Laughing gas

Relax in the dentist’s chair!

No one really enjoys being in the dentist’s chair. However, some people are so afraid, it prevents them from keeping their teeth healthy. Laughing gas offers a solution.

Tandartspraktijk de Weidevogel offers treatments with the use of laughing gas. Laughing gas is safe and effective. It has a mild narcotic effect, which greatly reduces anxiety and promotes a feeling of relaxation.

How does laughing gas work?

The treatment starts with putting on a nasal mask. You need to inhale through this nasal mask during the entire treatment. If you inhale through your mouth (when you talk, for example) the laughing gas is less effective.

In the first instance, pure oxygen will be administered. Then, an increasing amount of laughing gas is added gradually. This may produce an uncomfortable and strange feeling to begin with, which disappears after a few minutes in most cases and is replaced with a pleasant and relaxed feeling.

Once the right concentration of laughing gas has been reached, the actual dental treatment can take place in the usual way. It may, therefore, still be necessary to administer a local anaesthetic.

After the treatment, patients are given pure oxygen for another five minutes. After approximately five to ten minutes the effect of the laughing gas wears off.

Cases for which laughing gas is suitable

• People with a fear of the dentist;
• People who need to avoid stress;
• People with strong gag reflex/tendency to retch;
• Children who are very anxious or are afraid of the dentist;
• People with a mental and/or physical impairment.

Cases for which laughing gas is unsuitable

We are not permitted to administer laughing gas to patients who are unable to breathe through their noses (due to a cold, for example), with emphysema, a collapsed lung, myocardial infarction in the last year, heart failure, MS, myasthenia, FOB, depression, schizophrenia, under the age of 4 years old, during the first 3 months of pregnancy, those wishing to conceive, or who have had a recent middle ear infection.

You can make a non-binding appointment with the dentist for more information about options for use.

We aim to provide pain-free dental services to everyone, whether they are nervous or not.