Everything You Want to Know About Nitrous Oxide Sedation

Blog Author

Nitrous oxide also called laughing gas or happy gas, is a non-inflammable and colorless gas helpful in medical and dental procedures functioning as a sedative. In addition, laughing gas helps relieve anxiety before any dental procedure allowing you to relax.

How Is Nitrous Oxide Used?

Medical professionals use laughing gas as an anesthetic to help you remain calm before a dental procedure. As a result, you stay awake during your dental work without falling asleep. Before starting your process, the dentist near me requests your consent to use nitrous oxide. After that, they place a mask over your nose and mouth. Nitrous oxide flows through the mask, helping you breathe it in.

When provided to children, nitrous oxide is delivered through a nasal hood covering their nose but not the mouth. Sometimes familiar scents are added to help children get accustomed to having the mask or nasal hood on.

You feel the effects of nitrous oxide within a few minutes. However, as laughing gas doesn't make you sleep, you hear what's going on around you and respond to questions asked by the dentist's office near me.

How Does Nitrous Oxide Function?

As a depressant, nitrous oxide slows down your body. After the gas takes effect, you feel happy, light-headed, relaxed, giggly with mild euphoria. These effects encourage medical professionals to call nitrous oxide laughing gas. You experience heaviness in your arms and legs besides a tingling sensation in your limbs. After completing your procedure, the dentist removes the mask providing the nitrous oxide. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off within a few minutes. However, children might receive 100 percent oxygen after removing the nitrous oxide mask. The oxygen helps children recover quickly within minutes.

Is Nitrous Oxide Sedation safe?

The safety of nitrous oxide is undisputed when provided by sedation dentistry in Austin, TX, and experienced medical professionals. However, you might experience some side effects during or after using nitrous oxide. Familiar side effects of nitrous oxide include headaches and nausea. Children might feel agitated or vomit after removing the nitrous oxide mask. However, merely five percent of patients experience the side effects of laughing gas.

There are no long-term side effects of laughing gas when used occasionally. However, if you are scheduled for multiple procedures requiring the use of nitrous oxide, your dentist might recommend taking B12 supplements to prevent anemia.

Laughing Gas Risks

When provided by an experienced dentist laughing gas is safe because you are under medical care. However, if a trained professional does not deliver laughing gas, you may experience several risks.

When used for recreational purposes, the dispensation of nitrous oxide happens through a balloon or directly in the mouth. It is for these reasons that nitrous oxide is called an inhalant. Nitrous oxide is also present in silver charges that help make whipped cream. The euphoric effect of nitrous oxide encourages recreational users to inhale the gas.

When used as a recreational drug, nitrous oxide has adverse side effects, which can cause hypotension, heart attack, hypoxia or fatal loss of oxygen, nerve damage because of the tingling sensation, and B12 deficiency besides anemia.

Extended recreational use of nitrous oxide causes several adverse long-term effects such as memory loss, incontinence, depression, psychological dependence, psychosis, weakened immune system, numbness in the hands and feet, limb spasms, and ringing in the ears.

Nitrous oxide can also affect your coordination, similar to many other recreational drugs. The lack of coordination is dangerous, primarily if nitrous oxide is used in places where you could fall and hurt yourself. While under the effects of nitrous oxide, you must refrain from trying to drive or operate any machinery.

Nitrous oxide is commonly used in dentistry to relax patients too anxious to receive essential dental care. Unfortunately, nearly 30 percent of Americans are affected by dental anxiety and avoid getting the care they need from dentists and allow minor infections to aggravate into emergencies.

The lack of dental care doesn't just affect the mouth but also causes complications with the overall health of people. Instead of avoiding dental visits because of fear, people help themselves by inquiring about sedation dentistry near them and receiving essential treatments like routine cleanings and exams by receiving nitrous oxide sedation and maintaining their oral health in optimal condition.

Peak Dental- North Austin delivers sedation dentistry in Austin if you are fearful of dental visits like many other Americans. Please visit them to discuss nitrous oxide and receive your pending treatments from them without fear.

Check out the latest from our blog

Common Dental Problems That Can Affect Teeth Whitening: How to Prevent Them

Common Dental Problems That Can Affect Teeth Whitening: How to Prevent Them

Teeth whitening is a quite popular cosmetic dental procedure that help you achieve a brighter and more confident smile.
Read Now
Button Arrow

Dealing with Invisalign Discomfort and Dental Problems

Dealing with Invisalign Discomfort and Dental Problems

Invisalign in North Austin, TX, has revolutionized orthodontic treatment by offering a nearly invisible and comfortable way to straighten teeth.
Read Now
Button Arrow

Cavity Chronicles: Dental Bonding's Shield Against Decay

Cavity Chronicles: Dental Bonding's Shield Against Decay

The relentless battle against cavities is a journey many of us are familiar with. The discomfort, sensitivity, and the worrying about invasive dental procedures can be overwhelming.
Read Now
Button Arrow