The waiting room was down stairs - a white- tiled room (maybe used to be the old kitchen?) and there were long benches us kids had to sit on while we waited for our turn. The bell/buzzer went and the next victim got up and then we all moved along, slowly, one place at a time towards the door. Then your turn came and you had to climb up this huge grand staircase where the nurse was waiting at the top to escort you into the "torture chamber"
The dentist stuck a thing-a-me-jig into your mouth to keep it open then covered your face with this awful rubber mask and you were told to count to 10 (I never got there) while the gas was turned on. After a nasty dream/nightmare you'd wake up, given a large gauze pad to hold over your mouth and made your way either back to school or home (depending on how bad you felt!) OK, so things have changed now, the surroundings are more welcoming, instead of being gassed your get a needle but I still dread going to the dentist - I wonder why
