I was hesitant to buy into the whole nitrous thing when getting dental work done. What's a little discomfort? I can take it. But holy fucking shit does it make a difference for the better. Especially for something like a cleaning; I'm calmer, more relaxed, and even though I can still feel what they are doing in there I just don't care as much. It feels like a zero calorie beer for breakfast. And paired with actual numbing agents during a more involved procedure, it helps them as much as me. It's like a hypnosis drug. I just focus on breathing through my nose and follow their instructions without any stress and the drunken feeling passes before I even leave the chair so I can go on with my day.
Moreover, I can't exactly make whipped cream with carbon dioxide. Are they going to outlaw Guinness in a can with the nitrous widget next?
It tastes a bit sweeter and looks better, really. You can also use the charger to froth cold soups or to make foamy suspensions.
It’s a better alternative to prepackaged whipped cream, in my mind. It also doesn’t contain sweeteners (unless you put them in, of course) which is a benefit.
I have a reusable canister that takes nitrous charges. Dump 16oz of heavy cream, simple syrup, and flavor into a chilled canister; seal, charge, and shake. Now you have easy to dispense whipped cream. Nitrogen gas adds a bit of sweetness to food (like Guiness or nitro iced coffee), whereas carbon dioxide adds a bit of bite (like in most sodas).
When I had some teeth out they injected something into my gums to numb it and it was fucking horrible. Next time I went they got the syringe out and I just told them I'd rather feel the pain than go through that again.
Novocaine. But if you're having surgery you definitely want it. It's not exactly pleasant having someone stab you in the gum with a with a needle but it's even less pleasant to have someone pull one of your teeth out with a pair of pliers.
I had nitrous one time about 10 years ago. Friends of a friend had one of those devices where you could pinch the container and the gas would flow into a Ballon on the other end.
Just exchanged the air in my lungs with the gas in the Ballon until I kind of passed out for a second, followed by a wave of euphoria and laughter.
Was fun, but not something I would do again, even without the included health risks.