Dental anxiety is quite common and some patients may neglect appointments due the fear of having to endure painful procedures. Today, gaseous forms of dental sedation are providing patients with conscious sedation giving them a comfortable way of riding anxiety before a dental procedure.
Laughing Gas Sedation
Laughing gas offers patients with an easy and convenient way of combating dental anxiety. Nitrous oxide, which is otherwise commonly referred to as laughing gas is a safe and effective means of delivering conscious dental sedation that helps patients relax during procedures. By conscious sedation, it means that laughing gas does not intend to put the patient to sleep, but would allow them to be half awake during procedures making it easy for them to signal signs to the dentist for needs.
Administering Laughing Gas
Being a gaseous form of sedation, nitrous oxide can be easily administered to the patient with the help of a small mask that would rest comfortably over the nose. Nitrous oxide is an odorless and colorless gas that is free of side-effects. Feeling a tingling sensation after a few minutes of administration is a sign that the sedation is working. Later, the patient would be calm and in resting mode allowing the dentist to begin their procedure.
Nitrous oxide isn't a substitute for a local anesthetic. This gaseous form of sedation works wonders to combat anxiety during dental procedures. For some procedures which are major, the patient would still need an anesthetic injection.
Levels of dental sedation can be manually monitored and once the procedure is over, the body's intake of the sedation is reduced to zero. The patient would be given an oxygen mask and would be advised to lay in resting position for a few minutes. Later, the effects of the sedation would wear off and the patient would be able to resume to normal activities.
Safe For Children
Although it is natural for parents to be skeptical of letting their children be exposed to laughing gas, dentists can assure parents that it poses no threat to toddlers and children. Nitrous oxide is known to be the safest form of dental sedation as it is free of side-effects. Being gentle on skin, children would not feel uncomfortable upon administering the gaseous form of sedation and would easily relax a few minutes later. Not only does it benefit the patient, but also the dentist as it helps them focus and perform procedures with accuracy.
Preparation before your dental procedure
Patients may be advised to consume light meals before a procedure. It is advised to arrive at least an hour before the appointment as it allows the patient to get prepared before a procedure. Our friendly staffs would be there to instruct patients and ensure that their procedure is a comfortable one.
Request an appointment at Family Dental Care of Milan today for your dental procedures. Book your appointment online or call us at (731) 686-0105.