Good Healthcare Requires Treatment of Your Mind, Body, and Soul

Why Laughing Gas Has Become So Common In Dentistry

27 May 2021 by Hugh Larson

There are a number of pharmaceuticals that dentists can use during procedures. They can use IV sedatives. Sometimes they prescribe oral sedatives like diazepam. But the most common pharmaceutical used during dental procedures is not oral or IV: it's inhaled. More commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is definitely a favorite among dentists and their patients. But why? Well, as it turns out, laughing gas has a lot of benefits.

It is both sedative and pain-relieving

When you sit down to have work done on your teeth, there are two key problems you need to overcome. The first is any pain associated with the procedure. The second is the anxiety and worry you probably feel. Some people suffer far more anxiety than others, but many people have some level of unease in the dentist's chair.

Laughing gas deals with both of these challenges at once. It is a sedative that relaxes you and, as the name suggests, makes everything seem silly or funny. It also helps relieve pain. Dentists will often also give you an injection of lidocaine or a similar local anesthetic, but this is done after you've had the laughing gas, so you don't have as much pain with the injection. 

It wears off quickly

With other IV and oral sedatives, you can't drive for several hours afterward because your senses will be distorted and your reaction time will be slowed down. Having someone drive you to and from a dental appointment for a filling or crown can be pretty inconvenient. Laughing gas, though, wears off really quickly. Almost as soon as you stop inhaling it, you'll start feeling normal again, and you can drive home minutes later. You can even go back to work, fully capable.

It's easy to take and control

Having an IV put in can be anxiety-inducing for some people. With laughing gas, though, you get to hold a little mask over your nose and inhale. The dentist or their assistant can easily adjust how much laughing gas you are taking in, according to your needs. The whole experience is very simple, relaxing, and controlled. You don't even have to swallow a pill.

Laughing gas is really common in dentistry. It's used for everything from fillings to dental implants. Now that you know a little more about it and its benefits, you can feel reassured when your doctor recommends it for you.

Reach out to a local dental procedure pharmaceutical product provider to learn more.

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