Why Don’t Dentists Use Nitrous Oxide Anymore? This has led many to wonder. Prior to the early 1980’s the substance more famously known as “nitrous oxide,” or “laughing gas” was used in dental clinics as a pain relief measure which served to soothe the patient. This made it famous for causing an all-round feel of happiness and jovial feeling as some users of the substance would be giggling, thus the name. But today you may have come across the fact that not a lot of practicing dentists use nitrous oxide as one of the methods of dental sedation.
An attempt will be made to reveal some of the causes that led to the decrease of nitrous oxide use in dentistry some of which are; dental anesthesia, health, and consideration of patients’ comfort. As well we will talk about other forms of sedation in modern dentistry and the shift of viewing it as beneficial for both patients and dentists and assistants.
Why Don’t Dentists Use Nitrous Oxide Anymore
Nitrous oxide assist the patient to relax and, at the same time reduce his/her pain tolerance level. Nitrous oxide used takes about five minutes to instigate sedation once inhaled, it dissolves in the blood through the pulmonary hence anesthetising the CNS.
In dentistry Nitrous oxide was usually given to patients through a nasal mask this made patients breathe freely but still benefited from the calming effects of the gas. The gas was frequently used for operations as simple as fillings, root canal work, or removal of a painful tooth still in the gum, during which it was desirable that the patient should not be anaesthetised but should be perfectly comfortable, light and joyful.
Nitrous oxide has a short-lasting effect that as soon as one removes the mask ; it fades away making it the favorite of dentists. Patients could mostly walk out of this clinic right after their appointments without needing someone to drive them home. Since its use is this simple and effective you are wondering why its use has dwindled.
Why Nitrous Oxide Use Has Declined
Here also there are several reasons why many dentists do not use nitrous oxide as much as they used to. Some of the most common factors are the development of new techniques in other forms of sedation, questions of patient’s safety, and shifts in the dentist’s and patients’ demand.
The Concept, Modern Anesthesia And Mode Of Sedation
The first limitation that has been associated with reduction of utilization of nitrous oxide is availability of better techniques in the process of giving sedation. That is why dental anesthesiology developed in the course of the past decades and the possibilities of the medications used in dental practice are more specific, safer and specific for each characterized type of patient.
For instance, oral sedation and IV sedation especially through the use of Benzodiazepines are getting more popular than Nitrous oxide. These techniques afford deeper level of anaesthesia, so the patients hardly remember that they have undergone surgery. Same to oral and IV sedation, modulation is also less complicated most especially in regard to the dosages that dentists are capable of administering depending on the level of the procedure to be conducted or the tolerance level of the patient.
These other techniques prove very helpful to those who experience intense, severe or severe fear when visiting dentists or those who need to be sedate for a longer, more complex dental procedure, where nitrous oxide may be insufficient.
Fears about one’s health or that of a loved one
Nitrous oxide is relatively safe but some side effects have been know to occur to both the patient and Dental surgery staff.
Surgical use of nitrous oxide has some side effects to patients: if the patients,breathe the gas for some time or even if they breathe high concentration of the gas may lead to nausea, fainting and at times other dangerous effects like respiratory disorders. Similar to mesothelioma and certain other lung diseases, other medical conditions that compromise the immune status of patients, may also put the patient at a higher risk when using nitrous oxide for sedation. Nitrous oxide is avoid by pregnant women especially because they are categoris as top risk patients.
Dental workers have worries due to their repeat exposure to nitrous oxide at their workplaces. In case nitrous oxide is not adequately scavenge, or vent out of the dental environment, its concentration builds up in the air and creates chronic health effects on the dentists and the dental personnel. Nitrous oxide has also also found to have several side effects include vitamin B12 deficiency, peripheral neuropathy and multi-organ toxicity in cases where nitrous oxide has use for a long time.
Due to these risks practice of using nitrous oxide in dentists has been down play and other better forms of sedation have been adopt in practices.
Comfort and Anxiety of patients
As already mentioned, NO has a good therapeutic effect for most patients’ anxiety levels, but it’s not for all patients. Some patients with nasal mask find it uneasy to wear which can even worsen their anxiety during dental procedures. Some may experience certain discomforts such as nausea or dizziness which definitely makes the process uncomfortable.
Dental practices over the recent past have sought to enhance patient care and comfort as part of their practice. Such changes in concentration have forced many dentists to look elsewhere for sedation methods that are more profound and selective than nitrous oxide.
For instance, there is normally oral sedation wherein patients take a pill before coming to the dentist, so they are relax when they seat in the dental chair. Nitrous oxide makes the patient feel less anxious than IV sedation but it cannot be control during the surgical procedure in the same way that IV sedation can.
This greater emphasis on the patient’s experience has led to the continuing decrease in the use of nitrous oxide in favor of other choices that can provide for the patients’ requirements.
Cost and Practicality
The second reason why nitrous oxide usage has been decreasing is due to the expense and feasibility for continuing with essential apparatus. Use of nitrous oxide involves having and using tanks, hoses, and masks to dispense the same, plus good ventilations to allow expulsion of the nitrous oxide from the office. It can also be expensive especially when it needs constant check up to conform to societal standards of safety.
As more dentists have incorporated oral and IV sedation into their arsenal because of the lack of equipment for its use, it makes perfect sense for many to switch away from nitrous oxide. This shift enables dental practices to bring out other aspects of care or on better technology that brings out the best patient interactions.
Is Nitrous Oxide Being Discontinued By Dentists Completely?
Despite the fact, the general use of the nitrous oxide has reduced in some dental practices it is still in use. It is still a popular choice among many dentists because of its relative lighter effects or due to certain underlying medical issues of the patient that make the administration of the drug a safer option. The health professionals still consider nitrous oxide as a very safe and efficient method for paediatric anaesthesia and for the adult patients who are to be operate on or administer relatively short and non Complex surgery.
Rather, it should be note that for patients with relatively low levels of dental phobia or for those, for whom more profound levels of conscious sedation are not require, nitrous oxide can be perfectly beneficial. It is specifically suitable for busy individuals since the pain arises suddenly and clears up just as fast, especially those who should drive themselves to a doctor’s appointment or get back to work soon after the appointment.
Also, it should be note that as a volatile, non-inhalable agent that does not demand preparatory fasting as some other types of sedatives, nitrous oxide still has retain its advantage as a comfortable form of sedation for both patient and the dentist in some circumstances.
Alternative Sedation Methodologies for Current Dentistry
Although ‘laughing gas’ is not always use as often as in the past today’s patient has a large selection of sedation methods/techniques to suit their personal circumstances/requirements. Here are some of the most popular alternatives:
Oral Sedation
The other kind of sedation dentistry is call oral sedation where you give a prescription of a drug which is take an hour before the dental surgery is done. This could be a benzodiazepine drug such as Valium or Halcion which has the effect of making the patient less anxious but at the same time does not put him/ her to sleep. Oral sedation is of a moderate form and patients are conscious but in a very relaxed state. It is popular among patient who experience low to moderate level of dental fear and phobia.
Intravenous (IV) Sedation
IV sedation is a deeper form of sedation where the medicines are administer through a special line call IV line. For one, it is gentle and it offers the dosage of sedation to be adjust during the operation. IV sedation is use where more invasive dental procedures are require, or if the patient is extremely anxious about dental procedures. They are not totally sedate to the point of being totally unconscious but are very much relax during the process and may even have little recollection of it.
Why Don’t Dentists Use Nitrous Oxide Anymore General Anesthesia
General anaesthesia may have to be administer in cases of severe mental disorder, multiple tooth extractions or other elaborate procedures in dentistry or a patient with particular difficulties in handling. The patient is completely unresponsive during surgery when under a general anesthetic. This may be only use in hospitals or a specialize dental clinics where the anesthesiologists will have to be involve.
Conclusion
It is now clear whether nitrous oxide will continue being in demand or its application will be fix in the future dentistry.
But why don’t dentists utilize nitrous oxide as frequently as they use to in the past? This is because it is another tool that has made ineffective by the introduction of other types of sedation, health hazards, and shift in patients’ preferences. Progress in dental sedation has therefore allow patients to select forms that are individualize, less hazardous and comfortable.
Nitrous oxide is still present in many dental practices because some patients may prefer laughing gas or may require a short time to recover from it. Yet for patients with a deeper anxiety or with more complicated dental issues they would require oral as well as IV sedation kind of sessions.
Ultimately, the decline of nitrous oxide use reflects a broader trend in dentistry: the global transformation of the focus of medical activities towards the consequences of the more extensive use of patient-oriented approaches. From an aspect of using modern sedation techniques to other enhancements, the present day dentist is well position to address the needs of his / her patients and make dental treatments as comfortable as possible to the patient.