Nitrous Oxide and General Anesthesia
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is a safe and effective mild sedative agent used to calm a child during their dental visit. When inhaled, this gas compound produces an anxiolytic effect, calming your child before a procedure. N2O is administered via a nasal mask. As your child breathes normally, they’ll start to feel more relaxed. We can then perform the necessary procedure(s) without your child feeling pain or anxiety. When we are done, we’ll administer oxygen and the nitrous oxide will wear off in just a few short minutes.
General anesthesia may be recommended for a child for several reasons. Most commonly in our pediatric dental office, general anesthesia is recommended when a child has has special circumstances that will not allow them to cooperate for needed treatment. Often, when general anesthesia is recommended, there is a large amount of dental treatment needed or the procedure is too long or uncomfortable to be tolerated by the patient in an awake state.
It is our goal to provide safe and excellent care and to provide a non-traumatic experience for our patients. Sometimes, this is only possible through the use of general anesthesia. Contact our office to set up a consultation.