5 Questions About Using Laughing Gas at the Dentist

15 December 2020
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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Have an upcoming dental appointment that will require some dental work? If so, you're likely going to want some form of dental sedation to ease anxiety and help you be more relaxed. Thankfully, laughing gas is a great form of sedation that can help make going to the dentist much easier. Here are a few questions you likely have about using laughing gas.

Will Laughing Gas Have An Odor?

One of the nice things about laughing gas is that it is completely odorless. This makes laughing gas really easy for anybody to take, since it is not going to have an odor that is offensive and want someone to stop taping the form of dental sedation. 

Will Laughing Gas Really Make You Laugh?

While laughing gas is technically called nitrous oxide, laughing gas gets its commonly known nickname because of the calming effect it has on the body. It often causes an euphoric feeling, which can cause people to experience laughing fits. That said, laughing gas still relaxes somebody enough so that dental work can be performed. It won't cause somebody to have uncontrollable laughter that makes it impossible to get the dental work done that they came in for. 

Will Laughing Gas Eliminate Pain As Well?

Be aware that laughing gas does not replace the need to use a local anesthetic like novocain. This will still be necessary for you to have a dental procedure done and not experience pain. However, the brief moment of discomfort you'll feel from the needle used to administer the local anesthetic can be done after the laughing gas is used. 

How Long Does The Effects Of Laughing Gas Last For?

A common reason that laughing gas is used for dental procedures is because the effects of the gas wear off soon it stops being administered. This means that dental patients can go to the dentist on their own and use laughing gas, and not worry about them being sedated after the procedure with no way to drive their car home. 

Are There Any Side Effects Of Laughing Gas?

Another reason why laughing gas is so popular is because most people don't experience side effects from using laughing gas. If someone does have side effects, it is usually nausea, a fever, or hives. The biggest danger of using laughing gas is that it is possible to use too much of the gas, but that is unlikely to happen at the dentist because of the very high amount of laughing gas needed to overdose on it. 

If you are nervous about your upcoming dental procedure, find someone who offers sedation dentistry as an option.