Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, works quickly. Within a few minutes of inhaling nitrous oxide through a small mask over the nose, you will feel relaxed or even sleepy. However, it doesn’t make you lose consciousness, allowing you to follow your dentist’s directions.
It wears off very quickly as well, so when the gas is turned off, the effects of sedation vanish almost at once. When the nitrous oxide is turned off, the dentist will switch the flow to pure oxygen, which helps flush the remaining nitrous oxide from the body.
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