While regular dental appointments are crucial for everyone’s oral and overall health, many people are reluctant to go to their dentist’s offices due to fear or anxiety. Luckily, modern dentists go to great lengths to ensure that their patients enjoy pleasant and stress-free procedures. Here’s a brief guide to the benefits of nitrous oxide sedation as well as what can make someone an excellent candidate for the procedure.
Who Can Nitrous Oxide Help?
Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, is an odorless and colorless gas that dentists use to reduce a patient’s anxiety and raise their pain threshold during dental procedures. This treatment is frequently administered to help patients receiving restorative procedures such as fillings or crowns stay comfortable, but it can also be used to help people with issues such as:
- An overactive gag reflex
- Anxiety about going to the dentist’s office
- Difficulty staying still
- Difficulty feeling numb after receiving local anesthetics
How Is Nitrous Oxide Administered?
Your dentist will administer nitrous oxide by mixing it with oxygen and feeding it through a hose to a mask placed over your nose. Briefly after you begin inhaling the gas, you should begin feeling calm and relaxed, and this treatment also raises the pain threshold so that you can remain comfortable during your procedure. The drug will be eliminated from the body and the effects will fade completely within minutes after the treatment ceases, meaning that patients are typically able to drive themselves home afterward.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Nitrous Oxide Sedation?
Since nitrous oxide is noninvasive and involves no long-term side effects, almost anyone can be a good candidate for it. However, the treatment may not be a good option for people who:
- Are pregnant
- Have nasal congestion or upper respiratory infections that can hinder the body’s ability to receive the gas
- Have had an alcohol beverage before the procedure
Laughing gas has allowed millions of patients to comfortably receive necessary dental treatments. Only your dentist can make a definitive call as to whether you can be a good candidate for nitrous oxide.
About the Author
Dr. Mike Christensen earned his dental degree at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco where he graduated with honors as a member of the Tau Kappa Omega Honor Society. He is proud to serve as a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and the American Dental Association. His office in Soldotna offers general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry as well as nitrous oxide treatments. To learn more about nitrous oxide, contact his office online or dial (907) 268-2015.