What You Need to Know About Nitrous Oxide Sedation
December 29, 2019
Nitrous oxide (sometimes referred to as ‘laughing gas’) is a mild sedative which is used to help relax and calm patients during dental treatment. It often causes a feeling of euphoria and laughing with decreased pain sensation and occasionally some memory loss.
Nitrous oxide is a colourless, sweet smelling gas which is inhaled through a mask that covers only your nose. It is very short acting and its effects are only felt while you are breathing in the gas. As soon as you start breathing oxygen or normal air again, it wears off rapidly. This means it is very easy for you and your dentist to control.
There are no prolonged side effects when using nitrous oxide and normal activity can be resumed after the dental procedure.
Alternative treatment options
The purpose of nitrous oxide is to make it more comfortable for you or your child to receive the necessary dental care with less pain and less anxiety. Alternative treatment options are:
- No treatment.
- No nitrous oxide sedation, with the necessary procedure being performed under local anesthesia only (being awake for an injection).
- Referral to hospital for dental treatment under general anaesthesia (being put to sleep by an anaesthetist).
What to expect
- Patients are fully awake thoughout the procedure.
- Patients are fully aware of their surroundings and are able to respond rationally to inquiries and directions.
- Nitrous oxide provides good pain relief. However, we do not rely on this alone, but use it to prevent the patient from feeling the local anaesthetic injection.
Effects may include:
- tingling in the fingers, toes, cheeks, lips, tongue, head or neck area
- heaviness in the thighs/or legs, followed by a lighter floating feeling
- resonation in the voice or presence of a hyper-nasal tone
- warm feeling throughout body, with flushed cheeks
- episodes of laughter
- a feeling of detachment or disassociation from the environment
- lightweight or floating sensation with an accompanying “out of body” sensation
- sluggish movement
Possible side effects:
Some patients may not like the sedation sensation, but it can be quickly reversed by simply breathing air through your mouth. The possible complications from nitrous oxide sedation are rare and temporary. They include:
- slurring and /or repetition of words
- intense and uncomfortable warm and/or hot feeling throughout body
- excessive sweating
- giddiness
- feeling of nausea
- agitation
- hallucination
- vomiting
Contraindications
Woman who are pregnant, think they may be pregnant or are trying to conceive (including IVF), should avoid exposure to nitrous oxide. Research has shown an association between high levels of nitrous oxide exposure and an increased risk of miscarriage of the baby.
Nitrous oxide restrictions
- You may have a light meal up to 2 hours prior to surgery (toast, bagel, fruit, muffin).
- You may have clear liquids up to the time of surgery (juice, water, black coffee, tea).
- There are no driving restrictions.
Consent for treatment
Please download the nitrous oxide consent form here
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