Inhalation analgesia with nitrous oxide
Modern dentistry aims to make treatment and other manipulations as comfortable and painless as possible. But there are still people who are afraid of dental treatment. Inhalation analgesia can help to cope with their fears. This is a dental treatment using nitrous oxide to relax the patient. What kind of method is this? When should it be used? How safe is dental treatment under sedation? These and other questions will be answered by the dentists of DENTART clinic in Kyiv. Make an appointment
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Anti-stress treatment
What is nitrous oxide and why is it used in dentistry?
Nitrous oxide is an inert gas that is also sometimes called "laughing gas". It contains the same components as air, as well as ozone, which we usually inhale with the air after a thunderstorm, which means it is completely safe for the body. It has a subtle sweet smell. Together with oxygen, this gas has a sedative effect. That is why today nitrous oxide is used for oxygen sedation in dentistry.
In professional terms, the method is called inhalation analgesia. Nitrous oxide and oxygen sedation is also abbreviated as OOS. And if you do not use very complicated terms and incomprehensible abbreviations, then all this is dental treatment under nitrous oxide.
Indications for use of inhalation analgesia
Who can be recommended nitrous oxide and oxygen sedation in dentistry? First of all, patients who:
- are very afraid of dental treatment, including those who have had negative experiences in the past;
- ave an increased vomiting reflex;
- suffer from anxiety disorders (anxiety syndrome);
- are very afraid of pain, in particular local anaesthetic injections. They are usually relaxed with nitrous oxide and then an anaesthetic is injected;
- have restrictions on the drug consumption from local anaesthesia. Inhalation analgesia makes it possible to reduce the dosage of painkillers without reducing the overall effectiveness.
In addition, dental treatment under nitrous oxide is suitable for adult patients who are facing complex or long-term manipulations (tooth extraction, implantation, endodontics). Laughing gas can also be recommended for preschool children and young patients with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Nitrous oxide (oxygen sedation) should not be used in pregnant women, people with high intracranial pressure and/or traumatic brain injury. The OOS method is contraindicated in the case of otitis media and chronic diseases of the respiratory system.
How does nitrous oxide work?
Although this substance is called "laughing gas", its effect is somewhat different, namely, it relaxes, calms, relieves fear, and reduces negative feelings (including pain). In fact, we are talking only about mild sedation. Thus, dental treatment under nitrous oxide is somewhat different from general anaestesia. The patient remains conscious, in contact with the environment, and can answer the dentist's questions.
So how does nitrous oxide sedation work? Here are the main effects:
- relaxation (both psychological and muscular, which can be useful for easy access to a problem tooth);
- eliminating anxiety and fear;
- distraction (a kind of hypnotic effect);
- anaesthetic effect, which allows you to get a local anaesthetic injection without unnecessary stress.
Inhalation analgesia increases comfort during dental treatment and can be used for almost any manipulation, both relatively simple and complex (and time-consuming). Nitrous oxide is an adjunct, meaning that local anaesthesia is also used, after which the necessary treatment is performed.
Let us emphasise once again: traditional dental treatment under sedation is different, because the patient is in a medically induced sleep. Here, the person remains conscious. Therefore, nitrous oxide sedation is considered superficial rather than deep.
