When people think of going to the dentist and being sedated for a procedure, many of them might think of what is commonly called laughing gas. Laughing gas, which is actually nitrous oxide (aka nitrous, aka nitro, aka NOS), is composed of the chemical formula N2O. It is the perfect gas for use in dentistry because it is non-flammable, colorless, and has a somewhat sweet odor and taste that is not unpleasant for the patient or the dental practitioner. Even better, it has analgesic and anesthetic properties that make the patient feel a certain euphoria while under its influence, making it very useful for surgery in general and dentistry more specifically. Due to the “happy” feelings nitrous oxide induces, patients experience significant decreases in pain and anxiety when undergoing dental procedures. Pediatric dentists like to use nitrous oxide to induce a type of amnesia so that their young patients are relaxed, cooperative, and not traumatized in the slightest by their dental treatments. Adult patients who have low pain tolerance, overactive gag reflexes, anxiety, psychiatric disorders, and/or disabilities which make it difficult to rationalize the experience of a dental procedure also benefit greatly from the use of nitrous oxide.