Your story about your son cracked me up—reminds me of when I had laughing gas myself for a tooth extraction. I'm usually pretty calm at the dentist, but this one tooth was stubborn, and the dentist suggested nitrous oxide to help me relax. Like you, I wasn't sure it'd really do much, but figured why not try it.
Turns out, it worked like a charm. I remember feeling like I was floating a bit, and everything seemed funny—even the dentist's corny jokes. Afterwards, I kept touching my chin because I was convinced it had doubled in size. My husband still teases me about it. 😂
On the flip side, I've also done IV sedation once for a more complicated procedure. It definitely knocked me out completely, but coming out of it was rough—felt groggy, dizzy, and just generally out-of-it for hours afterward. I can totally understand why your nephew was cranky; it's not the most pleasant feeling.
I think you're spot-on about sensitivity levels playing a big role. Everyone reacts differently, and sometimes lighter sedation is all that's needed. Laughing gas seems like a great compromise: gentle enough to avoid those heavy side effects, but still effective at easing anxiety. Glad your son had such a positive experience—it makes future dentist visits so much easier when kids have good memories like that.
Your experience really resonates with me—I had IV sedation once too, and while it definitely did the job, the aftermath was pretty rough. Took me hours to shake off that foggy feeling. Laughing gas sounds like a gentler alternative, especially if anxiety is the main issue rather than pain tolerance. I'm leaning toward trying nitrous oxide next time, just to avoid that lingering grogginess... Glad your son had such a positive experience though; makes all the difference for future visits.
"Laughing gas sounds like a gentler alternative, especially if anxiety is the main issue rather than pain tolerance."
I completely agree with you on this point. I've seen nitrous oxide work wonders for patients dealing primarily with anxiety. IV sedation is effective, sure, but that heavy grogginess afterward can really disrupt your day—been there myself. One thing to keep in mind though: nitrous oxide can sometimes cause mild nausea or dizziness, so just be prepared for that possibility. Glad your son's experience went smoothly; building positive associations early makes a huge difference down the road.
Laughing gas worked pretty well for me too, honestly. I went with IV sedation once and felt super foggy for the rest of the day—which wasn't terrible (hello, Netflix binge), but definitely not ideal if you've got stuff to do later. Nitrous oxide was gentler overall, though I did get a bit dizzy afterward, nothing major. Glad your son's doing okay; dental anxiety is no joke, and good experiences early on make all the difference.
I've been debating this myself lately. Laughing gas sounds tempting because I really don't want that groggy, spaced-out feeling afterward. But honestly, I'm not sure if nitrous alone would be enough for me—my anxiety tends to spike pretty badly at the dentist, especially with something like an extraction. Last time I had a filling done with just laughing gas, it took the edge off but didn't fully calm me down. I was still pretty tense and jumpy.
IV sedation seems intense though...the idea of being totally out of it makes me nervous too. Plus, I've heard mixed things about recovery times and side effects. Did anyone else feel nauseous afterward? That's another thing I'm worried about.
I guess I'm leaning toward IV sedation despite my hesitation, just because I don't want to risk panicking mid-procedure. But it's reassuring to hear nitrous worked well for some of you—maybe I'll talk to my dentist again and see if there's a middle ground option or something.
