local anesthetic

According to the guidelines, the topical anesthetic lidocaine “might be useful for reducing patient pain” when injected as a local anesthetic or applied topically as a numbing gel, cream or spray.

Usually the procedure can be carried out under local anesthetic, meaning the person is awake, and takes only about 15 minutes.

A survey published this year found that only 4% of trained physicians in the United States offered an injection of a local anesthetic, which has been found to be effective for pain relief.

Typically for root canal, patients receive a local anesthetic to numb the area around the tooth or teeth involved in the procedure.

Because this high-potency topical system can be quite painful, doctors often use a local anesthetic on the skin before applying it.