Happy gas / Nitrous Oxide for Painless Dentistry

Happy gas as it is commonly known is Nitrous Oxide N20 , other names it has is laughing gas or some children call it "space gas". It is a colourless, odourless gas that has no taste.

In dentistry it is used for its anaesthetic & analgesic effects. It is used as a dissociative drug which also heightens ones pain threshold.

The gas is administered by wearing a mask comfortably positioned over your nose in which you can breathe the gas in and out through the nose piece.

Depending on the length and concentration of administration of laughing gas, several levels of sedation can be administered:

1. Feeling of light-headedness and warm sensations
2. Tingling sensations ,especially in the arms and legs
3. A feeling of well being, euphoria and or floating. During heavier sedation hearing may dissolve into a constant hum, yet you can still hear.
4. At a deeper level of sedation sleepiness may occur.

Nitrous is a great alternative for anxious patients as it makes the dental procedure more comfortable by decreaing fear and apprehension making dental procedures more pleasant. No sedation remains after the gas has been removed so you are fit to drive or go back to work.