Does nitrous oxide work for dental anxiety?

[fatimatahir]

I've struggled with dental anxiety for as long as I can remember, and it often keeps me from getting necessary treatments. I’ve heard that nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can help ease anxiety during dental procedures, but I’m curious about how effective it really is.
Does nitrous oxide work well for someone with moderate to severe dental anxiety?

 

[charlesvalley]

I think it depends. I know that's not the answer you probably wanted. I'm not a dentist, but as a patient with moderate to big time anxiety, i decided to try it. I went in my appointment anxious and they gave me the nitrous mask and i remember that there was a lot of air pressure blowing in my nostrils so i didn't like it. They lowered the pressure and although the smell of it was pleasant, i said to them, "You know what, nevermind, lets just do it as is" and it was really no big deal (this was a root canal procedure). However, I've heard people do well with nitrous. If you are someone though who is anxious about breathing like me, maybe you will prefer to do it without. Again, we are all different.

 

[letsconnect]

For severe dental anxiety, IV sedation may be better, though it depends on how you define severe.

If your dentist offers nitrous oxide, why not ask for a short trial without any treatment - that way, you can judge for yourself whether it has the effect you’re hoping for?

You can find more info and personal experiences of nitrous oxide sedation here:

Inhalation Sedation

Inhalation sedation, also known as laughing gas, is popular for dental procedures. Find out what it feels like and how it works!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[MountainMama]

Nitrous oxide worked wonders for me. I used it to get through extractions, root canals and implants. They started with me by just running oxygen through the mask, then once they were ready to start they turned on the gas. It takes a few minutes to hit but it definitely relaxes you. For me, I was still aware of what was going on but people’s voices sounded like they were underwater and I felt like I was half asleep, like right before you fall asleep. I could easily focus if I wanted to but I didn’t really care what was going on around me.

 

[prolix]

@fatimatahir It's pretty personal. The time I tried it, they told me they were giving me a mix of nitrous and oxygen, and the mix could be adjusted to my preference. They said I could say "up" (more nitrous in the mix) or "down" (less nitrous in the mix) if I wanted to feel more of what it was doing or less. I disliked the tingly sensation, it made me more anxious, so I kept saying "down" until they said "ok well that's just oxygen."

If you're like me and dislike it, DON'T take the mask off your nose - just tell them you dislike it and they'll flush it with plain oxygen and it'll make the feeling go away faster than if you just breathed room air.