Nitrous oxide is the clinical name for a gentle gas some children breathe in during a visit.

In kid words

"The dentist has a gentle gas that can help you feel calm and relaxed, and you get to breathe it in through your nose." It has a light, sweet smell, and some kids notice it makes them feel a little giggly, which is exactly why grown-ups gave it a silly nickname. That feeling fades quickly once you stop breathing it in.

The parent version

Nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas, is a mild gas mixed with oxygen and breathed in through the nose to help a child feel more relaxed during a visit. It is inhaled rather than injected or swallowed, and children stay awake and breathing normally the entire time it is used.

How it fits into a visit depends on the child's age, personality and how much treatment the visit involves, and that call is made together with the dental team, not assumed ahead of time. Ask your pediatric dentist whether it makes sense for an upcoming appointment.

Where you might hear it at our office

You will most often meet this term as part of the sedation and comfort menu, where it sits between a numbing cream and IV sedation reserved for bigger treatment plans. Most routine checkups and cleanings never need it at all.

You will always discuss the options with your pediatric dentist first. Nothing happens without you. If another word from a visit needs explaining, the rest of the dictionary is right here.

Related words

Words that often come up alongside nitrous oxide: laughing gas, sedation and topical anesthetic.