At our office, Dr. Julia Winter is dedicated to your comfort. That’s why we offer sedation dentistry with laughing gas for all patients. You can rest, relax, and avoid pain and discomfort during your restorative dentistry appointment like a dental implant procedure. If you are located in Ridley Park or Folsom, get in touch with us now to schedule an appointment, or learn more about sedation below.
Laughing gas is a very useful method of sedation. Also known as “nitrous sedation” or “minimal inhaled sedation,” it has a number of benefits.
First, it helps you feel less anxious and more disconnected from what’s happening around you. You’ll remain safe and comfortable, and are less likely to feel discomfort, or fear. However, you will remain fully conscious and responsive to commands from Dr. Julia, so you won’t have to worry about feeling out of control or excessively groggy.
In addition, laughing gas has analgesic (pain-relieving) properties. Combined with local numbing, this ensures that you won’t feel any pain or discomfort while undergoing your procedure.
Laughing gas sedation also has minimal side effects, and wears off very quickly, within about 5 minutes after your procedure ends. This means you can drive yourself home, or even go back to work after your appointment. This is not possible with any other type of sedation.
Because of all of these benefits, laughing gas sedation is ideal if you have dental anxiety, or if you’re nervous about an upcoming dental surgery or procedure like a root canal, a tooth extraction, or dental crown placement. You’ll be able to feel completely safe and comfortable throughout your treatment.
If you’re being sedated at our office, you may be wondering what to expect. The process is quite simple. Dr. Julia will begin by placing a special mask over your nose. Then, she will adjust it to deliver a stream of oxygen and nitrous oxide, customized to your specific needs.
Then, you’ll simply breathe in through your nose whenever you’re directed to do so by Dr. Julia. The gas will enter your lungs and quickly spread into your bloodstream, sedating you and keeping you comfortable through your appointment.
When your appointment ends, Dr. Julia will adjust the mask to deliver 100% oxygen for a few minutes. This helps flush out any remaining nitrous oxide from your bloodstream, minimizing the after-effects of sedation.
The side effects of nitrous oxide sedation are minimal. In some cases, you may experience shivering, a headache, nausea, dizziness, or confusion. However, these side effects are relatively rare, and typically last only a few minutes. Compared to other methods of sedation, like IV sedation or oral sedation, nitrous oxide has extremely mild after-effects.