man, I was just thinking about these the other day and was curious if theyāre still used.
random123121@reddit
I was fascinated with those in elementary school, the next day I asked the teacher for more and she was really annoyed.
SweaterSteve1966@reddit
Me too. I transitioned my fascination to Flintstones chewables.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
My dr has me taking two Flintstone chewables every morning. The adult multi vitamins bother my stomach. So I'll be a Flintstone kid forever š
BrainSqueezins@reddit
So⦠flintstones are kind of bottom of the barrel to be honest, have a lot of the cheaper vitamins in them that are sometimes even counterproductive. You might look at Smarty Pants vitamins. My kids take those (they make adult versions too) and they have no problems even on an empty stomach. I took them for a bit (though never on an empty stomach)ā¦only reason I stopped is they have a lot of sugar. But so do Flintsones)
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Thank you. I will definitely check them out!
ziggy029@reddit
Make that 10,000,001 strong!
crankyoldlizard@reddit
Are you still growing? /s
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I wish. I'm 5 ft 2, and people think in 15 years or so younger than I am most of the time. It weird when someone like your kids teacher tries to talk down to you, because they think you don't know wtf you're talking about..and I'm like bitch, I'm at least 10 years older than you are.
My height doesn't really help the situation, either.
crankyoldlizard@reddit
Could carry a walking stick (not a cane) and poke people like Yoda?
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Lmao that's an idea
ZZoMBiEXIII@reddit
ADventure... HEH!
EXcitement... HEH!
A parent craves not these things.
Any_Flamingo8978@reddit
Ten million strong!
markayhali@reddit
I loved those!!!
DinosaurForTheWin@reddit
I remember the little cup of mouthwash/floride?
but I don't think I ever got this tablet thing.
What's it for?
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Yes. They both tasted nasty. These tablets were basically dye. It clung to your teeth. They showed everyone who didn't brush their teeth well enough. It's supposed to be an aid. To teach kids to brush better.
DinosaurForTheWin@reddit
I see.
Thank you.
Plus-Parking1777@reddit
Ah portable lie detectors! I hated thoseš
justalong4theride@reddit
I can taste this picture š¤¢
EggForTryingThymes@reddit
They did this to you in school!?!?
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Through pretty much all of gradeschool, along with those nasty fluoride rinse
RandyRVA@reddit
They tasted like ass too! My school also used to bring around these little cups with some kind of mouthwash in them. We were supposed to "swish" with it. This stuff also tasted horrible. Kids today have it easy!
MaximumJones@reddit
Humiliation was the preferred teaching method of our boomer teachers.
PeorgieT75@reddit
This, Iām still traumatized by my 2nd grade teacher.Ā
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I still can't stand my 2nd grade teacher , that singled me out in front of my class for basically being poor and not having money for a packed lunch on a school field trip.
Another time I had my thumb smashed in the heavy metal door , when we were returning from recess. I was bawling. My thumb nail was just hanging off of my thumb. She grabbed me by the arm, and yanked me to the bathroom. She grabbed my nail and ripped it, the rest of the way off. The who time she was yelling at me to shut up, and telling me that "it can't hurt that bad"
I am in my 50s and I remember that shit like it was yesterday. Some people shouldn't be allowed to be teachers.
She singled me out at the beginning of the year. I have a theory that it was because of my older siblings. I had 3 older siblings that went through that school previous to me. My older brother has always been an AH. Not even myself or my other siblings wanted anything to do with him. My sisters' are twins, and were known to try to trick the teachers by pretending to be each other, and take each others classes and tests.
FtonKaren@reddit
We did the reverse, we were such aliens that my grade school grade teacher had a nervous breakdown, for some kids that are Anglophone to only speak French, unless she was ready for burnout and it wasnāt just us
PeorgieT75@reddit
My 4th grade teacher melted down one day, left the classroom, got in her car and drove off while we watched out the window. She came back soon after and nobody mentioned it. She was fresh out of college, and didnāt come back the next year.Ā
labboy70@reddit
Yeah. Shame is a great motivator.
Same_Recipe2729@reddit
For some anyway. For others it absolutely crushed them and they offed themselves.Ā
labboy70@reddit
Agree. I was being sarcastic.
danknerd@reddit
Well you shouldn't be as there isn't enough shame in people these days, perhaps shame is a good way to learn a lesson.
MajorMinus-@reddit
Thank you....mfers who didnt brush their teeth got called out. If you kill yourself because you didnt brush your teeth, thats on you.
Nicolehall202@reddit
Those things were horrible what did they make us do that š¤¢
bscottlove@reddit
THATS why we have autism!
FtonKaren@reddit
And they tasted awful
Signal_Reputation640@reddit
OMG - As soon as I saw that pic I could taste them.
swefnes_woma@reddit
We were made to watch The Haunted Mouth (https://youtu.be/kAi3sSgGp9w) and then chew these
bloobityblu@reddit
I feel deprived. Never experienced these.
snarf_the_brave@reddit
I still remember the Saturday night in 6th or 7th grade that I embarrassed the crap out of my parents. My dad had some big thing he had to go, and we were all going with him. Decided I'd be sure my teeth were sparkly clean, so I chewed one of those tabs about 10 minutes before we were supposed to leave. Even after me brushing them, my mom burshing them, and me brushing them again, my teeth had purple spots. As we got to whatever the function was and were getting out of the car, my mom and dad both threatened me with my life if anyone saw my teeth. No smiles. No talking. And I better be looking at my lap if I took a bite of anything. Nobody better see my purple teeth. I felt like "The One with Ross' Teeth" 15 years before that episode was a thing.
-Ailynn-@reddit
https://i.redd.it/q1n3j6mhe9if1.gif
cathilloh@reddit
I can still taste them š¤¢
eatitwithaspoon@reddit
It makes me salivate in a bad way.
Brilliant-Ad8607@reddit
Never had to. But had to do a dixie cup of bubblegum tasting mouthwash
lsp2005@reddit
I was just thinking about those last week.Ā
percydaman@reddit
I still think about these when trying to get my lil rugrats to brush their damn teeth better.
Ok_Replacement4702@reddit
I'd rather eat the red sawdust on the bus
TBeIRIE@reddit
I wasnāt allowed to have candy as a young one & when they handed out a huge supply of these little pink demons @ school I gobbled the entire stash all at once. š¤¢ever since Iāve never been able to smell grenadine or see this color without feeling nauseous.
Silver_Swordfish_616@reddit
Wait a second.... I vaguely remember them. What exactly were they for? They tasted good; thats all I can recall!
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
They were meant to show you where the plaque on your teeth was, so you would learn to brush better.
Silver_Swordfish_616@reddit
Yes!!!! Haha thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Traditional_Sir_4503@reddit
I always thought these were nonsense. Your teeth were always pink, no matter how much you brushed them. But I never saw that intense and localized pink in one of those pics.
usmc97az@reddit
I always thought these were candy and I was just one of the lucky kids. Hmm.
TeamCatsandDnD@reddit
I was just talking about these with a coworker the other day!
TraditionalMud2696@reddit
They sent them home with us, donāt remember ever having to chew them at school.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
I dont remember ever having them sent home. I think the thought was if they shame us in front of the entire class, that we would go home and brush better
TraditionalMud2696@reddit
My parents did the shaming for the pink teeth, I definitely remember that. This would have been early 80ās. We got sent home with a little bag like from the dentist. Little toothpaste, tooth brush, floss, and a couple pink tablets.
SJB3717@reddit
I remember these, but not daily. We did have smaller pink daily fluoride pills in 80's elementary school though.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
We had the fluoride rinse. These pills were not everyday that I remeber, though.
Rocknhoo@reddit
Core memory unlocked. Thanks....I think?
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Welcome?
unhalfbricking@reddit
I do remember lining up for the scoliosis check and having the nurse run her hand up my spine in front of everyone.
I also remember the nurse doing a head lice check in second grade. They at least tried to be private with that one, but it didn't take a genius IQ to figure out why 20 students went to the nurse abs only 17 cane back to class.
Jsmith2127@reddit (OP)
Dyed pills that stuck to the plaque on your teeth that showed whether you brused or not. Or where you needed to brush better.
NegotiationOk4424@reddit
Individually packed mentos?
Reasonable-HB678@reddit
I remember these, I definitely don't remember using them. The irony is, the dental assistant had her tolerance of the sight of blood put to the test at my first dental appointment as an adult. I had a significant case of gingivitis. Dental care in my family was not the biggest priority.
Weird-Girl-675@reddit
Dang I never got these in school. I thought they were Pepto.
cohuman@reddit
We had them at home. My dad had us use them every night before bed to make sure we brushed well.
mixiplix_@reddit
Never had to do this. Didn't even know these existed. lol
series-hybrid@reddit
No matter how much you brushed, some of the stain would be visible. Its purpose was to reinforce what the dentist was saying, which was you need to go to the dentist and spend some money.
Thirty_Helens_Agree@reddit
These goddamned things just stained everything. āI see red! You did t brush!ā āFuck you, Mrs. Johnson! I did so!ā Twenty minutes of brushing later, āI still see red!ā āYeah, thatās blood, dipshit.ā
Positive-Froyo-1732@reddit
I can taste this post.
bjelly4@reddit
In May my family and I went to Paris from the US. We were in a small pharmacy and a package of these tablets was hanging there for purchase. My 24yo daughter asked what they were. I hadn't seen those wretched tablets in eons! I explained the whole thing to her and she was shocked.
Quirky_Commission_56@reddit
My mom taught at my elementary school and she always ensured that I brushed my teeth before we left the house every morning. When we got there she inevitably had a meeting to attend so Iād spend my time with the school librarian until classes started.
MiddleAgeCool@reddit
You can still get them and we used them on our kids when they were younger and going through the "yes, I've brushed my teeth stage" while holding a bone dry toothbrush.
ShiveringTruth@reddit
There was a character on the show Pete and Pete that used to eat these all the time.
Some_Marsupial_7311@reddit
I learned real quick to lightly bite so some color comes out, swish and swallow. Best teeth in class!
Affectionate_Song_36@reddit
It was like a dental āscarlet letter,ā but without all the religion
My80sLife@reddit
lol! š
Terrible_Feeling_925@reddit
They still sell these!! I have some lol⦠I bought them to show my kid the junk on her teeth. She used them for a while to help improve her brushing skills lolā¦. I tested them on myself to check my brushing skills too! LOL
My80sLife@reddit
Yes! These are still a thing. My youngest just received these at her dentist appointment. Lol!
spavolka@reddit
I got swats one time with 4 other boys in 6th grade. They didnāt do it during recess. They took us out of class and then my teacher was witness to the principal swatting us then we all had to go back to class with tears and sniffling trying not to let all the other kids see us cry. Me and one other kid didnāt even do what we were accused of doing. School in the 70s and 80s SUCKED!
HistoricalTowel1127@reddit
Good ole fashioned public shaming.
circ-u-la-ted@reddit
wtf are these
Rich_Group_8997@reddit
They are tablets kids were given to chew and they would leave a red dye that would highlight plaque and gunk on teeth. They were meant to be some kind of (really gross) aide to tech kids to properly brush their teeth. š¬ In reality, they were just another form of Gen X torture. š
iBoojum@reddit
Those taste nasty.
Ok_Zucchini_8981@reddit
Boomers- "Here is yet another scientifically proven example that we are doing shit job raising you! We will now condition you to feel embarrassed for OUR shortcomings as human beings! Our lead soaked brains think this is hilarious! Now listen to this song I like and pay attention to a boring ass fifteen minute story about a two and a half minute song!"
jaw-shoe-uhhh@reddit
Wow, this opened up some long forgotten memories, haha! Thanks for sharing OP āļø
PrarieDogma@reddit
From Canada, I remember these too.
Apprehensive-Stay196@reddit
Same. And taste them too!
LivingGhost371@reddit
I simply refused to do this and they didn't make me.