"Gas Me Up" — Dentist Confuses Nitrous Oxide With Gen Z Term

TikToker Lint Licker (@grandpasyummytoes) had the internet cracking up with his recent video chronicling a hilarious and somewhat traumatic trip to the dentist, which has 747K views and counting.

Sitting in his car, Lint shared the ordeal: “So I just left the dentist and I got a couple of fillings in my teeth right? And this is the first time getting fillings in a really long time because I didn’t go to the dentist for a really long time because I have dental anxiety, which is in my chart, right?”

Lint goes on to describe how the dental assistant, trying to ease his anxiety, misunderstood his request for “laughing gas” as a request for compliments. “Gas me up,” we all know the term, right?

“She’s like, ‘How are you feeling about everything today?’ and I was like, ‘You know I’d be lying if I said I was excited but the anxiety is not too bad right now.’ And she goes, ‘Oh OK, that’s good. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?’ So I said, ‘Yeah, you can gas me up.’”

Instead of providing nitrous oxide, the assistant started complimenting him. “She thought that I meant gas me up, so she’s sitting there saying these things, and I’m like in my head, ‘Does this woman think that I really just said hey, it’s gonna make me more comfortable if you give me compliments?’”

Despite his confusion and embarrassment, Lint appreciated the humor in the situation, as did TikTok.

The comments section was filled with users sharing in the joke. One top commenter wrote, "She put in your chart ‘patient requested compliments to feel comfortable before appt.’" Another added, "She wrote: love language… words of affirmation ✍🏾." A third user humorously remarked, "Wrong gas babes😩😂 but thank youuuuu🥰🥹."

Interestingly, "gassed" did make the list of top Gen Z words in a recent poll, ranking 21st. The number one Gen Z word was "rizz," which refers to someone's charisma or ability to attract others. It seems this dental assistant had some “rizz” in gassing Lint up with her compliments.

Gen Z, the cohort born from the late 1990s to early 2010s, has developed a unique vocabulary that can sometimes leave older generations scratching their heads.

Other terms include "sus" (suspicious), "yeet" (to throw something with force or enthusiasm), and "no cap" ("no lie" or "for real"). These terms are often used on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where Gen Z spends a significant amount of their time.

According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, about 62 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 use TikTok, while 78 percent use Instagram. Despite Instagram's higher usage among this age group, TikTok’s rise has been rapid, even with a recent U.S. ban coming up.

TikTok’s algorithm-driven feed and viral trends appeal very strongly to the Gen Z demographic. Users are driven to content creators for their creativity, humor, and advice.

Lint Licker’s dentist adventure not only provided a good chuckle for hundreds of thousands but also spoke to the generational nuances in communication, and some of the grumpiness folks have in discussing how "cringe" it can be.

His story, peppered with a touch of Gen Z lingo, shows how this generation’s terms have crept their way into the modern lexicon in often hilarious ways. Even if it is, arguably, way more fun to inhale gas than try to wrap your head around why someone would ever say "cap" instead of "lie."

As TikTok continues to dominate as a preferred platform for Gen Z, understanding their unique language and preferences becomes all the more important for engaging with this dynamic and increasingly influential generation.