As a dental phobic dental wife, I get the benefit of my husband trying everything possible to make me a happy camper in the dental chair. From magic mouthwash to help my sensitive teeth during cleanings to special compounded numbing gel to make the shots not hurt, we have tried it all! But the best thing by far is Nitrous. I have tried nerve pills in the past, but I still had a limit. After fifty minutes in the chair, my shirt is drenched with sweat and tears are rolling down my cheeks. So when we built our office with built-in nitrous, we took time to find just the right levels to make me comfortable and easy to work on for once. So after much personal success I offer the very anecdotal and unliscenced medical professional version of:
The Secrets to Nitrous
First, it is really important to breathe through your nose. Breathe through your mouth and you are wasting precious pain killing, nerve calming, tingle inducing happy gas. So suck it down through your nose and suck it down like its your job. You will be on cloud nine in no time. If it starts wearing off a bit, you probably started breathing through your mouth again. So a few strong pulls through your nose and you will be back to cloud nine no problem!
Second and perhaps most important, DON'T FIGHT IT! It is possible. Have you ever been tipsy and sobered up real quick after your parents showed up or the cops started checking IDs at a tailgate? Mind over matter. This level of sedation is pretty light, so if you convince yourself it's not working, try hard to pay attention to everything going around you, or focus on trying to anticipate pain, you really are cheating yourself out of cloud nine happiness. So, instead, focus only on your breathing, the sound of the gas flowing, and the tingle of relaxation flowing over you body like a blanket. When my toes start to tingle I know I am there and really let go, but I'm sure it's different for everyone.
Third, most people will develop a tolerance to the gas after 30 minutes or so. I think it really varies person to person. It is ok to tell them that you are not feeling it as much anymore so they can adjust the levels.
Lastly, it also important after the procedure is finished, and they have dialed it back down, to stay on just oxygen for a bit so you don't get a headache.
I seriously shake, sweat and tense up moments after getting in the chair. I think it is still a subconscious reaction to super painful and traumatizing dental experiences as a child. Five minutes on Nitrous, and I tell my husband to go ahead and do whatever he needs to do. I can hardly get in the chair without it! Although, Allyson's amazing and recently managed to clean my teeth sans nitrous and magic mouthwash!
People call me all the time asking is it safe after they have read scary articles on the Internet. The main thing to know about nitrous is that only works as long as you are breathing it in. If you are going to have any side effects, they will occur while you are in the chair with a Dr. right there to help you. However, nitrous is not for people who are pregnant. The scary bad problems some articles talk about are the effects or nitrous inhalation without proper levels of oxygen. In our office, if the oxygen levels aren't high enough, the unit will shut off. It is literally impossible to breathe in just nitrous gas using our system. Those warnings are more for people who somehow get a tank and start sucking off it which is a really bad idea!
So really and truthfully, with virtually no side effects and complete relaxation, Nitrous Oxide sedation makes dental treatment so much easier and more comfortable for me. Talk to your Dr. to see if its the right option for you. Remember I'm not a dentist! Just married to one. So ask your Dr. If you have any questions!
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