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| General Dentistry » Sedation - IV and Relative Anaesthesia [Gas] (N2O) |
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Depending on the concentration and length of administration of laughing
gas, four levels of sedation can be experienced (after an initial
feeling of light-headedness):
- a tingling sensation, especially in the arms and legs, or a
feeling of vibration, quickly followed by
- warm sensations, and
- a feeling of well-being, euphoria and/or floating ("drift").
During heavier sedation, hearing may dissolve into a constant,
electronic-like throbbing.
- At a deeper level of sedation again, sleepiness, difficulty
to keep one's eyes open or speak ("dream") can occur.
During relative anaesthesia, you should be maintained within the
first three stages. If you've had bad experiences with laughing
gas in the past, it is highly likely that these were due to improper
administration and too high a concentration of N2O.
It's been observed that N2O depresses almost all forms of sensation
- especially hearing, touch and pain, and that it seems to disinhibit
some emotional centres in the brain. The ability to concentrate
or perform intelligent acts is only minimally affected, as is memory.
How is it administered?
The equipment used for delivering "happy gas"
is quite simple. It consists of a supply of compressed gases
and an apparatus which delivers the gases to the patient. By
turning some knobs and flipping on/off switches, the administrator
can produce the desired mix of N2O-O2 in the desired quantities.
Flowmeters and pressure gauges allow the administrator to keep
an eye on the flow of gases.
The desired N2O-O2 mix is fed through a tube to which a nasal
hood or cannula is attached. This hood is put over your nose.
All you have to do now is breathe normally through your nose
- bingo! |
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The white inner mask (sticking out) comes in vanilla, strawberry
and mint |
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