I want to know what is the difference between being put to sleep and laughing gas during a dental procedure?

Laughing gas: Great question! laughing gas is nitrous oxide which has a good safety profile at the concentrations used in dental offices. This means you are sedated, you will continue to breath, arouse to verbal stimulus, but generally be plenty relaxed for your procedure. General anesthesia is usually a combination of anesthetics which renders you unarousable and commonly a need to assist with breathing.

Significant: Nitrous oxide provides anxiolysis not anesthesia. N2o makes you feel euphoric, numb, light headed - but does not sedate you & "put you to sleep". So you will still be able to respond, hear, see, feel things, etc. General anesthesia, on the other hand will render you unconscious, & unresponsive. You will not hear, see, or feel anything. N2o is given even with general anesthesia as adjunct.