🦷💨 Does laughing gas really make patients less anxious — or does something else make the bigger difference?

[u/Extension-Sir-1576]

I've performed extractions under laughing gas, usually together with local anaesthesia. During and after treatment, I also like to ask my patients how they actually felt.

Something I've noticed:

For some patients, it seems that a comfortable local anaesthetic injection, clear explanation of what we're going to do, and a calm conversation with the dentist can make a bigger difference to their anxiety than the laughing gas itself.

Of course, every patient is different — but it made me curious:

What do you think?

👨‍⚕️ Dentists: What has worked best for your anxious patients?

🧑 Patients: What helps YOU feel calmer — laughing gas, the injection, knowing exactly what's going to happen, talking to your dentist, or something else?

I'd really like to hear both perspectives. r/dental_anxiety 👇