Should I have Nitrous?

Although some dental practices do have a separate fee for laughing gas, most do not. In fact, there are some patients I steer towards it. Usually they are obviously apprehensive about receiving dental treatment and can be difficult to treat without it.

Interestingly enough, most patients having nitrous don't laugh that much, but do seem a little less inhibited and fearful. Yes , ometimes they do think my jokes are more funny and our conversations more profound.

Laughing gas seems to have several  features that make it ideal when its used as an adjunct for dental  treatment.  Many times, when treating a nervous patient treatment can take longer and be more difficult for both the dentist and the patient.  Patients can be jumpy or fidgety and this can make their treatment more complicated even for just "a simple filling". Some tense patients even  break out in a sweat when they sit in a dental chair. Once they are relaxed with nitrous oxide they are clearly less tense and their treatment usually goes more smoothly. Another nice aspect is that  often due to an amnesiac effect  their impression is that treatment seems to take less time as well.

Occasionally, patients may become nauseous  or even experience  a mild dysphoria ( they report that it makes them feel badly). Often when they are having a negative experience , they get quiet and don't say much. Usually we ask our patients from time to time "how are you doing" just to gauge how they are feeling. Sometimes they reply that possibly they have had enough and can we turn it down or take the mask off. After we oxygenate them and when we remove the mask and they are fine. Nitrous oxide is usually cleared rapidly from the patients blood supply by administering pure oxygen for 5 -7 minutes. Afterwards  most report that the effects are gone before they leave the office.

If you are interested in having nitrous for your next dental visit, ask your dentist about whether its available and possibly whether there is an additional fee for it. It's extremely safe and can make your visit more pleasant. Commonly patients who routinely request nitrous actually comment that they look forward to their visits and postpone treatment when we occasionally run out of "gas".







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from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2018/03/should-i-have-nitrous.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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