Does Laughing Gas Have Side Effects? | Sarah Palmer DDS (2024)

FAQs

Does Laughing Gas Have Side Effects? | Sarah Palmer DDS? ›

Laughing gas is safe for patients of all ages because there are no lingering side effects. In fact, you'll be able to drive yourself home after your appointment. While breathing in laughing gas, you may feel light-headed or like your limbs are heavy.

Although there is no ban on nitrous oxide, many dentists and clinicians do not use the gas anymore because of the risk to patients. It is extremely rare, but nitrous oxide can be fatal. According to PubMed, nitrous oxide has killed people by hypoxia, where oxygen levels drop too low in the body.

The most common reason a person may experience short term side effects is due to inhaling the gas too quickly or inhaling too much. In these circ*mstances, a few of the most common side effects of nitrous oxide include: dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.

You will be conscious and aware of your environment the entire time the gas is in your body. You can feel light-headed, with heavy arms and legs, but this should mostly make you feel relaxed during the procedure. Some might think that laughing gas makes you laugh, but that is not really the case.

A standard dental plan is not likely to cover dental sedation, regardless of the strength of sedation you'd prefer. Most insurance companies consider sedation services to be “non-essential dental procedures,” meaning they are more akin to a luxury than a need, similar to dental implants and cosmetic dentistry.

Laughing gas is a type of sedative administered via inhalation that helps relax patients by relieving anxiety in short-term situations. It is often used in dentistry because it has fewer side effects than oral sedatives, making it a safer option for young children and patients with underlying medical conditions.

Laughing gas doesn't cause any long-term complications when given under the care of a healthcare provider. But frequent nitrous oxide exposure (for multiple-phase dental treatment, for instance) can result in vitamin B12 deficiency.

Once your procedure is over, your doctor will remove the mask that's providing the nitrous oxide. The effects of laughing gas typically wear off within a few minutes. Children might be given 100% oxygen following the removal of the nitrous oxide mask. The oxygen helps them to fully recover within minutes.

Nitrous oxide's long-term use can lead to range of neurological, hematologic [related to blood], and psychiatric complications, including nerve damage and psychosis.

Nerve damage from nitrous oxide is thought to occur through inactivating vitamin B12, preventing the formation of myelin on nerve cells.

Is laughing gas worth it? ›

Laughing gas isn't necessary for pain relief, because your dentist delivers local anesthetic to the site of treatment. However, you may find it helpful if you have dental anxiety and find it difficult to relax during dental procedures.

The clinician should avoid using nitrous oxide in severe cardiac disease, but further studies are needed to determine the actual impact. The first trimester of pregnancy: Due to the above-referenced impact on B12 and folate metabolism, nitrous use is not recommended in the first trimester of pregnancy.

As a result, nitrous is contraindicated in patients in whom expansion of these air-filled cavities could compromise patient safety. This includes patients with pneumothorax, pulmonary blebs, air embolism, bowel obstruction, and those undergoing surgery of the middle ear.

Nitrous oxide diffuses into cavities, so it should not be inhaled after a middle ear infection, an intestinal blockage, eye surgery with an intraocular gas seal, etc. This could e.g. B. in the last case lead to blindness or at least to an uncomfortable feeling of pressure.

With oral conscious sedation, your dentist gives you sedative medication (usually in pill form) about an hour before your procedure begins. Most dentists use triazolam (Halcion®), which is in the diazepam (Valium®) family. But your dentist might use other medications, too, including zaleplon and lorazepam.

Nitrous oxide has been used for centuries.

Now, it is still one of the most commonly used anesthetics. Although nitrous oxide is commonly recognized as a secure and efficient sedative, it may not be suitable for everyone.

Today in 2023, most dentists still use nitrous oxide during procedures to make patients more comfortable and help them relax so they don't feel any pain or anxiety.

Oral Pre-medication

Many different medications can be used, with Valium, Halcion, and Ativan some of the most common ones. The advantages to oral pre-medication are that it is more effective than nitrous oxide and it is also very inexpensive to administer.