There are all kinds of people who are made anxious by the prospect of visiting the dentist’s office, and most people who have been in the field for a long time are used to helping nervous patients feel at ease. One of the main tools that dentists have to do that is sedation dentistry, and one of the main sedatives that’s used is nitrous oxide.
While it’s remarkably effective at calming patients down, not knowing what it feels like to be on sedatives may make you more nervous, as opposed to less. If you are curious to know more about sedatives, here’s how they’re likely to make you feel over the course of a treatment.
What Kind of Feeling Does Nitrous Oxide Produce?
It can be a little bit tricky to describe accurately how nitrous oxide is going to feel—dentists aren’t always poets. However, most patients report feeling much calmer and more relaxed while under the influence of nitrous oxide sedation. The sedative is good at removing both physical and mental tension.
How Strong is Nitrous Oxide?
There are several kinds of sedatives that are used in cosmetic dentistry, and among them, nitrous oxide tends to be the weakest. It’s the first sedative that most dentists will offer, and is even mild enough to be safely used for children.
Moreover, the dose of nitrous oxide is easily adjusted by the dentist during the treatment so that they can ensure that the sedation is neither too weak nor too strong.
Will Nitrous Oxide Put Me To Sleep?
When people hear about dental sedatives for the first time, many of them assume that the sedatives are similar to what they may expect anesthesia to feel like, i.e. that they’ll be unconscious for the duration of the procedure. This is usually not the case.
For the most part, it’s ideal for dental patients to be conscious so that they can follow the dentist’s instructions. For that reason, nitrous oxide—along with most other dental sedatives—are dosed so that the patients remain conscious over the course of treatment. That said, it’s common for patients to doze off during the procedure, especially in the case of stronger sedatives.
About Our Practice
At Carlson Dental Group on Bartram Park, we offer our patients an experience at the dentist’s that’s unlike any that they’ve had before. We have a team of three expert dentists on staff who will do everything that they can to ensure that you get the care that you need. No matter who you are or what brings you into our dental office, we can promise that we will dedicate ourselves to restoring you to perfect oral health.
If you have any questions about nitrous oxide, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (919) 557-5250.