Everything Else . Laughing gas, the familiar name for nitrous oxide, is still used extensively in dental procedures, according to the American Dental Association. Among all dentists, 57.3 percent used nitrous oxide with analgesic equipment, the ADA's 1991 Survey of Dental Practice found. The 1990 Survey of Dental Services Rendered reported that 3.46 million procedures involving analgesia with nitrous oxide were performed that year.
Nitrous oxide is a sweet-smelling gas that is administered along with oxygen.
Other sedatives, like Valium or similar drugs, may be used instead. Patients accustomed to having the pain of dental procedures effectively deadened with local anesthetics may not need sedation. New questions are answered on the site every Tuesday and Thursday.