Inhalation Sedation (Happy Air)
Everyone deserves a comfortable, stress-free dental experience, whether you’re an adult with dental anxiety or a child nervous about their first treatment. That’s why we offer inhalation sedation, commonly called “happy air,” a gentle and widely used sedation method that helps you stay calm and relaxed throughout your appointment.
N.B We offer this to patients in all clinics, Carlow, Athy and Rathdrum but treatment will be done in Donnybrook.
What Is Inhalation Sedation (Happy Air)?
Inhalation sedation uses a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen, delivered through a small, soft nose-piece. As you inhale the gas, you’ll gradually feel relaxed, often with a sense of warmth, light-headedness, and calm. Importantly, you remain fully conscious and responsive throughout the procedure.
Unlike deeper sedation methods, inhalation sedation does not put you to sleep. Instead, it eases anxiety, reduces discomfort, and helps make even routine procedures manageable. As soon as the mask is removed, the effects wear off within minutes, allowing you (or your child) to return to normal daily activity shortly after treatment.
Who Can Benefit from Happy Air?
Inhalation sedation is especially well-suited for:
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Adults with mild to moderate dental anxiety, who might feel nervous about injections, drills or the dental chair.
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Patients with a sensitive gag reflex, where conventional local anaesthetic or local-only treatment can be difficult or stressful.
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Children or teenagers who struggle to remain still for dental appointments — inhalation sedation helps them stay calm, cooperative and comfortable throughout the procedure.
What to Expect Using Nitrous Oxide
1. Initial Consultation & Assessment
Before we proceed, our team takes a full medical and dental history. We’ll assess whether inhalation sedation is the right option for you or your child.
2. Sedation Delivery
On the day of your appointment, a gas mask is gently placed over your nose and mouth, and you breathe a safe mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen. Within minutes, you’ll begin to feel relaxed, calm, but you will remain awake and aware.
3. Treatment with Comfort
Once sedation takes effect, we can proceed with your dental treatment, whether a check-up, filling, cleaning, or minor procedure — with minimal discomfort and anxiety. For children, this often transforms a potentially distressing appointment into a calm, manageable experience.
4. Recovery
After the procedure, the gas mask is removed, and oxygen is given to flush the nitrous oxide. Recovery is quick, and most patients feel fully alert within minutes, with no lingering drowsiness. For children, this means going home soon after the appointment and resuming normal activities.
Why Choose The Dental Suite for Inhalation Sedation?
We are committed to combining professionalism with compassionate, patient-focused care. Experienced clinicians deliver our sedation dentistry services in a calm, welcoming environment, ideal if you or your child feels anxious.
We treat inhalation sedation as part of our full sedation dentistry offering, and when you need more comprehensive sedation (e.g. for more involved treatments), we can use IV sedation instead. Just as our “happy air” sedation helps with mild to moderate anxiety or routine care, our IV sedation offers a deeper sedation option for more complex cases.
And because we also provide care under our paediatric dentistry services, inhalation sedation is a natural fit for children’s treatments.
Locations
The Dental Suite
Carlow
The Dental Suite
Athy
The Dental Suite
Donnybrook