Inhalation Sedation for Kids Dental Treatments

Dental visits and treatment can sometimes feel overwhelming for children which is why we offer inhalation sedation. Inhalation sedation is a gentle and effective way to reduce anxiety and make dental treatments a more positive experience. Administered by our highly skilled dental team, this safe sedation option is designed to help children relax while remaining awake and responsive throughout their procedure. We are proud to offer both NHS and private sedation for children across Glasgow and Scotland.

What is Inhalation Sedation?

Inhalation sedation, often called “laughing gas” or “funny air,” is a blend of nitrous oxide and oxygen.

It helps children feel calm and at ease during dental treatments without putting them to sleep.

The sedative is administered through a small, comfortable hood placed over the nose, and its effects wear off quickly after the procedure.

How Does Inhalation Sedation Work?

Before the Appointment

You’ll attend an initial consultation where we assess your child’s suitability for sedation and confirm a treatment plan. This is on a separate day from treatment itself.

During the Appointment

The option of a scented or unscented mask delivers a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen.

Within minutes, your child will feel relaxed and possibly experience sensations like tingling, warmth, or floating.

They remain awake, able to talk and respond throughout the procedure.

After the Appointment

Recovery is quick—your child will breathe pure oxygen for a few minutes to eliminate the sedation effects.

They can return to regular activities soon after, though we recommend avoiding active sports for two hours.

Benefits of Inhalation Sedation

  • Reduces Anxiety: Helps children feel more comfortable, especially during lengthy or complex procedures.
  • Minimises Discomfort: Provides a gentle way to reduce pain sensitivity.
  • Quick Recovery: Effects fade within minutes after the mask is removed.
  • Safe for Kids: Widely recognized as a safe and effective sedation method when administered by trained professionals.

How Much Does Dental Inhalation Sedation Cost?

We are pleased to provide inhalation sedation at no cost under the NHS. However, due to the high volume of referrals from across Scotland, there is a waitlist for NHS appointments.

For private referrals and Kids Club members, appointments are available within four weeks, including convenient Saturday slots.

Inhalation Sedation FAQs

What age is this treatment suitable for?


How quickly does inhalation sedation work?


Does my child need to fast before sedation?


How long does the procedure take?


Will nitrous oxide make my child laugh?


Is inhalation sedation safe?


What happens after the procedure?


Are there alternatives to nitrous oxide?

Highly Rated with Excellent Customer Feedback

We are proud to have earned a growing number of 5-star reviews on Google, reflecting the care and expertise of our paediatric dental team in Glasgow.

Excellent
Kids Dental Care5.0
Based on 125 reviews
Lazara C.
6 days ago
The best service we’ve experienced. we found this practice online, for our daughter who’d been traumatised by a previous dental situation, where we life now in Costa Rica. After the first visit we seen a remarkable difference in her & she now loves going to the dentist & is asking when she can go back to visit John. An absolute miracle worker. It felt like we had a child psychologist expert, entertainer & skilled Denstist all in one. When we went to pay we couldn’t believe how reasonable the pricing was too - I’d recommend kids dental care to everyone
Barry M.
3 weeks ago
100% the best decision we could have made, our 6yr old daughter was suffering from 2 infected teeth which had to be extracted.

NHS waiting time for this was almost 2yrs and her own dentist said "Unfortunately she's gonna need to grow up very quickly" this meant basically she would need to deal with it.

We heard about this Dental surgery and that they were good with kids, and had our daughter referred. We were contacted within a week, had an appointment within another week, and within 4 weeks all done!

The whole experience from start to finish was actually a pleasure!! Who knew visiting a dentist could be so much fun???

Our daughter herself had so much fun on both visits, to the point where she was actually excited to go back! She also has now asked to move her dental care to this surgery going forward.

The professionalism from John and his colleagues is on another level, sit and watch your child being looked after like they were their own kids, exactly the way you would want when someone is working on your own child, they come down to her level, explain everything in a fun manner, always laughing and joking with your child, completely diverting attention away from any potential scary thoughts.

Honestly, I could go on forever, this was not just a positive experience for our daughter, this was a lovely experience for the parents too!

I CANNOT recommend or rate this surgery highly enough!
Karyn
4 weeks ago
From the moment we arrived to when we left John and his team were exceptionally professional.
John was able to identify on our first visit exactly what was causing our 6 year old son the pain, not only that he discovered other issues that we weren't before aware of with our son's teeth.
Straight away he made him feel at ease and this continued throw the whole process of Luka having to get his tooth removed!
During the time we couldn't of been made to feel more welcome as the rest of the staff made sure to also make Luka feel relaxed.
After our visit John went out of his way to follow up in detail and sent us an email of Lukas treatment he received and highlighted possible things we now may have to look out for in the future going forward.

Thanks again to all the Team.
Andrew C.
4 weeks ago
John and the hygenist were great. My 11yo daughter is on the spectrum and can be nervous about any sort of appointment. John always explained and showed what he was about to do before doing it. Very kind and professional. A+++!
Alice T.
4 weeks ago
John and the entire team were amazing with Emily. She has had some real anxiety about dental treatment in the past and the experience at Kids Dental Care completely put her (and me!) at complete ease and has put the smile back on her face..literally! Thank you so much, everyone 😁
Lorna A.
1 month ago
My 12 year old, who often faints from anxiety, had to have 4 teeth removed before she had braces fitted. John was exceptional, got her through the whole procedure with ease without any anxiety. Teeth extraction was incredibly fast and we are so thankful for the service he delivered. Would 100% recommend for any anxious children.
Robert N.
1 month ago
What a really great experience. Our son has a fear of needles but needed a sunken baby tooth removed. John was able to use injection free anaesthesia and inhalation sedation but more than this was his whole approach to our son, helping him stay calm and feeling reassured.
Lorna R.
2 months ago
John and Courtney were amazing from our first appointment to my daughter having her teeth removed. The procedure went so smoothly and john explained every step to my daughter.
I would 100% recommend this amazing professional team 😁 Thank you so so much and Freya has had no pain what so ever 😁
Gemma Q.
2 months ago
I would give this dentist 100 stars if I could. My daughter age 11 is genuinely terrified of even a check up at any other dentist. She attended Kids Dental Care recently for a surgical extraction of a particularly complex sunken tooth that was partially blocked by a neighbouring tooth. From the first consultation to the day of the procedure, before, during and after she was made to feel welcome and very relaxed. John took time to get to know her, put her at ease and had a natural sense of humour well aligned with kids. On the day of the extraction my daughter showed no signs of fear, hesitation or worry whatsoever, this is very unusual for her. The procedure itself was made incredibly easy and straightforward by the state of the art equipment, choice, options and friendly, expert service provided. Making the overall experience easy, quick (not rushed in any way though, with breaks offered, drinks and paced as required) , relaxed, pain free and fun. I highly recommend this dentist and would not hesitate to take my other kids. Aftercare and advice was excellent. It was also extremely affordable. Thank you Kids Dental Care!
Sue M.
2 months ago
Top class experience with my 8 year old daughter. Two extractions under sedation and a cap. My daughter was completely at ease and in awe of John. He has a real gift for making children feel comfortable and helps them to understand exactly what he is doing and why. He managed to undo a lot of previous negative feelings of other dental experiences at another practice. I would highly recommend him to anyone.
Lamya T.
2 months ago
My daughter had the best experience at Kids Dental Care. It was her very first appointment, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for it to go any better.

John was absolutely amazing with my 8-year-old. He was so kind, patient, and professional from start to finish. He made her feel completely at ease, explained everything in a gentle way, and turned what could have been a scary experience into such a positive one. I can’t even describe how lovely he was with her. She came out smiling and now calls him “the best dentist in the entire world!”

I also want to thank the other dentist who saw her she was incredibly kind and welcoming too. The whole team made us feel comfortable and cared for.

I truly can’t recommend Kids Dental Care enough, especially for parents whose children feel nervous about going to the dentist. They completely changed my daughter’s view, and we will definitely be using them for all of our children’s dental care from now on.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience!
Kathleen K.
2 months ago
John was amazing with my 7 year old daughter who suffers with severe anxiety. He made her feel very calm and relaxed by providing her with positive reassurance and explaining everything to her prior to doing it. She had 2 teeth removed under light sedation plus a crown fitted and not a tear was shed at both appointments. I can’t thank him enough for his kind, caring and compassionate attitude towards my daughter. Thank you one again!