Happy Gas

We can offer Happy Gas as an alternative for children in particular who will not tolerate a needle.

Happy Gas is generally delivered via a small nose piece and is painless. It will help your child to feel relaxed and can often make them feel like they are in a dreamy state. They may feel slight tingling in their hands and feet, but this is normal. When under Happy Gas sedation, the patient will have the levels of sedation monitored by trained professionals who will ensure that the patient is able to follow instructions and be aware of their surroundings, but unable to feel the pain or the anxiety that they have been feeling originally. Additional injections may be given during the procedure but the patient should be feeling much more relaxed and able to cope with these.

Happy Gas generally wears off quickly and the patient should feel alert within a reasonable amount of time.

There are risks associated with all sedation methods so Happy Gas is not completely risk free. You will be fully informed by our dentists and nursing staff before any procedure.

Some risks can be that oxygen levels may drop below normal levels. If this is the case, our fully trained staff will place an oxygen mask over the patient’s mouth and nose in order to monitor and maintain a healthy level of oxygen.

On occasion, Happy Gas can cause vomiting. If this happens, it is not usually a major issue unless the patient breathes the vomit into their lungs. There are procedures that our dentists and nurses will follow if this slight possibility happens.

Happy Gas is generally very safe and has been used in dentistry for many years.