Has anyone had nirous oxide at the dentist?

Factual Questions
1

I made an appt. witht he dentist for Thursday morning. First visit to any dentist in years. I’m really a pussy when it comes to controlling my anxiety while in “the chair”. Last visit was only accomplished with Valium taken 2 hours prior.

So I found one in town that uses gas. Not sure what to expect though. I’ve done whippets before, which is pretty much the same thing, but I hardly see that being enough to make me sit still while he pokes and prods, and scrapes, and…ugh. I’m hoping to have it even during the initial check and cleaning. I cannot stand that polisher sending the vibrations through my entire body!

So if anyone has had gas for a dental visit, please clue me in on what I might expect to happen.

Now I’m going to make a stiff drink. I hate even thinking of this horror to be.

2

Best description I can come up with is it makes you a little drunk.
After the grinding is over the assistant should insist that you stay in the chair for a while as the stuff gets expelled from your system.

3

I’ve always enjoyed it.

A visit to the denist can be almost enjoyable, if he/she has a light touch with the drill, & a heavy touch with the gas.

4

Gas is good. I always tell the assistant to up the dosage, becuase I am resistant. I know it’s working when my feet start to float. :smiley:

With gas, you just don’t care. But you do have to wait a while before leaving, that is true.

5

If this is an initial visit, the dentist may just do an exam and evaluation, then schedule another time for whatever work you might need.

A number of years ago, I had all my lower teeth ground down for caps, so opted for nitrous oxide. I sort of drifted in and out of consciousness during the procedure, and felt no pain. When I finally came to, I thought the procedure had taken about 10 minutes, whereas it actually took something like 2 hours.

If you’re having any serious work done, I recommend it.

6

Awesome! Thanks for the boost in confidence. I feel a lot better about this now.

7

I also am a big wimp when it comes to going to the dentist.
Just thinking about getting an injection in the mouth starts to get me dizzy.

Last summer, for the first time in my life, I needed a couple of fillings. I went to a dentist who used a water lazer drill, and the experience, although unpleasant, wasn’t too bad.

A couple months later, one of those filled teeth started hurting again, so I went in to have it looked at. I thought a filling came loose, and would need to be refilled. (Just prior to going in, I took a Tylenol with codene that I had left over.) When the dentist looked at the tooth, he said it was badly cracked, and removed the part that was almost entirely detached anyway. (he had squirted some topical anestetic on the area).

He then said that the rest of the tooth needed to be pulled. :eek:

At this point my head is spinning, I’m getting dizzy, and in general I’m totally freaking out. He asked if I wanted some nitrous oxide for the extraction. I of course said that I did. He attached the nose mask and had me start breathing for a few minutes. He told me to let him know if it got to be too much. I started getting extreamly light headed and told him it was too much, and he turned it down a bit and started the extraction. I was surprised, because I thought I would need a needle injection, but apparently not. The gas reduced my anxiety way down, in addition to being a pain killer. I never felt that I was “out of it”. The extraction took a few minutes, and at one point I asked him to turn up the gas again, which he did. Again, it was an unpleasant yet bearable experience.

When it was over, he turned off the gas, and I stayed in the chair for a few minutes as we discussed a possible bridge or implant. I then got up, paid my bill, and drove away. As I left I guess I had some slight dizzyness, and also a headache (similar to a mild hangover), but I definitely was competent to drive.

So in my own singular experience, using nitrous oxide was very helpful, it was no big deal to use, and I don’t understand why all dentists don’t use it routinely for everybody.

8

Amen. In fact, IMVHO it should be available for gyno visits, as well, which are just as unpleasant, although far more embarassing, and might induce more females to undergo the dreaded Fisting With Implements on a healthy regular basis. :eek:

9

Every time I get nitrous, whatever song is playing on the radio in the office turns into a disco song from the 70’s.

Doesn’t matter what song it really is, it all sounds the same with the gas.

When I “wake up”, I can never recall precisely which song from the 70’s it is…

10

I had Nitrous when I had my wisdom teeth pulled out. I was higher than a kite. I could hear the tooth crack from the root or whatever it does when it gets pulled out and then I got shown it. It was pretty nasty and really disgusting to listen to but I was so out of it, it didn’t matter. I would say it’s more like being stoned than being drunk. It’s quite effective at what it does, if you’re using it you’ve got nothing to worry about.

11

My mom has severe anxiety in dentists’ offices due to being traumatized as a child – her dad made her go to Army dentists in the 1950’s who didn’t use any anesthesia… even on children. They just strapped down your arms and your ankles and your head and your chin, and started drilling and yanking.

So, whenever she needs dental work done, even a cleaning, she requires not only nitrous oxide, but also sodium pentathol, or whatever they use as a euphoric these days… heck, I imagine even Versed would do… but the nitrous is a MUST.

Personally, I’ve never been able to find a dentist that uses gas.

And whenever I even think about Dentists and Nitrous, I think of Steve Martin’s character in the 1980’s film version of Little Shop of Horrors. :smiley:

12

How very different from my mom, who gets her teeth done without any painkillers whatsoever. No gas, no novocaine, nothing. She doesn’t like needles and doesn’t like feeling woozy. Cavities, caps, etc - NOTHING. She tells me it DOES hurt, but not so badly that she can’t stand it for an hour or so. She’s 62 years old, and a loaded pistol.

My mom is a rock. She is a true role model.

13

They did it in the 60s at Fort Huachuca as well…I am a gas, injection of carbocaine AND a sedative before hand. The army dentist refused to work on me any more when I was 5 after I bit down hard enough to make him need 17 stitches in one finger and almost 20 in his thumb. Of course I had the hole in my tongue from where the drill went all the way through it for several months until it filled itself in.
Just look in the book for a dentist advert that says they cater to cowards…or call a local pediatric dentist and ask them which local adult dentists use gas=)

14

I’ve had more dental visits in my life than ayone here, I’m sure.
I’ve had at least 20 teeth pulled, and more filled.
Once it took 1 hour for one filling.
It was nerve wracking.
No one has ever given me gas.
“It would take too long to set up”
SO??? :mad:

You guys are lucky.

Once I had a procedure done(not on my teeth) and whatever they gave me-the room was spinning.

15

When I was a kid I broke my ankle and they set it under Nitrous. I recall it as close to the best utterly out of my head experience I’ve ever had. I remember that everything that anyone said echoed in a weird and amusing way. Apparently when I came round I told my mum I wanted more.

16

Well, for me, it’s techno.
First I start feeling a numb sensation in my legs, then all over my body. Everything gets kind of cold, and then the music starts feeling slightly electronic. I grin like a fool, but never say a word. I never feel hungover or anything (then again, I’ve never driven afterwords). Also, my dad is my dentist so I have no qualms about asking for nitrous every time. It’s really quite fun:)

17

That is exactly what the ad says! Is that some sort of national code or something? Since you’re in CT I highly doubt it would just be a coincidence.

To everyone, you’re really helping me accept the appointment in the death chair. I’m almost looking forward to it now! :smiley:

Almost

18

I love it. Ten times better than being awake.

On the other hand, I tend to be very disoriented when waking up and I punched the dental assistant when I had my wisdom teeth taken out. She was trying to remove the IV and kept wiggling it inside my arm, and I mumbled “shtoppit”.

She didn’t shtopp, and zonked RNATB landed a right cross with the opposite hand that fortunately took her high on the forehead. I felt horrible, but she was v. understanding.

19

The relative half-life of nitrous oxide is about 5 minutes. The dental assistant starts turning it down over the last 10 minutes of your procedure. By the time the dentist says he’s almost finished you’ll be on 100% oxygen.
I have been very frightened of the dentist since a bad childhood experience. The dentist I’ve gone to for the last 20+ years just retired. He was great. I still had an asthma attack in the waiting room every time. They learned to get me right in abd get the nitrous started.
I now go to the Dental Fears Research Clinic at the University of Washington.
I see a psychiatrist each time before anyone looks into my mouth. So far, he has stayed with me for the whole appointment. They give me nitrous whenever I get anxious. It is classified as a psychedelic. In very high doses it can cause hallucinations. The dentist won’t be giving you that much. The dose range for calming dental fears is 30% to 50% nitrous to oxygen mix. It can cause mild paranoia, but, not in the doses you’ll be getting. When its at your optimum level, you feel floaty, almost weightless. Your mind wanders. The drug hightens reactions, so think happy thoughts. You may have some dizziness, but it goes away as soon as the drug is turned down or off. A few people get nauseated, but that’s rare. The main benefit during dental procedures is its mild depersonalization. You know you’re scared, but just don’t care. Its as if the dentist is working on your other body.
Good luck.

20

Love that nitrous. I haven’t been to a dentist in many years that uses it but personally, I think it’s wonderful.

I can recall one visit where the dentist was drilling so hard that he was bringing me back down from my high. It didn’t hurt but I was annoyed as hell. :wink: