Laughing Gas for Kids

Laughing Gas is safe and effective for most children. Our highly trained specialists will use nitrous oxide in appropriate cases, to help your child have a pleasant and stress-free dental experience.

Laughing Gas is commonly used in paediatric dentistry to help children cope with procedures they may otherwise struggle with. It is a mild sedative gas that is delivered through a nose piece. As well as reducing anxiety, nitrous oxide also has a mild analgesic (pain relief) effect. This means it is excellent for use in dental procedures.

Laughing Gas has safely been used for many years in medical and dental procedures. Prior to undergoing nitrous oxide sedation, our paediatric dentists will review your child’s medical history, answer any questions you may have and also go through some fasting instructions. This is because some children can feel nauseous when they receive Laughing Gas.

When using Laughing Gas, children commonly report that they feel happy, floaty and/or light headed. Sometimes they can feel tingles in their fingers or may feel their arms or legs are heavy. These effects start within minutes after the introduction of Laughing Gas and also stop, within minutes, after the gas is turned off.

Laughing Gas is not a sedative however, as it is not safe and legal to medically sedate children in dental practices in Australia. It will help a compliant but anxious child get through their dental treatment more comfortably.