Overcome Dental Anxiety with Laughing Gas

Dental anxiety and fear can be real obstacles to people getting the necessary medical care they need. However, laughing gas can help you relax by relieving your dental anxiety. If you think you would benefit from laughing gas, you can ask our dentist in Kilgore, TX about using it during your next appointment.

How Laughing Gas Works

Laughing gas is administered through a mask that is placed over the nose. This supplies the laughing gas along with oxygen so you can breathe easily. You should start to feel relaxed soon after the mask is put over your nose. At the end of your appointment, our dentist will remove the mask and the effects of laughing gas will wear off soon after.

Laughing gas can be used for a range of dental procedures, from teeth cleaning to filling cavities. However, certain procedures may also require local anesthesia to manage pain. Our dentist will be able to manage pain and dental anxiety so you can maintain good oral health.

In addition to helping with dental anxiety, laughing gas can work great with people who have special needs and even those that need emergency dental care. If this describes your situation, consult with our dentist about whether laughing gas is the right option for you.

The Roots of Dental Anxiety

For some people, their dental anxiety stems from feeling a lack of control or helplessness. Whether this is the same for you or there is another reason, we encourage you to talk about whatever may be causing your anxiety/fear. This way, we can help address the problem, and the solution may be as simple as educating you on the procedure(s) and your oral health needs.

People may confuse laughing gas for “sleep dentistry” but laughing gas does not put anyone to sleep. You are conscious and responsive throughout the whole appointment. Laughing gas simply relaxes you and you may also feel giddy or like laughing, which is how it got its name.

Expected Side Effects

One regular side effect of laughing gas is feeling light-headed and/or like your limbs weigh a lot more. These are both normal side effects and to be expected. These feelings will fade away soon after you stop breathing in the gas. One of the biggest benefits of laughing gas is there are no lasting effects from it.

For both of the above reasons, laughing gas is safe for people of all ages. As great as laughing gas is, it does not numb you. Our dentist may use a local anesthetic depending on what procedure you need to ensure the area is numb and you feel no pain. The affected area will feel numb for about two hours after your appointment.

Schedule an Appointment

Our dentist in Kilgore, Texas wants to help you feel comfortable throughout your entire appointment. To schedule your next appointment, call (903) 984-1108.