If you feel fear at the thought of visiting the dentist, you are not alone. Many people experience extreme anxiety over a visit to a dentist, this is usually due to previously unpleasant experiences or a childhood trauma.
At Nick Sheptooha Dental Practice we are dedicated to helping our patients feel as comfortable and anxiety-free as possible. To do this we use the latest treatments and techniques in order to minimise the experience of pain or discomfort, and are also able to use sedation dentistry to greatly reduce fear, pain and anxiety felt by our patients.
At Nick Sheptooha Dental Practice in Brisbane we understand how you are feeling and our team will ensure every possible step is taken to make you feel relaxed and at ease.
Nitrous Oxide
We utilise the odourless and colourless sedation option of Nitrous Oxide. This treatment is commonly referred to as ‘happy gas’ or ‘laughing gas’.
Nitrous oxide decreases pain sensitivity and gives the patient a pleasant level of sedation. The gas is administered with a comfortable mask placed over the nose, and the patient is required to breathe in through the nose and out through their mouth. From 30 seconds to 3 or 4 minutes, the patient will begin to feel relaxed and sedated.
After the gas is adjusted to the appropriate dose, we may then comfortably give a local anaesthetic injection (if needed) to the patient and proceed with the dental treatment. Once treatment is completed, the patient is given pure oxygen to breathe for about five minutes, and all of the effects of the sedation are usually reversed.
As a precaution, patients should not eat anything for about two hours prior to the use of the gas. Unlike IV sedation or general anaesthesia, the patient can almost always leave the office by themselves, without an escort.
