Conscious sedation is defined as a minimally depressed level of consciousness that retains the patient’s ability to independently and continuously maintain an airway and respond appropriately to physical stimulation and verbal command.

Here at Concept Dentistry we offer two different types of non-invasive dental sedation depending on your level of anxiety.

Oral “Pill” Sedation

This type of sedation is administered by taking a pill either the night before or 1 hour before the appointment depending on the level of anxiety. The advantage of oral sedation is that it is easy to administer. The disadvantage of oral sedation is that the level of sedation can vary significantly and the recovery period is relatively long. You need someone to drive you to and from the dental office. If you have any questions regarding this type of sedation do not hesitate to contact our office.

Nitrous “Laughing Gas” Sedation (Inhalation Sedation)

Commonly known as “laughing gas”, this type of sedation is administered in the office by simply breathing in a mixture of nitrous oxide/oxygen gas. The gas has no smell, or colour, and does not irritate. There are many advantages to using nitrous oxide “laughing gas” sedation. These include:

• Fast acting, the laughing gas starts working within 2-3 minutes inhalation.
• Simple. There are no pills and it is very non-invasive. Just have to wear a mask over your nose and breathe!
• Effective. The level of sedation can be easily changed by altering the mixture of nitrous oxide/oxygen so an appropriate level of sedation can be achieved.
• Reduce gagging. In addition to the relaxation effects, nitrous oxide sedation is also very effective in reducing severe gagging.
• No hangover. Nitrous oxide is quickly eliminated from the body once the mixture of gas is switched to 100% oxygen at the end of the procedure (within 3-5 minutes). This means that after your dental visit you can safely drive home and go on with the rest of your day! That said we do require that all patients using laughing gas sedation have an emergency contact that would be available just in case they don’t feel up to driving home.
• Safe! Nitrous oxide sedation has very little to no side effects.

With all those advantages there are some disadvantages to nitrous sedation as well. These include:

• Inadequate sedation. Nitrous sedation works best for this with mild to moderate dental anxiety or severe gaggers. If you have severe dental anxiety you may need alternative sedation techniques. If you have any doubts please contact our office to get more information.
• You need to be able to breathe through your nose. We administer the laughing gas by having you breathe through a small mask on your nose. If you cannot breathe through your nose effectively or feel claustrophobic with the mask on then nitrous sedation will not be effective.
• Some people have had a bad experience while undergoing nitrous sedation such as dizziness, nausea, vertigo, or even hallucinations. These symptoms are usually due to having a concentration of nitrous oxide that is too high for you. This can usually be avoided by titrating the concentration of nitrous oxide gas more slowly.