Opinions on Nitrous Oxide for Children

Hi A.-
I worked for a pediatric dentist for 5 years, and we never used nitrous oxide. There are different studies being conducted about the negative results of nitrous oxide. Usually a dentist will use topical which is a cream to numb the area before giving a novacaine injection, so you don't feel the injection. Maybe you should have your daughter see a pediatric dentist who are used to working with small children, (usually starting a 3 years old) instead of a dentist who usually sees adults and have a different tolerance for "pain".
Hope this helps
K.

I remember as a child having fillings done and getting the nitrous/novocaine combo-several times and wishing as an adult that they would still do that!!! If you ask most adults, I think that just about everyone has had this combo done. Would you rather that he drilled with nothing? The problem with that is if they are not very aware (and sometimes even if they are it is still difficult) of where the pulp is in the tooth, it can be very painful drilling. When you asked him not to use the nitrous, he really should have said something like "you realize, I will still give her the novocaine" Did he use ANY kind of numbing agent on the gums before he did the injection-though I must say that that does not work all that well, she would have still felt the needle to some degree. I would discuss it again with him if she needs work in the future and ask what he believes are the side effects. You are not a bad mother, you were just not informed properly of the procedure they practice in that office!!!!

The only advice I can give you is be very careful with the nitrous. My daughter was 7 years old at the time when she had a tooth filled. They gave her the nitrous...and kept the piggy nose on her pretty much the whole time. She actually was knocked out by it. Here was my little girl with her mouth wide opened and she had fallen asleep or something! Well who falls asleep at the dentist! She was not responding to us at all, I asked the dentist if she was okay. I actually think the dentist was worried as well. They started to give her more oxygen and we kept talking to her and tickling the bottoms of her feet and all to try and wake her. She finally woke up after about 5-10 minutes(which felt like an eternity to me). When we finally left the office, I was watching her in the car to make sure she was okay. I saw her smile and noticed the one side of her face was droopy when she smiled. I was scared to death. I kept thinking she had a stroke or something from too much nitrous. It ended up being the she had to much of the nitrous and it paralyzed her facial nerves on the one side. Her face finally (thank god) returned to normal after about 6 hours ( 6 hours toooo long). I have not since returned to that dentist. So just be careful and ask many questions about the nitrous. I will never do nitrous again because of that. I hope this helps a little. Sometimes if it is just a surface filling where they don't have to do much drilling they don't really have to give Novacaine. The dentist did this for my 5 year old son who does not like the dentist at all. All went well with that, and they have done it on my daughter as well. Different dentist of course. Good Luck!

I am a dentist and a mom, and I can assure you that using Nitrous oxide sedation in combination with local anesthetic is very common for children (and many adults) and very safe. The nitrous oxide is mixed with oxygen when it is given to the patient and there are failsafes on all units that prevent the patient from getting less than 30% oxygen (there is only about 20% oxygen in room air, so she is always getting MORE oxygen during this procedure than she breathes under normal conditions which is why there is no brain damage) What you remember from college was nitrous oxide - not mixed with oxygen - that would deprive the brain of oxygen. I hope this helps.

I am a Dental Hygienist with experience with Nitrous Oxide and local anesthetic (it's not novacaine anymore but it is often referred to as that) but little experience working on children. I am a mom though, and would be fine with giving my daughter Nitrous. I doubt that your dentist didn't use a local anesthetic when he did give her nitrous, they are usually used together. Without it she would still feel the drill, the N2O would just make her not care as much. Don't worry, you're not the worst mother in the world because that would be me. Or so it seems at least 100 times a day. Good luck!

Hi A.,
I suggest speaking with your dentist about your various options. No medication should have been given to your child without your knowledge or consent - I would honestly be shopping for another dentist since this one didn't bother to give you full information.
When my daughter was 8, she had to get a laser procedure oral surgery done (frenectomy). The oral surgeon recommended doing the nitrous and then the local - the nitrous is given to take the edge off the novacaine (or whatever local drug) injection. I wasn't comfortable with the gas, my husband gets violent hallucinations from it and I didn't want to chance this. I spoke with the surgeon and he was was not thrilled but willing to do the local injection/s without it. My daughter was fine with this, she knew it would be less than 10 seconds of pain and she had a high pain tolerance. She did just fine.
As the parent, I suggest you get all the information you can to make the best decision - you know your child best. Good luck!